The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy ranks as one of the most dangerous races in the world, being renowned both for its spectacle and its unfortunately tragic accidents. It’s also a racing simulation series providing nail-biting thrills at breakneck speeds, returning for another round with TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3. With a focus on realistic physics but aiming to deliver accessible gameplay to everyone, this is a confident and addictive experience that offers enough excitement to make you want hop on to this ride.
Full Throttle
This episode marks a change of hands for the franchise, from developer KT Racing to Raceward Studio of RiMS Racing fame. With a new developer on the handlebar, a lot of effort went into making this game a superior sequel, maintaining the obsessive attention to detail and reworking some aspects deserving of improvements. Evidently, for a game such as Ride on the Edge 3 to succeed in providing the greatest riding sensations, it must bring the best possible physics system.
Ride on the Edge 3 includes two main categories, with 21 riders in the Superbike class and 17 in the Supersport class. Sidecars could be an interesting distraction and physics change from the standard motorcycles, but unfortunately don’t make an appearance. There are 32 different circuits to test your skills, with the impressive titular race being comprised of 60 km, a challenge that only the greatest players will reach after several rounds of qualification events and races.
Striking the perfect balance between realism and fun is a feat that may seem hard to achieve, but it’s not quite the holy grail. There are several racing games threading that fine line that pleases both amateurs and experts, and Ride on the Edge 3 manages to join the exclusive list thanks to a remarkable attention to every element of the bike. Leaning and stability are crucial aspects that deserved extra care and it is visible by tweaking some of the simulation features, instantly providing different outcomes that change the scope of the race.
Straightforward choices such as manual or semi-automatic transmission are surefire ways to change the skill requirements, with the former demanding constant awareness and nearly perfect timing with the shifts. Other options also significantly add to the challenge, such as tucking in and out, playing with aerodynamics and improving top speed in slight but important ways. Ride on the Edge 3 may not feature a host of options to tinker with every aspect of the simulation, but there are preferences that let you tailor the experience to your skill level. The variances in realistic simulation mode are notorious, making the motorcycle more sensitive and prone to plausibly react to every part of the terrain, with bumps and heart-stopping skids that feel like the real thing, often resulting in impressive high-sides, thankfully without the consequences for the pilot here.
Technical talk aside, Ride on the Edge 3 is a thrilling journey through some amazingly twisted tracks with incredible scenery to admire, if you dare to look anywhere else but the road straight ahead. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy some relaxed sightseeing, but more on that later. The speeds you hit are tremendous, combined with the great feel for the bikes, heavy enough and hard to maneuver until you get the hang of it and start working those bends almost instinctively.
This is a physics system where misjudging the speed at which you approach a curb may jeopardize the whole race, the bike accurately reacting to different types of terrain, without compromising the fun and excitement of racing alone or against several rivals. With actual riders vouching for it, saying they use the series to train for the real event since the first game, there’s definitely something going for it in terms of realism.
There are a few distinct weather settings, which include clear skies, cloudy, overcast, and rainy. However, without being a simulation expert, it didn’t feel like the differences between clear and rainy races were consequential, with the potential for slippering not quite at the level I was expecting it to be.
The World in Your Handlebar
The racing world, that is. You have 200 km of roads ahead of you, this time with an open world system that allows you to ride the Isle of Man freely, discovering many spots for fun, but also side activities that aren’t marked on the map by default. Simply by traveling around you can find face-off trials, where you challenge a single rider for a quick race, discovery landmarks that reveal more info and anecdotes about the island, and very useful fast travel points, among other things.
Completing qualification events, races, and other activities that put you to the test reward you with experience to increase your rider level, but also offer upgrade points to invest in your bike. Upgrading the various components raises your performance level, resulting in a more powerful and stable ride to fit with the more demanding challenges ahead. You can purchase parts in various areas, from tires to suspensions, engine, brakes, and more, in a simple but effective setup that will bring performance changes only noticeable by the best of the best. You can also tune areas such as tire pressure, transmission, and shock absorber specifics.
Ride on the Edge 3 is a beautiful game. The sprawling island has many sights that will make you want to slow down and bask on all the rural exquisiteness, the bikes are exceptionally modeled and get dirty – but there’s no cosmetic damage or components flying during crashes, surely something related to licensing – and the sense of speed is dazzling. The beautiful rain effects are jaw-dropping, with surface reflections, camera droplets, and the stream coming from the tires, all contributing to the delightful immersive visuals.
This feeling of being on the motorcycle at dizzying speeds is reinforced by the credible sound effects, with the muffled engine noise and constant exhaust pops sounding like the real deal. The differences between bikes aren’t too pronounced, but they’re noticeable if you have a keen ear for detail.
The soundtrack is comprised of various fully instrumental hard rock songs, and it’s difficult to tell one from the other when you’re racing, as they don’t really add anything to the experience; quite on the contrary, it’s best to turn them off to better appreciate the game’s sound effects and use them to fully understand the conditions and demands of the bike.
The various cameras offer you additional means of controlling your bike, with a few cockpit perspectives designed for those who want the greatest immersion and feelings. Only the most skilled will be able to use them for racing challenges, as the constant wobbling typical of a motorcycle is accurately recreated and very hard to manage for someone who isn’t a diehard fan.
A Ride to Remember
Ride on the Edge 3 is a superb motorcycle game that manages to be both fun and challenging, achieving a near-perfect equilibrium between simulation and arcade. The riding sensations are as good as they come, with a great feeling of speed and weight to the bikes, and a physics system that seems to work as gamers and enthusiasts would expect it to.
Above all, this is an enjoyable game that quickly becomes addictive as you try to shave off a few milliseconds out a difficult track section, or as you sneak on the inside of a curb and gain a valuable position right before the final stretch. It may lack sidecars, and tuning some aspects of the bike probably won’t result in a great deal of changes for anyone but the experts, but with its stunning open world and excitingly dangerous races, Ride on the Edge 3 is a challenge that anyone should try, fan of the competition or not.
Score: 8.5/10
Pros
- Fantastic feelings with a great physics system
- Fun for gamers and fulfilling for experts
- Open world with activities and challenges to find
- Visually beautiful and runs at a dizzying pace
Cons
- No sidecars
- Soundtrack is bland
TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.