NWR: If you missed Pop Island (a cute, blocky capture the flag game with Download Play) on DSiWare, then you skipped the best eight-player DS game this side of Mario Kart. It’s no surprise, then, that Odenis Studio, the French developer behind Pop Island, makes a solid debut on the eShop with Rising Board 3D, an endless runner game that works well on the 3DS.
The runner genre has grown substantially popular during the recent rise of mobile gaming. It lends itself well to consumers looking for a brief, jump-in-and-out play session during a commute or lunch break, so it’s easy to see why the highly portable iOS and Android platforms are filled to the brim with countless runner games. Like with any trending video game genre, however, the overwhelming amount of these games leads to a case of separating the wheat from the chaff.
The 3DS, too, has already seen its fair share of this genre, being a portable system: I Must Run!, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz and the amazing Bit.Trip Runner via Bit.Trip Saga. The question is, does Rising Board 3D rise above its competition, or just serve to make you board?
Details of this week's European update have arrived, and they're perhaps not the fireworks we'd hope for at this time of year. There's still some variety across all platforms and a long awaited app arrives, though the price may surprise some.
At a budget price of $2.99, Rising Board will provide hour after hour of entertainment. The easy to pick-up-and-play style, gorgeous graphics, soothing sound, and awesome trick system make Rising Board 3D an easy recommendation for anyone wanting to taste of slice of the surfing culture.