When RedLynx took to the stage by crashing a dirtbike in dramatic fashion at E3 2018, fans knew exactly what was coming: a new Trials game. The Ubisoft-owned studio went on to reveal Trials Rising, showing off a trailer and announcing that crashes would be a huge focus of the upcoming title. Game Rant recently had a chance to take Trials Rising for a ride, and we can confirm that statement: there are crashes galore, and they make it fun to lose.

Gamers accustomed to the Trials series know most of what to expect in terms of gameplay, with the dirtbike-based game throwing players through a variety of wacky courses in both singleplayer and multiplayer action. We demoed a wide variety of courses from the game, and we ran into plenty of over-the-top crashes: gamers should expect to get sideswiped by mine carts, exploded by barrels, and crushed by shipping crates as they progress their way through the game's tracks. RedLynx has done a great job crafting a variety of map styles, and each of theme seems chock full of surprises.

RedLynx has also implemented proper ghosts this time around, allowing gamers to compete against the best times of their friends. Older Trials titles did this by showing a simple dot moving on the screen, but Rising actually shows the full biker, allowing gamers to see the tilt of their bikes and get a full picture of how their friend's earned their respective times (and bearing witness to the wacky wipeouts that inevitably take place). The game will also introduce tandem bicycles, a co-op experience where both players must balance the bicycle across select courses. Much like Monopoly, we expect this to be a great destroyer of friendships on some of Rising's more difficult levels.

Gamers can take a look at some of Trials Rising's most difficult levels below:

Gamers can also take part in Stadium Finals, which starts with 8 riders in the first heat and then eliminates contestants until only two remain in the final course. The stakes feel high, and it's a nice way to break up what would otherwise by a one-course-at-a-time experience. Regardless of how users play, our time with Trials Rising showed that cosmetics were also back in full effect, with gamers being able to equip everything from a top hat to a rubber duck. With the winning avatars shooting finger guns and dabbing up a storm, the tone of Trials comes across pretty clearly - this is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's the best part.

Whether it's racing through the sky on a plane with debris flying everywhere or scaling up Mount Everest, Trials Rising delivers exactly what fans will be expecting: polished dirtbike gameplay with a surprisingly steep and fun learning curve. Balancing and learning how to land on the intimidating slopes isn't something that comes quickly. It'll take time for gamers to learn how to balance their bikes as they progress across the tracks of Trials Rising, but it's a fun experience that should be fairly easy to hop in to. After all, crashing is fun, and gamers will do plenty of it.

Trials Rising will release on February 21, 2019 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A closed beta will run on September 13-16, 2018.