I think we can all agree it’s been way too long since we’ve had an SSX game to dominate our game time. In fact, we haven’t had one since the last generation of console…until now. Ubisoft debuted Steep at last year’s E3, and the excitement started to build from that moment; at least for me, but nothing could prepare me for the vast, open-world that awaited me when I hit the slopes of the Swiss Alps to tackle all the various extreme sports Steep has to offer.
Steep is epic in every sense of the word, from sheer size and scale of the mountainous levels to the seemingly endless array of missions, challenges, and events that just keep piling on. Even after a solid month of playing Steep I am still unlocking new things to do. While primarily a single-player experience, Steep does allow you to group together with up to three other individuals and tackle the slopes as a group, not unlike the system found in The Crew. While this does allow for a bit of camaraderie it personally didn’t fit with my style of play where I would repeat an event until I got a gold medal – even if it took hours. Good luck finding friends with that kind of obsessive patience.
Steep offers four ways to explore its massive non-linear open world. Traditionalists can snap on a pair of skies and slalom down the slopes, or you can buckle into your snowboard and shred the mountains while pulling off a variety of crazy stunts. For the ultimate excitement, jump off a cliff or out of a hot air balloon and see how long you can fly in a wingsuit, or for the ultimate snooze fest, climb into the saddle of a paraglider and catch the updrafts to leisurely explore and unlock countless landing zones loaded with more events.
What I enjoyed most about the overall game design is that you don’t scroll through menus of events but rather find something you want to do on the map and then go there; either by fast-travel or actually going there. You are free to navigate the mountain using any of the four styles of mobility at any time with a simple pop-up menu. You can even crunch your way through the knee-high drifts on foot if necessary. What I did not like was the fact that you had to be at a complete standstill before switching sports. There were so many times where I wish I could release from my paraglider and go into wingsuit mode, or if I inadvertently skied off a cliff how cool would it be to just open my arms and glide to safety rather than tumble down the mountain until all my bones were broken?
Controls vary from sport to sport and while the wingsuit was admittedly my favorite event, I did enjoy the subtle control differences between skiing and boarding. I did not like jumping with the RT; it just felt unreliable, and the trick system was fairly limited; mostly due to being rooted in reality versus the insanity of a game like SSX. Any trick you can do in this game can likely be pulled off in the real world. It’s easy enough to hit most Gold score goals; just don’t go expecting crazy chain combos and score multipliers.
Steep has an incredible amount of content; too much really, or at least it needs to be better organized or presented, or perhaps an optional behind-the-map text listing of things to do. Once you are 30-40 hours into the game it turns into a chore to scan and rotate and zoom the map to find events with a NEW tag on them, and often, you’ll unlock new content in the middle of doing something else then forget what the narrator was talking about. Where was that GoPro wingsuit challenge again?
Speaking of GoPro, prepare yourself for one of the coolest replay systems in recent gaming history. Not only can you replay any previous event from several personal camera angles that look like you have a GoPro strapped to your helmet, you can also view, edit, and share your wildest videos with the director mode. Once I stumbled onto this gem, I started spending more time in the replay editor than the actual game. And what’s really slick is that your entire previous path is charted on the map allowing you to drop back into that run at any point and create videos or even custom challenges for your friends.
Steep is stunning when it comes to the visuals and my 1070-equipped rig was able to run this game in 4K at 60fps with no problem. The only time I saw details pop on the horizon were in the paraglider and wingsuit modes, but everything was pristine when actually on the slopes. And for those looking for a virtual thrill I highly recommend the first-person camera view. It’s as close to VR as you’re going to get without wearing a headset, and real enough to cause me a bit of motion sickness; especially when doing tricks and seeing the world spin around me. The game is photo-realistic from start to finish and totally immerses you in the experience.
There is an impressive soundtrack, at least in quantity. I wasn’t particularly fond of much of the music in the game and thusly turned that part of the sound mix down. I did enjoy the way the game slowed the music during tumbles and crashes then sped it back up like somebody was dragging their finger on the turntable. The overly cheerful narrator was ok, the various cries of pain and joy from the different riders were amusing, and I really enjoyed the mountain stories.
Once you figure out how to find all the stuff that still needs to be completed, you’ll be impressed with the variety of activities. New peaks offer a laundry list of objectives and there are race and stunt challenges, timed events, wingsuit ring races, paragliding time trials, and these cool one-on-one story events where you casually follow these mountain spirit riders down various slopes as they narrate the history of the mountain, almost like your own personal vision quest.
The only thing larger than the list of events is the list of clothes and gear waiting for you in the in-game store. Most of the inventory must be unlocked and then purchased using credits and of course you have plenty of DLC items. These are purely cosmetic items to change up the look of your rider or show off the fact that you completed an event, and do not change how the game plays, but even so I’m ashamed to admit how much time I spent choosing my perfect ensemble. Hey! My boots have to match my backpack!
Steep is so massive I’m not sure if it can ever be completely finished, and with the season pass giving you access to three DLC packs with more clothes, gear and events – rocket wings anyone – this is a game that just keeps giving. What was an ongoing addiction that consumed me for nearly three weeks has lightened up a bit, but I still spend at least a few hours each week hitting the slopes or flying above them. And who knows…in a year or so I may just complete everything this game has to offer. Until then, I’ll be shredding the slopes and going for all the gold in what is easily the biggest and best winter sports compilation game of this generation.
