Lonely Mountains: Downhill

 Switch
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 56
  3. Negative: 10 out of 56

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  1. RumCooking
    May 17, 2020
    7
    There's a really beautiful game under here, but there are a lot of physics inconsistencies that still need to get worked out.

    Sprinting, a core mechanic, doesn't always work and the player will die getting caught on object corners at the slowest speeds. Disappointingly, several of the game's speed challenges aren't possible to complete with the "screen-based" control scheme due to how    There's a really beautiful game under here, but there are a lot of physics inconsistencies that still need to get worked out.

    Sprinting, a core mechanic, doesn't always work and the player will die getting caught on object corners at the slowest speeds. Disappointingly, several of the game's speed challenges aren't possible to complete with the "screen-based" control scheme due to how it's programmed on Switch which isn't called out anywhere.    … Expand
  2. ro0llo
    Dec 20, 2021
    5
    The game itself is good but there are UNFORGIVABLE frame drops. In a game where every millisecond count for getting the best times this can not be accepted and the framedrops mostly result you into crashing while you may have had a perfect run. Stopped playimg the game because of this. Its a shame.
  3. SD55
    May 8, 2020
    7
    I would love to say that it's a great port from xbox/ps4 but unfortunately it's not.

    Graphix : I know that the Switch Hardware doesn't have the power of the Xbox and ps4 but the textures are muddy and not crisp..The game isn't graphically realistic..Switch should handle that easily Performance: Framerate stutter and fps drops are noticeable. Especially if you drive faster and better.    I would love to say that it's a great port from xbox/ps4 but unfortunately it's not.

    Graphix : I know that the Switch Hardware doesn't have the power of the Xbox and ps4 but the textures are muddy and not crisp..The game isn't graphically realistic..Switch should handle that easily

    Performance: Framerate stutter and fps drops are noticeable. Especially if you drive faster and better.

    Gameplay : Smooth as on Ps4 and Xbox

    Verdict : It's a great game. But the Performance Problems and the muddy Graphics Stopps it from being awesome.

    I Hope the Developers put some work on it and patch it to make the experience better.

    7/10    … Expand
  4. curzon_dax
    May 17, 2020
    7
    I'll try to be fair. The game is absolutely stellar if you're into purely sports games that reward delicate skill and a good amount of work to master them. However for the people that are mostly in for the fun and the exploration it is not their cup of tea because within a few minutes the exploration part of each level is done so roughly speaking the game is 80 to 90% purely e-sports skill based.
  5. rupel
    Aug 4, 2020
    5
    When indulging beyond easy challenges in day mode following issues become apparent.

    Level Design: Obstacles are placed so that you need to learn courses by repetition in order to evade them in a quick fashion. The problem here is that you don't get a chance to learn about said obstacles without falling as the time-spans are too narrow to react. Needing to react before they're visible    When indulging beyond easy challenges in day mode following issues become apparent.

    Level Design:
    Obstacles are placed so that you need to learn courses by repetition in order to evade them in a quick fashion. The problem here is that you don't get a chance to learn about said obstacles without falling as the time-spans are too narrow to react.
    Needing to react before they're visible is frustrating and cheap difficulty. I'm surprised how this isn't criticized more often as these are game design basics.

    Missions:
    You can do all available missions in the current list, e.g. 3/5 at once. When finishing those and unlocking new missions your best time doesn't count towards the new mission even if you theoretically would have completed the mission. For example you would complete 2 missions: Complete under 2min20sec, Complete with falling less than 13 times. You complete in 1min59sec with 8 falls. After that you'll unlock the mission to complete in 2 minutes 10 seconds. It's so much fun doing that again.

    Performance:
    The performance issues make the game unplayable in night mode, other than that it's completely fine.

    Sound Design:
    SFX without music. It's marketed as zen. For me it's cheaping out on sound design. Celeste is harder, fairer and more "zen" WITH (sublime) music.

    Graphics:
    Even low-poly can be way more than that, but it's completely okay.

    Conclusion:
    What could be a lighthearted and challenging biking game instead is a frustrating mess, not adhering to industry standards and basic game design rules. Far from being worth the price tag, probable half would be fair in my opinion.
    Despite all of this I have a slight impulse to play it as it's still kind of fun, although I feel betrayed by the game and its reviews.    … Expand
  6. bingbang
    Jun 22, 2020
    7
    Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a good, worthwhile and relaxing distraction from the world (except it's downhill mountain biking and you die a lot).
  7. jandleslapper
    Apr 9, 2021
    7
    decent game, there are inconsistencies with the physics though. certain drops wont result in a crash while smaller ones will, you can often tap walls/rocks/trees/cacti resulting in a crash although you should only graze past them (according to what I've seen in the gameplay, either could be appropriate responses to a collision), you can also be translated away from an object, which isdecent game, there are inconsistencies with the physics though. certain drops wont result in a crash while smaller ones will, you can often tap walls/rocks/trees/cacti resulting in a crash although you should only graze past them (according to what I've seen in the gameplay, either could be appropriate responses to a collision), you can also be translated away from an object, which is appropriate for collisions, but this can occur randomly.
    As for the gameplay, the small field of vision inevitablly requires repitition as you will crash into something that is outside it, the only way to get a decent time (which is required to unlock new levels and bikes) is to slowly memorise the course. This is usually fine as the basic idea of the game is enjoyable but the more difficult challenges are often tedious; even after crashing on a single checkpoint multiple times following the same track is difficult as minor changes in direction and speed can result in you flying off the side of a mountain or into something hard. This small margin for error is exacerbated by the swtches performance, visually I think the game is acceptable but the analogues small degree on control , and frame jumping (the game just skips a frame and youre suddenly hurtling headlong into a rock) took a fair bit of enjoyment out of the game.
    I would say this is worth $15NZD, you shouldnt spend more than that, and if certain challenges are grinding your gears dont persist just move onto another level/challnge.    … Expand
  8. adpaskhughes
    Aug 25, 2023
    7
    This is a simple game executed very well. It is let down a bit by some drops in frame rate (especially at high speeds) and interactions with objects (like rocks and trees) being a too over-sensitive; this is more of an issue for a game like this as precision is key.

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best Switch Game of 2020
40
#40 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Gamezebo
    Oct 25, 2020
    90
    Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a superb example of a simple idea executed to absolute perfection.
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  2. Gaming Age
    Sep 15, 2020
    67
    When Lonely Mountains: Downhill works, it works pretty well. It’s far from perfect, but if you want a game that captures the zen of cycling, it mostly does a decent job of that.
    Read full review
  3. Switch Player
    Jul 20, 2020
    80
    Lonely Mountains: Downhill has so much going for it that you can’t help but love it. Vibrant, varied, and victorious. It’s an outstanding example of indie development and a delight from start to finish – performance issues aside.
    Read full review
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