📅 Date : August 12, 2009
🎮 Platform : PC
📍 Event : Official Game Release
Trials HD is the episode that marked the beginning of the meteoric rise of the Trials series to a global audience. This game is a turning point for the franchise, introducing the fundamental gameplay elements that would define the following titles. Trials HD was an immediate success and played a key role in the growing popularity of physics-based platform games and challenging yet addictive obstacle courses.
This is the first episode of the series to be released on a platform other than PC (as an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive), and it remains to this day in the top 5 best-selling games on the platform.
The game is set in an urban environment with increasingly complex tracks and varied challenges. The gameplay experience focuses on mastering motorcycles through courses filled with daring jumps, obstacles, and traps. The ultimate goal is to complete each course with the best possible time while avoiding falls. The motorcycle controls are precise, allowing players to truly feel the adrenaline as they attempt to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.
In terms of content, Trials HD offers several difficulty levels, ranging from simpler courses to ultra-challenging ones that will test the patience and skill of the most experienced players. These courses are presented with a distinctive visual style, mixing 2D and 3D elements, offering interesting visuals while optimizing performance on the Xbox 360 platform.
It also marks the birth of the ninja difficulty — a community-created level of challenge even harder than the game’s official extreme tracks. These user-made tracks were initially referred to as pirate tracks. The term ninja would become standard later and eventually be officially integrated into the game in Trials Fusion.
An iconic ninja technique, the fender, also emerged from this game. Originally the result of a bug, it was intentionally kept in the game by the developers.
At its launch, Trials HD included about thirty tracks, featuring a wide variety of themes ranging from simple urban courses to more complex industrial environments. The diversity of environments contributed to player immersion and renewed interest in each level. In addition to these tracks, the game features a progression system based on gold, silver, and bronze medals, encouraging players to perfect their performance to earn the ultimate gold medal.
The game also offers a level editor that allows players to create and share their own tracks, an aspect that quickly became one of the series’ strengths. Community creations added incredible depth to the game, with hundreds of additional levels, some as difficult or even more so than the base game’s challenges.
This user-generated content would become a defining feature of the series. At the time, playing a custom track required being friends with its creator on Xbox, a limitation that would be addressed in Trials Evolution.
This game also marked the beginning of real-life events organized by the developers (meetups, competitions, etc.), which gave RedLynx the image of a studio close to its players — a reputation they maintained for years, until community support was phased out around 2021–2022 with Trials Rising.
Regarding game modes, Trials HD focuses mainly on its career mode where players must complete various courses while attempting to beat their best times. Additionally, an online leaderboard mode was implemented to allow players to compare their performances with others worldwide. This competitive mode became essential for players eager to compete against others.
The game warmly welcomed the addition of online events and regular competitions, where top players can compete and meet for specific challenges. These events drive the longevity of Trials HD, offering regular updates and specific rewards for those who reach the highest rankings.
Regarding monetization, Trials HD introduced the possibility to purchase cosmetic items via the Xbox Live Marketplace, allowing players to customize their motorcycles and riders. However, it should be noted that these items do not affect motorcycle performance, only the appearance of the vehicles.
From a technical perspective, Trials HD is extremely smooth, optimized for the Xbox 360. The use of the controller is intuitive, with responsive controls that allow quick mastery while maintaining a constant challenge for those seeking to improve their game mechanics skills.
The press generally praised Trials HD, particularly for its addictive gameplay and engaging progression system. Critics highlighted its ability to easily combine a challenging experience with immediate fun. On Metacritic, the game received an excellent score of 87/100, and several publications such as IGN and Eurogamer acknowledged its captivating nature and replayability. Xbox 360 platform users particularly appreciated the precision of the controls and the variety of tracks.
Regarding sales, Trials HD quickly found its audience, selling over 2 million copies, making it one of the most popular titles on Xbox Live Arcade at the time. The community reception was largely positive, praising the progressive difficulty and the opportunity to challenge friends with increasingly impressive performances.
In summary, Trials HD remains a foundational pillar of the Trials franchise, which succeeded in captivating a wide community thanks to its technical gameplay and simple yet addictive structure. It laid the solid foundations upon which subsequent series games were developed, and its impact remains widely recognized in the video game world, notably for its ability to offer a unique competitive experience while remaining accessible to a broad audience.