Steep: Road to the Olympics

Road to the Olympics doesn't reinvent the wheel. The core gameplay stays the same, but the focus of this DLC is somewhat different. There is enough new content which makes Road to the Olympics a nice addition, but not more than that.

The DLC's main feature--the narrative journey to the Olympics--is flawed, unfulfilling, and frustrating, but thankfully there's enough to do elsewhere that Road to the Olympics still helps bolster and revitalize Steep's main appeal. It's good to have a new mountain to throw yourself down.

Even with the structure of the Olympic events being lacking, there’s still more than enough content here to justify the asking price.

The new Steep expansion is dedicated to the new Winter Games of PyeongCheng, in South Korea. It includes Japan too, with several new competitions and an entire new land. It is a nice addition, doesn’t change the game’s nature but it’s a good reason to get back to Steep.

With the Become a Legend story mode, Road to the Olympics it's a nice twist for Steep. This new DLC offer a really far experience from the original game but at the same time it keeps the good gameplay feeling.

Road to the Olympics is an expansion that tries to make a different cut compared to the original game: more linear, more simulative and more challenging. Conditions that probably will not be particularly interesting for historical players of the title that can still face new mountains and new challenges in total autonomy and carefree. For those who was waiting for a more structured experience and perhaps tied to something more concrete like the Olympics, with this expansion that comes also packaged in a bundle with the base game, it is definitely a good reason to get on board the multi-sports title Ubisoft to explore the Alps and Alaska once in South Korea.

Steep: Road to the Olympics brings enough new content to the table to make it a worthwhile acquisition for any Steep fan. The Become a Legend mode in particular adds a goal-focused narrative that so many gamers have been conditioned to crave while Japan allows the free form exploration of some nice looking snow-covered countryside. Steep was not on the smoothest course when it was first released, but the numerous tweaks and additional content have made it a more enjoyable experience overall. People who were completely unimpressed by Steep when it was first released will likely not see enough of a change to have this content change their mind, but those who were will find a lot to love in the expansion.

The title therefore needs to be thoroughly rethought.

Steep: Road to the Olympics adds a ton of new content that will surely please fans of the base game. However, for those who weren’t able to get on board with the game’s free roaming aesthetic, there is little new that will change their minds. While the new Olympic story campaign offers some much-appreciated structure, it is over quickly, and players are left with an avalanche of content and no map directing them where to go next.

Ubisoft has plunged the huge potential and brought an expansion nobody will remember after the Olympic Games end. The game is full of imperfections revealing that Ubisoft has bet primarily on the license attraction. Probably the best the game can offer are the new modes of downhill skiing and slalom, or Slopestyle, yet it is obvious, that the expansion could be significantly better.

Steep: Road to the Olympics is a separate expansion, meaning it's not included as part of the season pass. That's a shame because, if it was, it would be easier to recommend. For a game all about freedom of choice and spontaneous activity, with quite an arcade-centric physics engine, it was clearly going to struggle to convey the technical side of the Winter Olympic Games. The 'Be a Legend' story-mode seems rushed and ill-devised. The footage of athletes is poorly integrated and the narrating and tutoring is all too intense, especially when the experience is so fragmented and dull. Japan, on the other hand, is a beautiful and large region, which really does expand the Steep world with a new aesthetic, new event types, and new challenges. Hence, Steep fans who persevere with the first segment, will eventually receive an impressive content injection. Fans of the Winter Olympics, however, will probably find this one quite underwhelming.

A fun addition to Steep, with plenty new events and slopes providing a nice change of pace to the base game. Yet if Steep annoyed you because of its buggy nature, then it probably won’t win you back over.