Fresh Tracks

Even if roguelites or rhythm games don’t typically grab you, Fresh Tracks expertly mixes both into a form that almost doesn’t feel like either.

One of the hallmarks of brilliant game design is that, in retrospect, it feels obvious. An idea is placed in front of you that makes you think, “how hasn’t anyone done this before?”. Fresh Tracks is a new rhythm game from the new Canadian studio Buffalo Buffalo that manages to accomplish that. It combines skiing, storytelling, music and rogue-lite mechanics into a unique and compelling package that I am struggling to put down.

Fresh Tracks took an hour or two to click for me, but I was addicted once it did. This is a really unique and fun rhythm game featuring awesome original music that all ties together with an increasingly fun narrative. You'll want to turn off the game's extra/optional sound effects to be able to completely lock-in to the groove, which is a little awkward for a title where sound should be completely dialed in. Still, I can't wait to finish writing this review so I can jump back in and try to improve all my high scores in one of my new favorite rhythm games on the market.

You would not necessarily think of skiing being a base for a rhythm game, but the team at Buffalo Buffalo have. The studio’s roguelike rhythm game Fresh Tracks takes up to the fictional location Norwyn, where you have been tasked by the Mythic Koda to reunite the rest of the Mythics to defeat Mar, the Mythic of Terror. To do that you need to complete the story songs of the Mythics, and defeat enemies while skiing to the rhythm.

A music rhythm game with roguelite elements, there's genuinely nothing else out there quite like Fresh Tracks. Its intuitive controls and mechanics make it easy to pick up but hard to master. And while all of its songs are original, they're of very high quality. For fans of both genres, this is a genuine treat.

I do like Fresh Tracks. The gameplay is snappy and intuitive, the voice acting and lore are great, and each track is a serious bop, but I’m not exactly feeling the roguelike nature of the game.