Log Riders Review (PC)

Lumberjacks and handlebar mustaches, two morons with a lack of spatial awareness and an uphill battle over brisk bark and muddy water—the four basic things that, when combined with incompetence and a shared lack of empathy for one another, can leave a lot more than a few splinters on the back of your heel. In Log Riders, specifically, everything is a thorn in your side, from the physics to the slinky reactions, the terrain to the harsh weather conditions. On paper, it sounds all rather simple—to haul a couple of can-do lumberjacks through a canyon whilst they merrily skip upon a log. In reality, though, it isn’t quite as straightforward. It isn’t that it’s a conceptually complex game; it’s that it makes no real effort to hold your hand as you square dance with the log and volley back and forth between the brush. But that’s Log Riders, in a nutshell: a brutal co-op affair that doesn’t take too kindly to incompetent lumberjacks. Yet, it’s also a game that gives you something to fight for — even if it does come at the cost of stubbing a few toes and fostering a few loose screws.

RV There Yet? made a good point that, in order to be successful in a co-op game about ramping an object through a hazardous world, you must first be willing to accept the fact you will fail, and that you will wind up developing a love-hate relationship with your closest friend. Unfortunately, it’s the same deal with Log Riders, only it isn’t a recreational vehicle that you need to hurl through the world, but a log. That’s right, Log Riders is, quite simply, a game about navigating a world of obstacles as a couple of lumberjacks, with each of said lumberjacks controlling one end of said log. And if you’re struggling to connect the dots here, then allow us to clue you in.

The idea is as simple as they come: two lumberjacks can move either forward or backward, thus allowing the log to travel in one of several directions at vastly different speeds. The goal, in short, is to work as a team to avoid catastrophic consequences and, with the power of an all-important handlebar mustache, guide the log through various biomes. For instance, in one section of the game you need to cross a ravine—an area that can only be overcome by balancing on a broken bridge. In another section, you have the task of evading a rotating arm of spikes—a job that involves careful calculation and a whole lot of dumb luck to complete. And then there are the other portions of the woods, all of which require you to configure your pace, route, and weight accordingly to ensure smooth passage through to the other side. As I said, simple, yet surprisingly difficult given the circumstances.

Log Riders is, first and foremost, a frustratingly more-ish local co-op game that knows all too well how to be burdensome and unpredictable. Thanks to its physics-based design and airtight mechanics, it requires a stern hand and a whole lot of patience to work through. As I mentioned before, it isn’t mechanically difficult; it’s unpredictable and somewhat unfair, given that you don’t just move back and forth to adjust the speed, but also allocate positions to steer the log and prevent it from colliding with whatever object that idles before you. It’s an obstacle course—Total Wipeout meets traditional co-op rage game, sort of obstacle course. And yes, you will weep in disgust at its unfair learning curve.

To counter its disastrous nature and turbulent controls, Log Riders does come clean with some great elements—a vibrant locale with a ton of polished set pieces, for example. Alongside a good-looking world with a plethora of distinct woodland biomes, the game also includes a short yet engaging journey with a solid collection of obstacles and challenges to work through. What’s more, it adopts a character creation suite that allows you to unlock and install your own lumberjack accessories, which more or less stretches out to various handlebar mustaches, naturally. It doesn’t add a huge deal to the overall experience I’ll admit, but it does add just a slither of depth and a personal touch to keep you satisfied as you repeatedly fall to your death. It’s the little things, clearly.

While there isn’t a huge amount of replay value to Log Riders, there are plenty of reasons to stick around for the duration of its short haul expedition. Granted, it isn’t a game that you’ll want to roll back to once the log reaches the final hurdle, but it is one that you’ll enjoy in either local or online co-op. I can’t say that it will strengthen your bond with your partner, but it’ll certainly put it to the test in the best way possible. Also, it could be a lot worse; it could be Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy.

Verdict

Log Riders is as equally entertaining as it is frustrating, as is it as painfully addictive as it is a massive pain in the backside. But, that’s sort of what it strives to capture: the cascading emotions of being shackled to a log with a friend who you either want to hug or slaughter, depending on the obstacle and the situation you may find yourself in. It’s a thorn in the side, yet one that you also can’t help but tug on for the sake of scratching an itch and proving that you can overcome even the most ridiculous tasks. It isn’t the worst rage game on the log pile, but I won’t sugarcoat it; it is an absolute nightmare to plow through.

Of course, if you are looking for a local co-op game that will put both you and your companion through the wringer—to hell and back aboard a flimsy log, that is—then you should check out Log Riders. Be mindful that, if you are looking to fix a broken friendship, then you might want to consider looking elsewhere for that special adhesive. The point is, Log Riders isn’t the glue that can make bonds tighter; it’s the paint thinner that separates them.