Rating
Trials of the Blood Dragon
Trials with a storyline gives you 30 missions across 7 different worlds in a full narrative-driven adventure, a cast of colourful characters and a self-contained story set 12 years on from the events of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
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Trials of the Blood Dragon Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
With its over-the-top story told via charming 2D cartoons and deranged presentation complete with random retro styled adverts and other madness, Trials of the Blood Dragon‘s gameplay is also suitably unhinged. I mean that in the best possible way however, as from beginning to end it’s a rollercoaster ride full of belly laughs, exhilarating challenges and implausible action. It may lack the focus and some of the features of it’s more straight-laced Trials predecessor, but it makes up for it with variety and humour, creating an experience that should not only interest Trials fans but also gamers...
Much like you'd see in a seedy 1980s movie, Trials of the Blood Dragon is like a pretty good first hit of a drug. The buzz is short and mostly enjoyable, but it's so different that you might get hooked on the series. It's got a great gateway due to the story's ties to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, the flashy neon art, the constant pop-culture references, and fantastic techno score. Just realize that the shooting is bad and that you may come down from this high way earlier than you'd expect. But if this is your first Trial, know that there's lots more to consume.
Game crossovers are nothing new yet this one sure is unexpected. Was combining Trials gameplay with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon's world a good idea? Warm up your hot tub time machine and get ready to revisit the '80s and see for yourself.
Trials of the Blood Dragon is a confused concoction. The Trials gameplay is as solid as ever—RedLynx know their craft—but the side-scrolling levels are clunky and out of place. The whole thing feels like a waste of the Blood Dragon IP.
It’s a shame too, because Trials of the Blood Dragon really goes for it. The game has the look and feel of a Blood Dragon follow-up, and some goofy humor to back that up. Moreover, its Trials sections are just as fun as they have ever been, boasting lots of creative tracks, cool flourishes, and plenty of style. But those moments where the game tries to lean too far into the Blood Dragon part of the equation with run and gun gameplay or other variations on the Trials concept are where things fall apart. Overall, there’s a lot of fun to be had with the game, but inconsistent is the best way to d...
Trials of the Blood Dragon gets some things very right and other things very wrong, and unfortunately it ends up being a mixed bag. Hopefully we get a true Blood Dragon sequel at some point, because this would be an unfortunate sendoff for this promising series.
In the end this feels like an attempt to sell Trials to new players, but newcomers aren't going to learn what makes the core games so much fun and old-timers will be wondering what is going on.
Trials of the Blood Dragon continues the storyline from where Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon ended. If you’re driven to find out what happens next to Rex Power Colt and his two kids, Roxanne and Slayter, it looks like you’re buying this game. You won’t hate it, and the charm of the presentation is enough to keep you moving forward, just don’t expect it to be the thrill that other Trials games have been able to deliver.
At Ubisoft’s 2016 E3 press conference, Antti Ilvesuo of RedLynx and Dean Evans of Ubisoft Montreal took to the stage to not only share a trailer for their new mashup, Trials of the Blood Dragon, but to release it almost instantly to everyone’s surprise.
For all its faux-eighties foolishness, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was a very clever game. It took an established franchise, gave it a splash of visual variety, and then injected it with some bizarre characters and mechanics. Above all, it was silly, fun, and endearing. Unfortunately, Trials of the Blood Dragon is none of those things.
Truly, the best thing to come out of Trials of the Blood Dragon is that we get a continuation of the Blood Dragon story and a setup for a possible proper sequel. Other than that, it’s a forgettable jumble of things that don’t live up to either the Trials or the Blood Dragon names. It’s kind of ironic that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is one of the best-executed novel gimmicks in recent memory, because taking that idea and tweaking it to a new extreme has made Trials of the Blood Dragon one of the worst.
Despite being a standalone game, Trials of the Blood Dragon is at best a quirky aside to Trials Fusion. With so many truly ridiculous ideas in the story, they’ve given themselves free license to experiment and try new things, but so many of them simply don’t come off and aren’t that much fun. Let’s cross our fingers that RedLynx get back to what the series is so good at with their next game.