We are coming into the Winter season here in the United States and soon the slopes will be filled with die-hard skiers and snowboarders. But what happens if you are in an area that doesn’t have those high peaks to go skiing or snowboarding. Well, that’s where Mark McMorris Infinite Air jumps into the picture. Developed by Maximum Games and HB Studios, Mark McMorris Infinite Air let’s you feel like you are up on those cold mountains. Whether it’s a casual run down the mountain or competing in big air competition, Infinite Air provides something for everyone.
Infinite Air is built on the Unity engine and the game looks great! There is a great sense of movement as you go down the mountain eclipsing the trees and rocks throughout the landscape. I love the way the snow depths vary on the mountain. Backcountry runs have deeper snow and you see your trails as you go down the mountain. Carved runs and competition runs have more compact snow with a minimal imprint left in the snow. Horizons are also beautiful in Infinite Air. Picturesque mountains are seen in the distance creating a sense of grandeur in the game.
The audio in Infinite Air is great. From the wind rushing by as you gracefully traverse the mountain side, to the thud you hear when you crash, the audio cues presented to you give you a deeper sense of your surroundings. The accompanying music tracks are quite up tempo and fit nicely into the game.
I’m one of those individuals that loves customization options and that’s why the World Editor is my favorite part of this game. Along with the mountains included in the game, you can use the built in World Editor and create your own mountains. The mountains are procedurally generated based on criteria you edit such as steepness and number trees on the mountain. Once a mountain is created, you can edit it in great detail. You can add or remove objects as well as sculpt the snow to your satisfaction. One nice touch added is the inclusion of a chopper. The chopper lets you drop into your mountain at any location to determine how the run feels in that location. Once your mountain is complete, you can share your creation and invite your friends to beat your top score.
Multiplayer options are important with most games and Infinite Air doesn’t disappoint. You can join an existing competition, create your own competition or get a couple of your buddies together and do a live ride down a mountain. The live ride option is a great way to get feedback on any new mountains you created. However, I think the best “multiplayer” feature is the ability to share your creations. Selecting Browse Runs from the main menu brings you to a screen where you select what type of run you are looking for. There are five type of runs to choose from: Backcountry, Slopestyle, Race, Halfpipe, Big Air and Mountains. Additionally, there are hot runs and daily challenges you can play. If you find you enjoy a particular run you can add it as a favorite and select it from the Browse Runs screen. The sharing features provides Infinite Air with infinite replay ability.
Even with all the positives in the game, I found a few issues. While going down the mountain I noticed several times where I seemed to go through the trees. It appears that the collision detection needs to tweaked. I also noticed a few times where my board clipped through the snow for a brief second before reappearing. Given these issue, I expect the same level of excellent support by HB Studios that they give all their previous games.
Mark McMorris Infinite Air is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC for $49.99. I highly suggest picking it up if you are a fan of outdoor sports like Snowboarding.