I first checked out FutureGrind, MilkBag Games’ futuristic stunt-racer, one year ago at E3 2015, and the game has been constantly in my thoughts ever since then. That really speaks to the staying power of the title, as I often can’t remember what I had for dinner a day ago, but remember my first time playing the Trials-like game. Thankfully, I no longer have to draw upon memories that are a year old, as the developer was showing off a new build of the game at PSX 2016.
FutureGrind puts players in the control of a weird, robotic bicycle that has wheels at each vertical end of the frame (think of a unicycle but with another wheel where the seat is). These bikes are used to maneuver through obstacle courses filled with different colored rails. The catch is that each wheel on the bike corresponds with a different color, and the player has to continually switch sides to get through the course unscathed. If this sounds confusing, just check out this GIF and it’ll all make sense. These different gameplay ideas intersect to create something that plays like Trials meets Ikaruga. It’s not just a rad idea, though, as it’s even more fun to actually play. Quickly jumping from rail to rail while rotating in order to be on the right side is thrilling, and it really feels phenomenal when you nail a one. This excitement, and the stress that comes with it, is only heightened by the fact that a single screw-up means the level has to be restarted from the ve...