Todd Batty, Creative Director of SSX: Deadly Descents, recently sat down with Game Informer to discuss the rebirth of the snowboarding series. During the interview he dropped new details like the number of mountains players will be able to shred down (at least 70) and revealed the game’s slimmed down title (it’s just called SSX now).
Batty also talked about the game’s three gameplay styles: Speed Descent (get down the mountain as fast as possible), Tricky Descent (perform as many tricks as you can) and Deadly Descent. In Deadly Descent mode the mountain literally fights back against the racers and, according to Batty, “the challenge will be just making it to the bottom alive.” This challenge will be amplified thanks to avalanches, rockslides and falling stalactites.
Tying together all of these death-defying drops are “Nine Deadly Descents,” which are based on the “Seven Summits” of the mountaineering world. Each descent is “themed by an environmental challenge and a cultural significance that makes [the] mountains unique from each other” and Batty considers them like boss battles.
To help players survive the elements, SSX will include a ton of new geat including wingsuits (for gliding after a jump) and pickaxes (to help NOT falling off the mountain). And all of this will come together through what Batty calls “a very strong multiplayer component.”