The Local

About

The Local is a multiplayer action game. It was developed by Tobey Gronow and was released on February 26, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The Local is a fast-paced movement game featuring mechanics inspired by Surf and Bunny Hopping, offering sliding, wall running, rail grinding, and climbing in a large playground-like world. It includes five diverse gamemodes such as time trials, capture the flag, and infection, with both solo and multiplayer options. Players can also create and share custom levels while enjoying proximity chat and competitive challenges.

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 358 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The movement mechanics are incredibly smooth and satisfying, making the gameplay feel fast-paced and engaging.
The game offers a variety of modes, including a fun Zen mode and competitive time trials, which enhance replayability and enjoyment.
It's a free game that provides a high-quality experience, with great graphics, music, and a vibrant community.

The tutorial and mechanics can be confusing for new players, making it difficult to fully grasp the gameplay initially.
Fall damage can be frustrating and limits the freedom of movement, discouraging players from attempting more daring maneuvers.
Performance issues on certain platforms, like the Steam Deck, can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
35%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by fluid movement mechanics and a satisfying, intuitive design that is easy to pick up yet challenging to master. Players appreciate the engaging mechanics and the nostalgic feel, although some express a desire for more diverse maps and clearer tutorials. Overall, the game offers a rewarding experience with a strong emphasis on skill-based play and enjoyable music, making it a standout title in its genre.
- “The mechanics are cool, and I would love to see new maps being added.”
- “Great movement mechanics and feel.”
- “The movement is fluid, the parkour mechanics feel amazing, and the fast-paced shooting keeps you on edge.”
- “It starts out fine but gets worse as gameplay goes on, even when repeating the same areas.”
- “Confusing and not well explained mechanics ruin this game; maybe if it gets an update with better tutorials I will change my mind, but for now I don't recommend it.”
- “The gameplay loop is simple, there is only one map, and there are tons of challenges, and the music is great. My only issue is that I keep trying to preserve momentum by going forward, and you have to strafe to keep forward momentum.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
22%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for its upbeat and fitting soundtrack, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Players enjoy the combination of chill vibes and fast-paced mechanics, often recommending it as a perfect backdrop for listening to personal playlists while playing. Although some mention the soundtrack's brevity, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's enjoyable and immersive atmosphere.
- “It has a fun playing mechanic, great style, and fitting soundtrack.”
- “The game is incredibly good and fast-paced, I adore the 90's look and the music/sound design is incredible.”
- “Game has highly addicting movement mechanics, rewarding sound design, and amazing music.”
- “The art style is consistent and bold, the music is banging, and the graphic design is slick.”
- “The movement is really smooth and the soundtrack booms.”
- “This is the type of game to boot up and play while talking with someone or listening to music.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are consistently praised for their vibrant and bold art style, which stands out particularly well on OLED screens. Reviewers highlight the slick graphic design and smooth animations, contributing to an engaging visual experience that enhances gameplay. Overall, the graphics are described as fun and appealing, complementing the game's energetic atmosphere.
- “Running through Steamos, it was buttery smooth and the vibrant, simple graphics really pop on that beautiful OLED screen.”
- “The art style is consistent and bold, the music is banging, and the graphic design is slick.”
- “Really fun game with amazing movement, graphics are really nice, you can easily sink hours into this game and it's free to play!”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
88%
Players find the grinding mechanics in the game to be smooth and satisfying, particularly enjoying the rail grinding and wall running elements. While many appreciate the fun and relaxing nature of grinding for leaderboard scores, some note that the movement can become tedious over time. Overall, the experience is enhanced by engaging gameplay and a great soundtrack.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “But there is one flaw: the movement is a bit tedious, but it's still great fun.”
- “Games good, would be better if I had a knife to stab and inspect while grinding.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The optimization of the game is mixed, with some users reporting flawless performance on the Steam Deck OLED, while others experience significant performance issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, where frame rates drop below 60 FPS after a short period. Overall, while the game runs smoothly for some, many players find the performance lacking and recommend waiting for fixes.
- “Performance on the Steam Deck OLED is flawless.”
- “The game overall doesn't bug or lag and runs quite smooth during performance.”
- “Some of the smoothest movement and performance I've ever seen in a game of this type.”
- “Fun, but terrible performance on Steam Deck, even with the lowest settings, which is an absolute shame.”
- “But I cannot recommend it until the performance issues are fixed.”
- “However, the performance on the Steam Deck leaves a lot to be desired.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game lacks a traditional narrative but compensates with diverse gameplay modes that encourage exploration and player choice, including time trials, mission structures, and PvP options. Players can engage with lore while enjoying a variety of experiences, from competitive challenges to casual interactions. Overall, the focus is on gameplay variety rather than a cohesive story.
- “The various modes it offers means you can enjoy the game in multiple ways, so if you're into routing speedruns you can play time trials, if you like aiming you can pick the time trials with targets, the orders mode gives a fun mission structure where you can freely pick your objectives and spend money on perks while exploring for finding lore.”
- “Very enjoyable CSGO surf type game, good music alongside a fun delivery style mission structure!”
- “There is no story to speak of.”
- “The narrative is completely absent.”
- “The game lacks any meaningful storyline.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often tied to its quirky glitches and amusing movement mechanics, which elicit laughter and a lighthearted experience. Players appreciate how the game's music complements the fun atmosphere, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
- “I miss when I got #1 on all leaderboards because of a funny glitch.”
- “The movement makes my brain feel funny.”
- “Gets the heart pumping and is funny, fun, and good.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the game evokes strong emotions, particularly a sense of exhilaration and achievement, reminiscent of the thrill experienced by speedrunners.