It’s titles like FutureGrind that remind me of just how underrated simplicity can be in the world of gaming. Though intricate games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man and God of War are hailed in the current media space, there’s also something to be said about titles that are quick to pick up and play. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour free to jam, FutureGrind adapts and fills the time effortlessly. The core concept of the game is basic: Reach the end of the track on a futuristic bike and perform tricks to gather more points. That being said, however, FutureGrind’s brilliance comes in with how it creatively fills the spaces between the start and finish line.

When you initially start up the game, you are given a your first bike to grind a track of neon rails with different colours. The wheels of the bike have two different colours that match the colours of the rails. The aim is to transition to and grind appropriate rails with the use of jumping and spinning without falling off the track or touching the wrong colour rail. It’s simple at first but gets a whole lot trickier when new elements are introduced. New bikes with different features, tracks with trickier layouts and added objectives up the ante as you progress through the levels.



There’s a bike that’s heavier at the bottom than the top, affecting your bike’s rotation, a bike that has a wheel that changes colour every time you jump and a bike that has only one functioning wheel and the other is not allowed to touch anything. It seems intimidating when put into one sentence but the game does allow you the time to ease into each new track/bike with practice levels. FutureGrind is a tricky game and a large part of its selling point is in its difficulty.

Developer Milkbag Games did not disappoint as attempting to score high will call upon player’s reflexes, creativity and their ability to strategize the track route with the best opportunity to boost their points.

If you don’t enjoy challenging games with subtle movements and attempts that often (very often) result in crashing, then this game probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you find joy in figuring out how to beat difficult levels, nothing feels more rewarding than reaching that finish line after a number of failed attempts. Initially, your focus in the game will be to complete all of the available levels but thereafter, FutureGrind’s longevity relies on players competing for high scores either between friends or on the global leaderboards.

Once you complete all of the available levels, you may feel like it’s time to take things to the next level. Developer Milkbag Games did not disappoint as attempting to score high will call upon player’s reflexes, creativity and their ability to strategize the track route with the best opportunity to boost their points. There are usually three colours of tracks on one course: two contrasting colours and one white. Transitioning between the two coloured tracks builds your multiplier and forward/backward flips increase your score counter even further. The white track is a “safe track” that any colour wheel may land on without a crash, however, you sacrifice your multiplier being broken by touching it, making things all the more interesting.



If Trials Rising had a Tron-themed DLC, this would more or less be it. Neon wheels and rails fill the screen with 80’s inspired electro music backing your cyberpunk stunt experience. There are four main worlds including an icy mountain theme, sunny green hills, futuristic city lights at night and a space themed world (and one more than won’t be spoiled here).

It’s clear that FutureGrind is first and foremost about the gameplay but there is an actual storyline that progresses as you complete levels.

Admittedly, you’ll probably find yourself more concentrated on the track more than anything else but they’re aesthetically pleasing and at least the effort was made. The bikes move in a way true to their design which helps in getting a hang of different sized wheels.

It’s clear that FutureGrind is first and foremost about the gameplay but there is an actual storyline that progresses as you complete levels. New sponsors offer you positions to ride for them as you advance, meanwhile, a larger scheme is lurking behind the industry leaders that you have to figure out before it’s too late.



I won’t pretend that the story wasn’t utterly lackluster, because it was. Nobody expects a masterpiece in writing because ultimately this game is really not about narrative, but it would have been nice to see a little more effort if they were set on having a story.

FutureGrind provides a challenge with an easy to pick up and play attitude. The difficulty of the game is part of its charm and the instant speed of respawn after crashing supports a “just one more time” mentality that can easily get addictive. The look and feel of the bikes and the world has enough character to carry the title despite its boring storyline. Enjoy taking on your friend’s high scores or the global leaderboard in this reflex-testing neon trick fest.