Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

About

Crash over and over until you master the mountain in the snowy followup to Lonely Mountains: Downhill. Now also including 2-8 person crossplatform multiplayer - work your way down as a group the slopes sharing a small number of checkpoints, or risk it all in a breakneck race to the base!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 364 reviews

gameplay18 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and satisfying snow mechanics, making the skiing experience feel immersive and enjoyable.
Multiplayer mode adds a fun and competitive element, allowing players to race and perform tricks with friends.
The controls are smooth and responsive, providing a rewarding gameplay experience as players improve their skills and optimize their runs.

The camera angles can be frustrating, often obscuring the player's view and leading to crashes due to poor visibility.
The game has limited content with only three mountains and relatively easy challenges, which may lead to a lack of replayability.
There are performance issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, with graphical glitches and lag in multiplayer that detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The gameplay is highly praised for its engaging snow mechanics, responsive controls, and diverse environments that introduce new mechanics, keeping the experience fresh and enjoyable. Players appreciate the balance of challenge and accessibility, with a mix of chilled and hectic gameplay styles, though some note a grind for progression. Overall, the skiing mechanics are seen as a significant improvement over the previous biking game, offering a satisfying and immersive experience.
- “The snow mechanics are awesome; flying down the mountains at break-neck speeds and kicking up powder as you make sharp turns is extremely fun and satisfying.”
- “Gameplay is tight and responsive, which is absolutely necessary as the game is very unforgiving for mistakes.”
- “The core gameplay here is just so good that it's enjoyable on any mountain and any trail.”
- “Also, it's ironic that a game with 'lonely' in the title, originally focused around solitude and meditative gameplay, has shifted its focus to multiplayer.”
- “Turning in general is a much more nuanced mechanic that depends not just on the type of ski you are riding, but also how much you are leaning forward, how much you are braking, how fast you are, and how deep the snow you are riding through is.”
- “Mechanically, the skiing feels eerily familiar in its fidelity to the bikes of Lonely Mountains: downhill, but at the same time vastly different and more complex.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
39%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty, stunning visuals, and attention to detail, particularly in the lighting and level design. While the game runs smoothly on high-end systems, some players have reported graphical glitches and performance issues on lower settings, especially on the Steam Deck. Overall, the low-poly art style and fluid controls contribute to a visually appealing experience, though some technical quirks remain.
- “Visuals are stunning and the whole atmosphere is beautiful.”
- “Graphics look great; all maxed out on my 3060 Ti, it goes between 80-120 fps. I lock it to 60 fps for consistency, and it's rock solid.”
- “This game is beautiful; the lighting and level design, coupled with the graphics and sound design, are excellent.”
- “But it's got some pretty big graphical glitches, specifically big black shapes being rendered on some of the frames.”
- “Graphic settings are very quirky and I could never get the FPS setting to work.”
- “Coupled with this, though, accounting for the far-too-often 22/23/24/25 FPS drops (even with every graphic option on low/off), I can't recommend it for deckers.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The game's optimization on the Steam Deck has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing initial performance issues, such as stuttering and low frame rates (around 24-50fps). While some users noted improvements after adjusting settings and applying recent patches, there is a general consensus that further optimization is needed to enhance gameplay, especially in a title that demands precision. Overall, while the game is polished and largely bug-free, its performance on the Steam Deck remains a concern for many players.
- “Playing on Steam Decks, the performance was a little wobbly at first but was really improved by some tinkering of my settings and the most recent patch.”
- “The game is polished and runs smoothly; I haven't found a single bug and don't expect to run into one any time soon.”
- “It could have some load times optimized for Steam Deck, but beyond that, it runs on the little handheld like a gem!”
- “That said, performance issues hold it back slightly.”
- “Steam Deck performance is a little sub-optimal at launch (40-50fps), but they sound committed to working on this.”
- “The occasional stuttering is quite frustrating, especially in a game like this that requires pinpoint accuracy.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game opts for an immersive experience by featuring no music, allowing players to enjoy the natural sounds of skiing and the environment, which many find perfect for the setting. While some players appreciate this choice, they also suggest enhancing the experience with personal music playlists, like the Animal Crossing soundtrack, to add a cozy and fun atmosphere. Overall, the absence of a default soundtrack is noted, but the sound design is still praised for its quality.
- “Wholesome as it sounds, I recommend putting on the Animal Crossing soundtrack to this - the end result was fun and soul-warming - extra cozy, lots of laughs.”
- “And when you pull off that perfect run, when everything lines up, the world slows down and you feel like you’re in a ski movie montage, soundtrack blasting in your head?”
- “If I had to put a knock on it, I pretty much 100%'d it in 10 hours, and there was no default music for me.”
- “Still very much worth it though, just bring your own YouTube music.”
- “There's no thumping soundtrack, just the sound of your skis and the wind as you bomb down a descent.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
14%
14%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability through its engaging multiplayer mode, leaderboard competition, and the addictive nature of mastering different routes and tricks. However, some players feel that the lack of content and challenge diminishes its long-term replay value. While many find it satisfying and fun, the absence of features like a night mode may limit its appeal for some.
- “Learning the right path for time is really addictive and has heaps of replayability; choosing routes for pulling off tricks adds even more variety to the game.”
- “The game is immensely replayable due to the leaderboards and the large number of people trying to get top 10 times on each mountain's different runs (currently 3 mountains with 8 runs each).”
- “Surprisingly replayable and a lot of very satisfying fun.”
- “All in all, the game provides the bare minimum, but what breaks its neck is the lack of content, lack of challenge proposed, and thus the lack of replayability.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability on the Steam Deck is generally good, with a high and smooth framerate, especially on medium settings. However, players report notable graphical glitches, including screen tearing and rendering issues, which can detract from the experience but are not considered game-breaking. Overall, while some bugs persist, they are expected to be addressed in future patches.
- “Controls are smoother than the old games, and runs great on deck!”
- “But it's got some pretty big graphical glitches, specifically big black shapes being rendered on some of the frames.”
- “As I noted in my review of the demo, the interface was really buggy and it still is.”
- “The current state of the game is a little buggy with the edges of the screen tearing a lot at times; otherwise, it looks very nice and the snow is beautiful.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
13%
13%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals and immersive sound design, creating a peaceful yet exhilarating experience. Players appreciate the beautiful backdrops and the sensory details, such as the sound of skis on snow, which enhance the overall ambiance, despite some challenges with the camera. The combination of smooth controls and a cozy yet challenging environment contributes to a captivating atmosphere.
- “Visuals are stunning and the whole atmosphere is beautiful.”
- “Beautiful atmosphere, smooth controls, challenging and cozy at the same time.”
- “The sounds of your skis scraping against the snow, the buildup of speed as you push your luck diving into a corner, the beautiful backdrops, it all adds to an incredibly peaceful atmosphere as you smash into a tree.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The reviews indicate that there is no significant story in the game, with players focusing more on gameplay mechanics and challenges rather than narrative elements. The experience is described as straightforward, with missions being relatively easy to complete.
- “No story.”
- “No story.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game to be significantly enhanced, particularly during crashes and racing modes, often leading to laughter at their own mistakes. The multiplayer experience amplifies the hilarity, making it a fun and entertaining choice for playing with friends.
- “This game is absolutely hilarious with a couple of friends.”
- “The racing mode is hilarious, at least as long as you don't crash into the same rock 3 times in a row (fml).... great game (:”
- “Crashing is even more hilarious in this game than in the previous one; I'm just laughing the whole time at my mistakes.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a heartwarming and cozy experience, often enhanced by the nostalgic Animal Crossing soundtrack, which adds to the fun and emotional warmth. The gameplay elements, such as securing scores at checkpoints, contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere filled with laughter.
- “Wholesome as it sounds, I recommend putting on the Animal Crossing soundtrack to this - the end result was fun and soul-warming - extra cozy, lots of laughs.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic commitment akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”