Line Rider

By Dene Benham

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When it first hit the net in 2006, university student Bostjan Cadez’s wonderfully stark and addictive web toy Line Rider exemplified the merits of imagination and invention over the pretty pictures, which most next-gen games would come to rely on to shift units. Yes we know they were, and still are, very pretty pictures (in 1080 dpi HD with a frame rate that would make Scott Dixon take his foot off the gas and that 27 millionth shade of ochre that you just can’t do without), however Line Rider had something else. Luckily, soon we'll all find out if that something else can be translated to the console when the Wii and DS versions are set for international release.

In Line Rider, with the aid of a few basic tools, you draw a line. A line, or a series of lines that could be a spiral, a number of ramps or a detailed sketch of your mum or your dog. You then let loose the little dude Bosh to ride the lines you’ve just spent the last six hours drawing. After that it’s all up to physics, and provided the lines under Bosh are smooth enough, and gravity and momentum are in alignment, the ride could last seconds or minutes or forever.

Over the last year or two Cadez has been working with InXile Entertainment to port the free Flash based toy to the competitive world of console gaming. To step up to the console market a number of changes and enhancements have been announced. There will be a number of new drawing tools to add to the level of detail that can be achieved. In-run Bosh will change speed, in relation to the type of ground he is crossing as well as bouncing off certain objects and breaking through others. There will also be the addition of colour, sound and even finishing lines.

As well as the free-run option, a story mode has also been added to the new version. Bosh will come up against his rival Chaz in order to win the affections of the lovely Bailey. To complete the story mode Bosh will have to complete over forty puzzles created by the developers and prominent members of the web-based community. Areas within these levels will have to be modified to get Bosh past various obstacles and as you progress tokens can be collected which can be exchanged for various unlockables.

Being an internet-based game, one of the main attractions of Line Rider was the creating and sharing of level designs and runs. The console version will also accommodate this, through Wii Opera, as well as providing access to the original game. So get ready to be creative, because Bosh is always ready for another great ride.

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