Why ‘SSX Tricky’ Needs a Remake
There was a period in my life where I participated in nearly every sport you can think of, mostly due to my father shoving me into them, but I grew up in a place where it never snowed. Thus, I have only snowboarded once in my entire life. But it was magical. From the moment I hit the slopes to the moment I flew home, I was living a fantasy inspired by one of my favorite video games of all time: SSX Tricky.
The SSX series, which stands for snowboarding, surfing, and motocross, was one of the coolest game IPs that thrived during the Playstation 2 era. It carried all the charisma of the legendary Tony Hawk series, but without the edginess characteristic of Activision games, and doubtlessly inspired many young people including myself to try out snowboarding for the first time. The original SSX game was respectable in its own right, but SSX Tricky is where the series completely skyrocketed both in popularity and vibe. As we are rapidly approaching the game’s 20th anniversary, I think we are long overdue for a remake.
It’s kind of bizarre to step back from the current gaming landscape and realize that we’ve not received a game like SSX Tricky in at least a console generation. Steep is the closest thing we’ve got since the completely botched SSX reboot in 2012. And nothing against Steep, it just doesn’t scratch the itch that SSX Tricky left in the industry. Nothing before or sense has felt “radical” in the 90s kid, backwards-hat-and-sunglasses sense of the term. So, what made SSX Tricky so special?
Some immediate things come to mind: the music, the over-the-top trick book, the lovingly crafted levels, the dozen or so distinct characters and vibrant personalities, and then some. SSX Tricky simply did everything right.
Putting the “Trick” in Tricky
As the name would suggest, SSX Tricky inherits its name from the classic Run-D.M.C. song, “It’s Tricky,” prominently featuring this song throughout the game. From the moment the title screen boots up to the satisfying landings when you pull off a sick combo of tricks, the game loudly and regularly reminds you of its Run-D.M.C. legacy. Unlike the many failed instances of real-world music being integrated into a video game, which often pulls you out of the experience rather than immerses you, the implementation and remixing of “It’s Tricky” never gets old. (And obviously the pun adds a layer to this whole enjoyable situation.)
Speaking of tricks, SSX Tricky centerpieces some of the ridiculous possibilities inherent to snowboarding, going beyond what’s realistic or safe. Again, evoking the Tony Hawk comparison, these exaggerated tricks added energy and life to what could have easily been a mere attempt at realism. In the same way that you wouldn’t expect to see a skateboarder attempt a McTwist or 1080 in real life, you wouldn’t expect to see a snowboarder attempt a Superman or Gut Buster. It’s as if the SSX developers took the proverbial advice of turning their game up to eleven, only it’s constantly set closer to fifteen.
The Uber tricks are what bring life to SSX’s incredible set of animations, however. Moves like the aforementioned Superman involve your character disconnecting their feet from the straps on the snowboard, extending their body parallel with the board, as though the character were flying like the titular superhero. The Gut Buster is practically a belly flop that also involves disconnecting your character’s feet from the board, as the character bounces their stomach perpendicular to the board, resurfacing just in time to stick the landing. My favorite Uber trick, however, is the character Eddie’s special move: the Worm.
Anyone who has set foot on a dance floor will be familiar with the tacky array of awkward dance moves that serve more as conversation pieces than actual expressions of musical enjoyment. In that vein, you have almost certainly seen “The Worm,” a move that requires the dancer position themselves prone on the floor, with only their arms for support as they wiggle their body like a wave to create the visual of a worm. Eddie performs this full body wiggle on his board, which is silly and hilarious but totally within Eddie’s 70s-character aesthetic. Doing the Worm with Eddie feels as natural as his bouncing afro and bell bottoms. Like so many things that are great about SSX Tricky, the Worm works so well because it completely abandons all pretense of realism. Instead, we are treated to this ridiculous move that is pretty much only in the game because it looks cool.
Distinct and Loveable Characters
Eddie was always a go-to character because of how many silly Uber tricks are dedicated to him specifically, but the entire cast of SSX Tricky has moments of equal fondness in my heart. Psymon is the stereotypical metalhead whose tricks are not limited to a Guillotine move in which the snowboard spins around his neck at rapid speed. Kaori brings cutesy vibes and features a Pirouette Grind, which is like watching a human body become a spinning plate. Mac, the DJ, brings a stylish but confident spin to the general move set with one of my favorite Ubers, Walking the Dog. The list goes on, and even though I’m spending most of my praise connecting the dots between these characters and their signature moves, their personalities shine through in many other ways.
When you boot up the game, it prompts you to select a game mode and its characters. From these opening screens, each character’s personality is on display. The body language, what they are up to, and the line or two of dialog you hear each time you cycle through to decide, all contribute to the sense of personality inherent to each character. The game capitalizes on this diverse array of characters by pairing them up with music snippets and little animated scenes when your character levels up, so to speak. And the commentary on offer during the actual snowboarding is stuffed full of one-liners that further add depth to each character. There are one or two duds in the bunch, namely Luther and Marisol, but otherwise, basically every character in the game is both likeable and fun to play.
Endlessly Replayable Level Design
The levels in SSX Tricky are as vibrant as the characters, spanning the globe in some bizarre but imaginative ways. Starting with Garabaldi, the game kicks off with an immediate cliff, dropping you hundreds of feet and giving you plenty of hangtime to score some early points. Later in Garabaldi, the track smooths out a bit, enabling you to wind through shortcuts and alternative pathways that converge in an epic downhill finale. I have raced and performed tricks on Garabaldi thousands of times and I feel like I’ve never taken the same path twice.
The game moves on to Snowdream, which evokes its Japanese setting at every corner. Snowdream features a number of inflatable figures which, if you manage enough speed or air, you can pop. The level is surrounded by pagoda-like structures and buildings that feel monastical, given the alpine setting. Snowdream is not my favorite level by any stretch, but it’s a breeze once you find some of the rails that expedite your journey through its many twists and turns.
Elysium Alps showcases some of the biggest drops in the entire game, with the opening segment hurtling you off the starting point within seconds. It’s a strange level to race because there are so many sharp zig-zags that either slow you down or encourage you to vault over them. There are awkward placements of nature, like tree logs and boulders, some of which will literally trip you up, eliminating the current Uber meter you’ve been filling up. Ultimately, though, Elysium Alps allows for some slick and speedy navigation that builds towards a rushing conclusion.
Mesablanca is up next, the most midwestern feeling level in the game. Permeated by surfaces and structures that feel more saloon than snowboarding, I think my favorite part of Mesablanca is the lengthy shortcut that you must go out of your way to access. It involves having some degree of forehand knowledge about some railways that are falling apart overhead, one of which leads directly down into what looks like a blocked-off grate. Once you dive into the underground, you must immediately grind on the abandoned minecart railing, which zooms you forward and bypasses a massive chunk of the level. It’s a bit of a pain, and if you miss the entrance point even slightly, the game will detect an error and “reset” your character further up the track. But it’s worth it once you memorize how to access the shortcut.
Merqury City Meltdown is the next trek for your snowboarder, which takes place in the middle of a metropolis at night. You get some unique views and vistas in Merqury City Meltdown, some of which are only accessible by crashing through the glass façade of certain buildings or ascending to rooftops that, like Mesablanca, will “reset” you if you touch the wrong surfaces. As I played Merqury City Meltdown as a kid, I discovered a set of underground tunnels that are basically a guaranteed path to first place in a race. The walls of these tunnels are smooth, which adds speed to your character, and they spit you out right before the finish line, avoiding any need to keep track of where you are. Beware, however, there is a subway encounter that, if poorly timed, will offset any advantage you might have had.
Tokyo Megaplex is the next level in SSX Tricky – and just so happens to be my favorite level. It took me until my adult life to realize that Tokyo Megaplex is a massive pinball machine, by and large, something riddled with contraptions and bumpers and other such contrivances. Somehow my childhood brain was just naïve enough to believe that Tokyo Megaplex existed in real life, gravity-defying physics and all, and I distinctly remember telling myself that I’d travel there to snowboard one day. Obviously, if you take a glance at Tokyo Megaplex, you will immediately realize that such a place could and would never exist. But a kid can dream.
Aloha Ice Jam is SSX Tricky’s first stab at an endgame, and here is where the competition starts to heat up, ironically enough. As the level’s name suggests, Aloha Ice Jam takes place in Hawaii – which is admittedly a strange venue to host a snowboarding competition. Capped with snow and ice, however, Aloha Ice Jam feels right at home in the SSX Tricky universe.
And then there’s Alaska, the ultimate destination for racers and tricksters alike, which weaves icy paths and treacherous crevasses, spanning out as the longest level in the game. It’s a brilliant destination for someone like myself going for all the gold medals, as it is both a tough venue to race and a level responsive to your creative trick choices. It’s a grueling level no matter what game mode you pursue, but securing that final victory feels as satisfying as you’d hope for a level of this massive scope.
Bonus Unlocks and More
But wait, there are some post-game level unlocks as well! Upon completion, you now have access to two additional levels: Pipedream and Untracked. Untracked is self-explanatory and feels like you’ve just been dropped off from a helicopter onto a big fluffy snowcapped mountaintop. Pipedream, however, is practically an amusement park of indoor half-pipes, bowls, and rails on which you can rack up massive, unthinkably absurd combos. These levels are not as iconic as the main circuit, but they are an excellent reward for the dedicated player who wants to squeeze a little more life out of their Playstation 2 disc.
I have written about my resistance to replay games before, but SSX Tricky is a game that I have replayed a hundred times without question. The mechanics hold up between multiple distinct-feeling characters, the levels offer a variety of pathways that you can continually uncover, and the game just has an energetic vibe that cannot be captured in mere words. Tricky built on everything laid out by the original SSX to great effect. When SSX 3 released a few years later, it felt like this series truly had everything figured out. But seemingly out of nowhere, the series fizzled out, relegating follow-up releases to other platforms.
A Failed Reboot from Electronic Arts
Eventually, EA decided to reboot the series with the 2012 release of SSX. By every estimation, this reboot was a complete and utter failure, besmirching the sterling legacy of all games prior. There was no love, no heart, and most crucially, no soul to the SSX reboot. It seemed like a great idea at the time – better graphics, an online mode, etc. — and I remember eagerly pre-ordering it alongside several dedicated SSX fans, only to be completely underwhelmed. The SSX series got the quintessential EA treatment, and the publisher has since seemingly shelved all plans to keep the franchise alive.
There is some hope, however, in the wake of the massively successful remake of the first two Tony Hawk games last year. We’ve seen evidence that there’s still a hungry market for these extreme boarding games. I, and countless others, would certainly line up to pre-order a proper remake of SSX Tricky, the apex of the snowboarding genre. But, alas, I don’t think this is likely.
Games That Might Scratch the SSX Tricky Itch
For want of a remake, there are some promising projects on the horizon. The first is “Project Gravity,” the codename for a spiritual successor to the SSX franchise. Steve Rechtschaffner, creator of the SSX series, is working on this new game in the same vein as the SSX series. Unfortunately, it looks like this game will be a free-to-play title, which ignites consternation at the thought of various characters, cosmetics, levels, and so on, being potentially gated behind a paywall. But considering the dearth of contemporary games in the snowboarding genre, I would undoubtedly give it a shot.
One of the games I’m most looking forward to, at least in pursuit of this SSX nostalgia, is Frost Dreamers, formerly known as Shred Story. Developed by Rose Weston, Frost Dreamers’ incredibly enticing description on Kickstarter is as follows: “A Snowboarding/Action RPG Hybrid set in a post-apocalyptic world. – Inspired by SSX Tricky / City of Ember / And Final Fantasy.” I don’t know how you could have gotten my attention more readily, pairing up SSX Tricky and Final Fantasy with City of Ember, a book series I fondly remember reading in middle school. Weston has shared a number of short videos and GIFs of Frost Dreamers’ development, which seems to have halted alongside her Twitter page at the end of 2020. I’m hoping this project makes it to release.
If you can’t tell, I am desperate for another game to fill the void that SSX Tricky left in the industry. Luckily, as I mentioned when speaking with Wired earlier this year, SSX Tricky is such a good game that I genuinely don’t mind replaying it yet again. It just would be so nice to have a stylish snowboarding game reenter the zeitgeist, especially at a time when multiplayer games have been at their peak for social impact. In times where it’s still sketchy to spend an abundance of time outside one’s house, I can’t help but fantasize about shredding the peaks with a few of my closest friends. Maybe I will one day boot up Parsec and invite a friend to join me for some SSX Tricky races, but until then, I will be sounding the gong, proselytizing and bringing the good news to anyone with a controller who will listen: SSX Tricky is a perfect video game.
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