Descenders speeds onto Steam with Early Access release

Descenders is extreme mountain biking with procedurally generated levels.

Don’t let the beautiful backdrop lull you into a false sense of security: the sport of mountain biking is taken to its utmost extreme in Descenders, so one tiny mistake can have deadly consequences. This stunt riding, heart-pounding game is brought to you by RageSquid, the Dutch studio behind quirky action-figurine game Action Henk. But apart from being racing-focused games with prettily realised background scenery, the two games are quite different in tone.

In Descenders, you choose one of three teams, Enemy, Arboreal and Kinetic, to compete for. The game, which features a detailed physics system, has you navigating dense forests and steep mountain sides where collisions with trees or rocks can prove fatal. You get a certain number of lives, but once you expend them all you will find yourself back at the start and having to do everything all over again.

Descenders uses procedurally generated track sections, and offers the incentive of a extra lives if you can perform dangerous stunts without ending up with you and your bike wrapped around a tree. It also features a soundtrack partnership with Drum & Bass label Liquidity. This game is still Early Access but it’s at a reasonably high level of development, although it may well develop some new features with input from the community, who are already enjoying its attractive visuals and high-octane action. Get it on Steam here.