📅 Date : Around December 31, 2000
🎮 Platform : PC
📍 Event : Official Game Release
Before Trials became an iconic physics-based platforming franchise, there was a first game, simple and almost handcrafted: Trials (2000). Developed by the Finnish studio RedLynx, this very first installment marked the birth of a raw idea, still far from the future ambitions of the series, but already equipped with the essentials : gameplay based on the fine mastery of balance and acceleration.
This original game was only available on PC, playable directly in a browser via Java technology. There was no complex graphics engine nor elaborate interface. Visually, Trials appeared extremely rudimentary: a side-view motorcycle, a few obstacle sprites, and a fixed background. Yet, it was in this simplicity that the concept’s full power resided. It wasn’t just about crossing a level: it required understanding the vehicle’s physics, learning to adjust the rider’s weight, modulating acceleration, and above all… falling, again and again.
The game offered a handful of tracks —just a few— which served more as technical demonstrations than a true solo campaign. There was no narrative, no defined universe: everything revolved around gameplay. You controlled a nameless motorcycle on abstract and mechanical structures made of beams, ramps, and pits. It was pure, stripped down, but extremely demanding.
No elaborate progression system was in place. Finishing a level was sometimes enough to unlock the next, but the real goal was to improve your times. Scoring, faults, and perfect runs were not yet codified as they would be later. Likewise, there was no level editor, no user content, nor even the possibility to save replays as part of the experience. This first Trials was an experimental sandbox, meant to test an idea.
From a technical point of view, despite its rudimentary nature, Trials was already smooth and precise, at least within the limitations of the time. It could be played directly on the keyboard, in a browser, and required no downloads or specific hardware. This low barrier to entry allowed it to spread freely across forums, Flash game sites, and free game portals. Very quickly, a core of dedicated players began to form, fascinated by the mix of frustration and satisfaction that came with each completed level.
No Gold version, no DLC, no monetization either: Trials was completely free, distributed freely by RedLynx, which was still groping for a viable economic model. It was an era when game creation was more about passion than industrialization. This founding title did not receive reviews in specialized press, but it got enthusiastic feedback in online communities. Its success remained modest, but sufficient to encourage RedLynx to continue the adventure.
In hindsight, this first Trials is a kind of public prototype. A game without frills, without commercial ambitions, but with such a solid mechanic that it would last over two decades. It is not a cult episode in itself, but it is essential. It is the seed from which everything was born.
The image used for this game is not accurate though. That is the image for Trials 2 Flash since there is not currently an official image for Trials 2000.