Steep, Ubisoft’s successful attempt to make winter sports popular again, received a new expansion. We already said it in our review of the base game, the world of Steep continues to grow. Thanks to this new DLC, we can all prepare ourselves for the Winter Olympic Games in Korea. Let’s see if this DLC offers what it promises.
Rise to the top
Road to the Olympics is different from the base game, first of all, this expansion offers a new campaign mode. The story is rather simple, you’re a nameless athlete who tries to qualify for the Olympic Games. The goal of the story is to reach three gold medals in three different disciplines. Sounds hard but it really isn’t. Right from the start, the DLC holds your hand tightly, there’s no room for mistakes and the DLC will explain how you land basic jumps and how to perform basic stunts. This confused me a little since I thought this DLC was meant for the veteran Steep players who are looking for new challenges. Instead, it feels like the team is using this DLC as a new starting point for new players. The lack of challenges during the campaign certainly is a downside, it would have been a lot better if veterans could turn off the needless tutorials.
The campaign won’t be the reason why you’ll want to have this DLC. Instead, the real reason is the new environment. Most of the action takes place in South-Korea, host of the actual Winter Olympic Games next year but that’s not all. Players can also discover the mountains of Japan. You can’t freely discover South-Korea but you can wander around in gorgeous Japan, giving you more freedom, which makes it feel more like the original game.
Less disciplines
Since this pack focusses on an official Winter Olympic Games experience, it also means that some of the original features are cut. If you want to tame the mountains of Japan, you’ll have to use your skis and snowboard since paragliding and base jumping aren’t official Olympic disciplines. This means you’ll get fewer features than you’re used to in the base game but that’s nothing to really worry about. There are tons of fun challenges and the level of difficulty certainly rises the more you advance. It’s clear that the team tweaked the game even more so it all runs very smoothly. Sure, there still are some annoying bugs but overall, it’s a very fluent gaming experience.
The best thing about the new map is the fact that grinding finally feels integrated instead of added. Originally, grinding wasn’t part of Steep and was added in a DLC. Now, the team really integrated tons of pipes and rails so you can grind your way down the mountain with ease. It’s a great new addition and it really makes you want to go down the mountain over and over again.
Conclusion:
Steep Road to the Olympics is a fun DLC pack that adds more fun to the base game. Don’t expect big changes since the story isn’t that innovating and you’re forced to use fewer disciplines than you’re used to. It’s nothing that bad since the new environments and challenges truly offer some worth for its money. This isn’t the DLC that will convince you to get this game but it’s a DLC that will give you some more hours of fun in the gorgeous world of Steep.
