having liked steep very very much i was expecting way more from this game. first off the intro is way too long and way too cringy, just shut up and let me play ffs. then with skiing and snowboarding being my favorites sports irl i was very disappointed, why couldnt they just port the same gameplay mecanics and controls from steep it was just 100x better. if you liked those sports in steep you wont recognize them in riders republic.
then the progression system might be the worst, i know steep is a smaller game but the progression was way smoother in it, you got a gold medal you got a new pair of skis or something, but the worst is that in riders every gear have different stats, i hate that, i feel like theres no personality any more you cant have a favorite snowboard or pair of skis you just pick the best even if its ugly. Something else that i hate is this punk aesthetic, i guess some people are fans but not me, i liked the silly costumes on steep cause thats something you might see on the slopes but to an extend, i feel like in riders it represents the fortitization of video games if that makes any sense...
the game is also just too arcady but not in a good way like ssx. i feel like this game is a mountain bike first and foremost, this they did nail, i think bmx is my favorite.
something else that might be skill issues though is the fact that i found this game way more difficult then steep, like i got all the gold medals in steep in every event, some were sure more difficult then others but i got them all in the end, but in riders i struggle to even get bronze even in the beginning. i dont know if its because of the new stat system and like you have to return later to an event with better gear to get gold but i hate that tbh.
i think i played this game for like 2 days before giving up. one thing i must say though is that the map is way better then steep with way more variety but its pretty obvious why.