HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate, is an upcoming arcade snowboarding game that takes inspiration from the likes of SSX and Jet Set Radio. Just from that alone, you can probably guess what’s involved: scoring points by nailing cool tricks, free-form gameplay, and an attitude of rebellion. I mean, the menu screen literally opens with one of the characters breaking through a No Snowboarding sign.
Before we hop into the review proper, I really need to stress that you’re going to want a controller for this one. The game will tell you; I’m telling you too. I’m pretty new to this genre, so when I got an absolutely dismal score of 4,000 in my first game on the tutorial level, I assumed it was just the learning curve. When I jumped to about 60,000 by simply connecting an Xbox controller, I realized it’s not really an option at the moment.
Hyperyuki has a little something for everyone, offering a variety of game modes ranging from competitive to chill. The base gameplay is similar for all of them: shred down the map, maybe taking one of the paths that branch off the main course on the way down. Each of the five modes I played added a little spin on that formula. Let’s start with Freestyle, which simply asks players to fetch as many points as possible by doing various tricks, and giving players a trophy if they hit one of the three point thresholds. Players can jump, grind on rails, perform midair tricks like flips, turns, and board grabs, and combinations of the above, all of which grant points. Once a trick is performed, a multiplier meter appears, and the more tricks you perform, the higher the multiplier climbs. You need to keep doing tricks to keep your multiplier alive and growing, but if you wipeout then you’ll lose it along with whatever points you would have gained. It’s a wild balance of risk and reward. Do you let the meter expire after a great combo or do you keep going?
One feature that can help you maintain and grow your combos is Hyper Mode. Your tricks will slowly fill up the Hyper Meter, giving you access to Hyper Mode when it’s full. Upon activation the world around your snowboarder darkens a bit, highlighting them with splashes of color and giving stunts a point boost. Alternatively, you can exchange Hyper Meter charge for a speed boost that also preserves your combo. Players can keep growing their Hyper Meter, with each of the letters of “Hyper” turning pink one by one. When every letter is pink, God Mode is engaged, and you have unlimited boosts and tricks.
Let's move on to the other modes, which place less emphasis on gathering points, like Race, Slalom, and Challenge. Race is your classic racing mode. It’s you and your competitors blasting your way down the mountain seeing who can reach the finish line first. While I don’t think points play a role in determining who stands where on the podium when the race is finished, I can certainly see the benefit of unleashing god mode while you’re juggling first, second, and third place every three seconds as you and your friends (or AI competitors) overtake each other. Then there’s Slalom, which starts you off with a relatively short amount of time to complete the level, which can be extended by riding through rings that grant you five or ten extra seconds. Finally, we’ve got Challenge mode, which provides players with a list of fun tasks to complete, though not necessarily all in one run. Things like “Find the letters to spell the word Hyper” or “Get a multiplier of 50.” This one can be a little tricky with remembering what task items are where, but that’s part of the fun of it. It also provides a great reason to explore the branching paths of each map, which is good to do anyways.
There’s one more mode to touch on, Chill Mode. As you might guess from the name, it’s basically just running the slope with no timer, competitors, or score requirements. It’s great for practicing your tricks, getting a grip on the mechanics, and learning the maps. That last point is the best way to find out what combos you can and can’t get away with, which is key to keeping your score multiplier alive and growing.
Of course, there are plenty of characters and boards to choose from. In the preview build I played, four characters were available; Keiko, Blaze, Brittany, and Yukigon. Though, the steam page says that there will be 11 characters at release. Every character has stat bars for speed, jump, tricks, and stability. Eventually, your characters will level up, giving you skill points to dump into whichever stat you please. Next, you grab one of the many boards, which also have their own stats and aesthetics. That’s a lot of customization and choice before we even start shredding.
On the note of aesthetics, HYPERyuki’s overall visual and music game is tight. The game knows what it wants to be—an arcade snowboarding game inspired by anime, SSX, and Jet Set Radio—and everything reinforces that. The characters are bright with electric colors and in-your-face designs, the slopes are creative and emphasize freedom of expression, and the soundtrack sounds like it was ripped right out of the late 90s to early 2000s. Even the menu selection sounds are reminiscent of the Xbox 360.
I had a great time playing HYPERyuki. It’s one of those games where you can just plop down on the couch or gaming chair and get into a flow state that’s straight out of the good old days. You can even have a few friends join you with four player split-screen or more with online play. While HYPERyuki doesn't have a set release date yet, you can bet that I’ll be there grinding the slopes when it does.
