Sledders Preview

If you have ever had the opportunity to ride a snowmobile, I have a game that allows you to recreate that experience and won’t require you to freeze your buttocks off. Sledders is a realistic, physics-based snowmobile simulator that has you exploring a backcountry that is full of deep snow. You can play on your own or ride with (or against) your friends in the online multiplayer.

There are no set goals or tasks in the game, so you will just explore the snow-covered environments, or you will have to get creative and make your own with your friends, like who can get to the summit the fastest. The experience is quite relaxing — that is, until you smash into a tree, the invisible barrier around the map, or just get stuck in the deep powder. Luckily, the game makes it easy to respawn at the start point, so you can continue on your way. You will be able to see the tread tracks from where you drove before, which is really cool, but be cautious, as they can throw you around and send you off course if you aren’t careful.

Control-wise, Sledders recommends that you use a controller. To lean, use the left thumbstick; the throttle is RT; steer with the right thumbstick; and brake is the LT. Like in most games, I never used the brake as I tend to forget that it exists. Though there were only a few times where it may have saved me from smashing into a tree. I also really love how the controller would vibrate to simulate the power from the engine running, which added a realistic feel. If you drop from a decent height, you will have to adjust the front of your machine, or you will go nose-first into the snow and get stuck or go flying.

The visuals in the game are okay; they aren’t exactly breathtaking, but they get the job done. There are 30 different fictionalised off-brand snowmobiles to ride in a variety of colours, along with 15 different outfits to wear; you can even colour-coordinate them! There are three different terrains that you are able to explore: Woodlands, Mountains, and Hills. There is a bit of variety between the three, but they all look pretty similar, with the same types of trees in each area. The one aspect that really didn’t work was the engine sound. Sure, it’s been a lot of years since I have gotten to go out on a snowmobile, but this is not the sound I was expecting. I think making the engine sound more realistic would make the game feel a lot better, along with including some environmental sounds like wind blowing. It seemed weird to me that all I would hear was the snowmobile and nothing else; slightly muted sounds to simulate wearing a helmet would be great.

I think fans of backcountry snowmobiling would enjoy checking out this simulation; just don’t expect it to be completely realistic. I think the game would benefit if some objectives were included in the game, like trying to get to the highest point, having to visit a gas station to refill, time trials, or even routes to follow, it could be fun. If you have never had the desire to snowmobile, this may not be the title for you, as I think it would feel quite bland, but for those who love to explore the snowy outdoors, Sledders is worth checking out. Plus, not smelling like exhaust was a nice change, too!