Joe Danger: Special Edition is a perfect reflection of the game’s protagonist. The game is fun loving, old fashioned, and while it doesn’t have the hipness or flash of its competitors, it definitely has its own sense of flair. Those looking for death-defying thrills will be disappointed by this laid-back dirt-bike game, but lovers of time trials and unique challenges will find it to be a blast. A thin variety in level design is among Joe Danger: SE’s faults, but the addicting challenges will keep many completionist gamers begging for more. Joe Danger is a daredevil in the same vein as Evel Knievel, who is bent on redemption. Following a horrible motorcycle crash, he is getting back on his motorcycle to prove to the country that Joe Danger can still ride better than anybody else. The levels start out simply enough, allowing players to get the feel for the game’s controls and physics. As the player goes through the levels, stars are earned for completing different types of challenges (collect the coins, find the hidden star, beat the fastest time, etc.) These stars can be saved in order to unlock future levels. This challenges the player to not only get through a stage, but complete the challenges within it.
The difficulty curve for this game is quite well done. Mediocre players can play the stages picking up an easy star here and an easy star there and play much of the game. However, the hardcore gamer that needs to beat every challenge will find the game to be much more difficult, but doing so will unlock every level. While average players will go for the “Collect the coins” star, the completionists will go after the “Collect the coins, while landing on every bull’s-eye, while keeping up a constant trick combo, within the time limit” star. The developers really hit a great balance here, rewarding the truly skilled, but not turning a blind eye to the virtual dirt-bike incompetents. The challenges can be quite difficult and perfectionists will spend a lot of time pressing restart. While obtaining these stars is an addictive element of gameplay, gamers will find themselves at odd with the rather stale level design. Where games like Trials HD challenge the player to cross the finish line with their outrageous courses, Joe Danger stages actually run the risk of being too plain. Jumps, platforms, ramps, and other structures are re-arranged to create different types of situations for the gamer, but there is never a noticeably drastic difference in design.
This is mainly because the gameplay relies on the challenges rather than the stages. A lack of tricks will also turn off gamers looking to get their jollies from double-McTwisty 9000’s (I made this up, no reason to look it up) from the newest dirt-bike game. There are a handful of tricks, all of which are fun and run smoothly, but Hello Games could have been more generous with the catalogue of stunts. Ultimately, this aspect of the game feels like the developers went to the well and came up dry. Again, this game isn’t about the flash or the pizzazz; it is about the gameplay. Joe Danger: Special Edition is all about running through a level quickly and efficiently, and the game could care less about insane tricks and even crazier set pieces. If players do want to branch out the level design though, a level editor has also been implemented into the game. The level editor is fully interactive, allowing players to race through the stage while dropping ramps and other objects along the way. Creating your own racetracks is a good time, and better yet, these can later be uploaded for your friends to enjoy. The single player campaign is expansive in its own right, but the level creation tool is like icing on the cake.
There is also multiplayer in Joe Danger: SE, and while it is fun in the beginning, ultimately it doesn’t live up to the single-player offering. Racing against friends is fun at first, but it just doesn’t maintain its muster after a few hours of play. The single-player is what will keep you playing and the single-player alone is enough reason to purchase this game. If you’re looking for an adrenaline-pumping, thrills-out-the-wazoo dirt-biking game, Joe Danger: Special Edition is not your game. However, if you want a laid back dirt-biking game that is only challenging if you want it to be, Joe Danger might be your guy. The different challenges range from easy to exhaustingly difficult, and the gameplay is so addicting that you’ll want to complete every one. The level design and multiplayer components are subpar, but Joe Danger: SE makes up for it with a stellar career mode that will keep you playing all night “for just one more star.”
