And then I was all, "The hell kind of accent is that?"
Newfoundland.
Android and iPad's Rad Boarding was described by its developers as "our 90's simulator" thanks to its multitude of references to the greatest decade known to man. It was the decade that gave us 1998, after all.
It's a post-apocalyptic snowboarding game of sorts, and our hero will be tasked with avoiding obstacles, outrunning lava, and at times impressing bosses with tricks.
I held my finger on the screen to hug the hill and build up speed, then let go to jump. It reminded me of Cool Boarders in that way (speaking of the 90's, right?). In the air, I could swipe the screen to do different tricks and earn points. Rad Boarding is, according to the devs guiding my playthrough, still being balanced in certain ways — lucky for me, because I had trouble anticipating when the hills would perfectly crest and cue me to jump.
I never got the hang of it, but the devs being, well, the devs, were of course pulling off flawless runs, so I suppose it's humanly possible. I just hope that it doesn't require everyone to log the kind of time a developer usually has to log with his/her own product in order to reach that level of mastery. Their awareness of the issue is a good sign, however.
A boss battle "Tiny the Bear" appeared, and one of the developers busted out mad tricks to satisfy Tiny's love of all things totally radical. Tiny was a circus bear before the apocalypse, so he appreciates righteous thrashing.
Rad Boarding doesn't have an exact release date, but is supposed to be available by the end of the year. The game's official website is here and will likely be updated when concrete plans are made. Developer Other Ocean Interactive is looking into bringing Rad Boarding to other platforms, but iOS and Android will be getting the first crack.
In related news, Surge is back.
