Slope Rider

Slope Rider is a winter downhill game seen from the seat of a wooden sled. You start at the top of a snowy mountain, the sled tips over the edge, and from that moment you are sliding faster and faster between pine trees, boulders and grinning snowmen in top hats. There is no finish line; the run lasts as long as you can keep the sled pointed at open snow.

We liked how quickly Slope Rider unblocked gets you into the action. One click on the title screen and you are already moving, with the distance counter ticking up in the top-left corner. Within twenty metres the course had squeezed us between a cliff wall and a row of snowmen, and a little star bonus popped up every time we slipped past an obstacle close enough to count.

An Endless Mountain

The game is an endless sledding run. The slope generates ahead of you as you go, mixing open snowfields with narrow passages, dips and small ramps. Your score is the distance you cover, measured in metres, and the best result is saved under the crown icon on the main menu. Red gift boxes are the currency: you start with 250, pick up more on the course and earn them through missions and achievements.

When you crash, Slope Rider offers a Continue? screen with a short countdown. Spend 50 gifts to resurrect and keep your current distance, or press Skip to end the run. Continuing makes sense whenever a personal best is within reach, and there is even an achievement for doing it the first time.

Steering the Sled

• A / D (or the left and right arrow keys) – lean the sled left or right
• W (or the up arrow key) – hop over a bump or a log
• Mouse / touch – press on the scene to start, then drag to steer
• Gamepad – the controller icon on the menu shows the button layout

Click once inside the game window before using the keyboard so the game receives your key presses. On a first visit, a few panels (Event, patch notes and achievements) appear on top of the menu; close them with the X in the top-right corner and press anywhere on the mountain to start sliding.

The Menu, Shop and Achievements

Along the bottom of the menu are buttons for settings, the mission board, notices, achievements, controller help and the shop (the cart icon). The shop is where your gifts turn into new sleds and looks, so a long run pays off twice: once on the leaderboard and once in the store.

The Achievements list gives steady goals with gift rewards, for example:

• Slope Rider's Newbie – play 2 games
• Gift Dabbler – collect 100 gifts
• Slope's Stubborn – resurrect 1 time (worth 25 gifts)

A Daily Mission tab sits next to it with smaller goals that refresh every day.

Getting Farther Down the Mountain

• Steer early and gently. The sled keeps sliding sideways for a moment after you let go of a key, so tiny taps work better than holding a direction.
• Read the snowmen. Snowmen often come in groups and block one side of the slope. Spot which side is open while they are still far away.
• Save your jump. Jumping at the wrong moment can land you on top of a rock. Use it for bumps and logs right in front of you.
• Go for gifts only when it is safe. A gift on the edge of a cliff is rarely worth the crash.
• Use Continue near your record. 50 gifts to keep a run going is cheap when you are about to beat your best distance.

Why Players Like Slope Rider

The low-poly mountains, falling snow and cheerful snowmen give Slope Rider a cosy holiday look, but the speed keeps it tense. A run can last thirty seconds or several minutes, which makes it a perfect "one more try" game, and the gift economy means even short runs move you a little closer to the next sled.

More Downhill Games

If you enjoy sliding down a slope, the classic Slope ball game and its sequel Slope 3 are just as addictive, and Slopey offers another quick downhill challenge. Racing fans may also like Drift Boss.