Trials Fusion: Riders of the Rustlands Review - Screenshot 1 of 3

Trials Fusion was one of the must-have games on the PlayStation 4 when it came out, and its first batch of downloadable content should be something of an event for the million or so people who invested in it. However, what could have been an exciting new set of levels ends up being underwhelming, spinning its wheels over a set of ideas that we’ve already seen. That’s not to say that what’s on offer is bad, it’s just that you’ll play the new content in an hour and then wonder how long it’ll take for the next set to arrive.

Riders of the Rustlands adds six new tracks, a skill game, and an FMX track to your roster, as well as new challenges for each. The classic tracks are more difficult than those in the base game, so if you enjoy throwing your DualShock 4 around in frustration, then this one is definitely for you. Bad riders be warned: dramatic Platoon-style screams may be a side effect of playing Devil’s Beak – the hardest level – for too long.

Trials Fusion: Riders of the Rustlands Review - Screenshot 2 of 3

Each stage has some new assets, and the theme of ‘The Rustlands’, away from the polished city of the main game, does make a small difference, but not nearly enough. In truth, it’s all a bit inconsistent; sometimes there’ll be snow, sometimes toxic waste – but nothing in any of the DLC stages would have felt unusual or out of place shipping with the main game.

Not that that’s a direct complaint. It’s nice to have more, but the decision to publish such a small amount of content – and to brag about a further five packs in the process – seems a little unfair. The price (£3.99/$4.99) may seem reasonable at first, but only if you’ve never bought Trials DLC before; the last few games all had expansions that added an awful lot more, and for the same asking fee. Of course, the best way to maximise value is to snap up the Season Pass, but we’d rather a couple of larger content drops rather than the piecemeal format that the developer appears to be adopting.

Trials Fusion: Riders of the Rustlands Review - Screenshot 3 of 3

It’s this structure that flags the biggest problem with this add-on, as the FMX track doesn’t really add much over those available in the base pack, and the skill game is just plain lazy. In all, you’ll whiz through this without feeling like anything of worth has been incorporated.

Conclusion

It’s nice to come back to Trials Fusion, if only to see how many times we’ve been humiliated by that one friend who doesn’t shower or leave the house. However, Riders of the Rustlands is a temporary lure at most. With so little content included in this drop, we recommend waiting for future offerings to see if the Season Pass is even worth the investment.