Go BIG or GO HOME! For the adventurous souls thriving off coffee and adrenaline, this is not just a mantra but a way of life. They wake up in the morning just to push boundaries. Every day is a search to find ‘the edge’ . . . not just to live on it but to dance on it for thrills. Sam Pilgrim is one such being. He is the star of Shred! 2 and will be sure to take care of the dangerous part with you in control of his bicycular fate. But does living vicariously through him while playing this solo-developed indie title keep you pumped, or does the experience fall flat? Come join me on the slopes and listen up, reader, because I’m about to tell you.

Developer: ASBO Interactive

Publisher: ASBO Interactive

8 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $9.99

Shred! 2 puts you in the shoes of freeride mountain biking legend Sam Pilgrim. Taking control of the former world champion, you have to know standing still isn’t an option. Good thing you won’t be! Once you pick up and start you are already on two wheels feeling like you’re ready to shred whatever obstacles may come your way. But slow your roll there, champ; you have to learn to crawl before you learn to bike! Don’t worry – after a few hours now only will you know how to ride, but you will be a master of physics, time, space, and impossible aerial stunts. Intrigued?

Wheels are Turning

This extreme sports game tears it up with a mash-up of different styles of shredding for you to challenge yourself with. Traversing the unique terrains and navigating their crazy obstacles will have you pushing your skills to the limit. Just as you feel you are starting to master one style, Shred! 2 comes at you with a blind sharp turn. If you’re not careful it’ll throw you off course and back on your training wheels in a hurry. Luckily, the beginning levels of the game serve as a tutorial for the increasingly difficult roads that lay ahead.

Shred! 2 contains a few simple goals: perform stunts, beat race times, and ultimately unlock all of the levels and bikes. Full disclaimer: as you progress that’s easier a lot said than done. Who knew Earth tends to be such a jealous lover? Stray too far and she’ll be quick to send Gravity to hunt you down. But don’t let that stop you from trying to spread your wings in any one of the 40 + levels you’ll encounter.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat . . .

You’ll find a smaller set of stages in the first area you experience. It’s called “Trail Centre” and it contains relatively easy tasks to complete. This is because each level in that first area is meant to serve as the tutorial. Easy checks, simple stars, and a surefire way to unlock more courses. Every consecutive course in the Trail Centre builds upon the skills you’ve previously learned.

I love how incredibly user-friendly the start to the game is. There’s no trickery involved. Picture it like this: imagine you’re a chef. Now think of each new mechanic you learn as different ingredients. You’re throwing them in, one by one. The more ingredients you add, the more flavor you are adding to the stew. What starts as very basic at the very beginning (as in it will literally teach you how to pedal) starts to become increasingly complex. Eventually, your palette will become so acutely refined that you have to start experimenting like a mad scientist. The outcome is you will start serving up dishes so fierce your tastebuds will literally explode.

Baby Steps!

But like I said – baby steps. Looking back, it almost feels a little too easy starting off. And I didn’t realize this until I was waist deep in that boiling pot of that bicycle-flavored stew. I was casually chopping up some veggies like a novice when all of a sudden the Shred! 2 kitchen decides to turn up the heat!

That initial false sense of skill and security is a weak grasp at a strong rope in a game of tug o’ war. In the very next area called “High Alpine” you start feeling a tug back! Now your tasks involve time limits, point thresholds, and specific combinations to pull off. This is the turning point. It’s up to you to either strengthen your grip or get dragged through the mud (sometimes literally). My suggestion is: hold on tight, plant those feet, and don’t give up!

Try, Try Again

Persistence is what will get you through the levels. Some of the courses I’ve ran literally 100 times to try and perfect my run; and it’s all in the name of achievements. Don’t worry, each run only lasts about 30 seconds to a minute – and that’s if you even make it to the end. Similar to the concept of short runs, do you remember the goals in the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series (I may have dated myself but that’s okay)? Well, take those ideas and splice them into the DNA of a lovechild between Dave Mirra’s Freestyle BMX and Trials, and what you have is semi-linear, extreme bundle of baby named Shred! 2.

Tips and Tricks

I hope my experience has motivated you and not deterred you. I’ll be the first to admit the game is an absolute gem and worth a play through. We discussed the difficulty of this game but let my blood, sweat, and (clothing) tears work in your favor! I have experience under my belt. Allow me to take a moment to share what I feel are the most crucial elements to master in Shred! 2.

Timing is KEY. From the second you start, you need to pay attention to any and all bumps, hills, slopes, and ramps. Use your A button frequently. Hold it, especially going downhill, and release it just before launching off a ramp. Be sure to start holding it again in midair the second you are able to safely land – BUT before you do.

Tap the A button to bunny hop. You’ll be taught to do this in-game eventually, so you can wait until then to start utilizing this skill. Strategically bunny hopping (especially from a ramp) can be used as a method to get just a bit more momentum when your speed is lacking. There is a slight delay when performing a bunny hop so TIME it accordingly! Positioning is KEY. This is probably the most difficult and frustrating element to adapt to. The game uses physics that . . . aren’t 100% consistent throughout the entirety of the game. Once you start with transfers, wall rides/ wall hops, and the half pipe (OH GOD), you will see what I mean. Until then, get used to quickly adjusting the positioning of your front wheel on the fly. Want to manual, test out how much pressure you need to apply to make that happen. Looking to land cleanly without sacrificing precious speed? Adjust to land parallel to where you are landing (ideally on a downward slope/ decline).

This is a skill that takes a ton of trial and error. When you are tasked with doing 720 degree spins, or TRIPLE BACKFLIPS in a double, every move needs to be calculated. Even greater still, once you are taught the skill to ride fakey (backwards), this becomes exponentially more difficult when landing big stunts in reverse. Momentum is KEY. Regardless whether you are looking to land a big trick, beat a specific time, or just to finish a level, YOU NEED MOMENTUM. I can’t stress this enough. The only way to keep consistent momentum is to listen to the first two points that I wrote above this one. If you lose your momentum, it is near impossible to recover. You’ll be better off restarting your run from the beginning. This is an issue especially when you’ve nearly completed a great run, checked off a good amount of achievements, and don’t have enough speed to clear the last jump. It can become very frustrating.

Ups and Downs

Shred! 2 is a super fun game! The thrill of pulling off insane tricks and impossible combinations has just enough realism to make you care, but enough imagination to make you laugh. The ragdoll physics from instant death bails and crashes always makes for good times (not morbid at all – there’s no blood so it’s fine). Plus, there is a ton of variety in the courses and lots of ways to play.

If you want to race, go for big air, or show off your street riding skills there is a bit of something for every biking enthusiast. I want to say I HIGHLY respect that this game was created by a solo (well, a 1.5 man team*) dev. That is an incredible undertaking to pursue a passion – and self-funded might I add. I am thoroughly impressed with what they were able to accomplish, and at a steal of a price point. That being said, despite its fun qualities and ideal pricing, of course there are a couple of things left to be desired.

Shred! 2 is a bit lacking in the graphics department. It’s not bad by any means, it just looks like a previous generation of games. If that’s a big deal to you, it does looks a fair amount better in docked than handheld. I also noticed that the menu designs look formatted to fit on your TV better than in handheld mode too. These are minor points in my opinion.

A slightly bigger concern is when Shred! 2 starts challenging everything I thought I knew about science. I am torn on the physics. On one hand, the ragdoll is amazing and something everyone enjoys. The race/ timed courses tend to be just fine too. On the other hand, in street-based levels there are the occasional weird collision detection properties. And sometimes strange camera angles will come out of nowhere too.

While we’re on the subject – transfers, wall hops, and rotating while flipping + tricking are some of the most ridiculous looking things to transpire in this game. I’m actually fine with it (as I loved the outlandish nature of the Tony Hawk series), but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Less limitations equal more opportunities in my book. If you can think it, you can probably do it.

Half Pipe Gripe

The other major flaw is the difficulty of the snowy half pipe level. It’s literally ONE LEVEL out of all of them, and it drove me up the F*#$ING wall (pun intended). It is the single most inconsistent level to try and land anything and I could barely even get through it. If you change your angle coming down to land, you crash. Don’t change your angle coming down and you still crash.

Forget about doing any tricks – it will adjust your tires by half an inch and you crash. Just when thought of rotating more than 180 degrees pop into your head – crash! If you play this level, YOU WILL CRASH. Please *bows head and closes eyes*, gods of upright bike riding . . . if you’re listening – spare the innocent souls reading this review from the relentless half pipe turmoil I’ve been through. Amen.

Final Thoughts

*Opens eyes and raises head back up* If you’re a fan of extreme sports, you NEED to play this game. Anyone out there like me who grew up on skating, biking, roller-blading, or any other sport on wheels will appreciate what was created in Shred! 2. It means so much more when you can feel the love and passion that goes into a game. Despite the flaws I mentioned, you can feel the joy in the levels and environments just as much as what you experience while you play them.

Overall Shred! 2 is a blast to play. The adrenaline gets pumping and it’s hard to put the controller down once you start up a run. I’ll even admit I got those butterflies in my stomach once or twice flying down the mountain at reckless speeds. It’s so fast and easy to start up a level that it’s a great go-to game when you’re just trying to play something in between anything you may be doing. Lastly, I don’t usually make mention of the price as a selling point, but for less than ten dollars you get quite an experience out of this unassuming, love-crafted indie title. Go pick this one up and you won’t regret it; see you on the other side!

You have my undying gratitude, reader! Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my thoughts and experience with Shred! 2. If you enjoy reviews like this one, we have a ton of others just like it. Go check them out, or take a look at our YouTube channel. Discussions on indie games are always taking place at our community Discord as well. Last but not least, if you want to donate to our ad-free passion project, take a look at our Patreon as well! Until next time!