Hello and welcome to Lost Gems, the series where I cover games that have been lost, forgotten or pulled from official distribution. After a brief hiatus, we are back with a classic winter sports title for the SEGA Saturn, which also released in an altered form for the SEGA ST-V hardware. So it is time to take a look at Steep Slope Sliders, the snowboarding game from Victor Interactive (as Pack-In Soft) and CAVE, which was published by SEGA and Victor in 97/98.
Disclaimer: while the game discussed here is no longer officially on sale, there are ways to obtain the game. This can be either through the second hand market, or via unofficial digital roms/rips. I do not condone or promote piracy, so there won’t be any links to roms or rips of the game being covered.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be discussing the general game experience, then giving my personal thoughts on the title.
About the game
Steep Slope Sliders is downhill snowboarding game, where players can challenge 7 different distinct courses. These courses are the Extreme downhill tracks, the Alpine challenge, Snowboard Park and Half-Pipe course. The player can select any of the courses from the start of the game, with all options unlocked right at the start. After this the rider select appears, with four characters on the main screen to choose from, with regular or goofy stance.
Once the course and track has been chosen, the action will begin, with sweeping camera shots showing elements of the course. There will also be the best time for the course, as well as a target time for the player to reach. The player can also choose the music for their run, from a selection of tracks, with high energy dance, electro and even a couple of ballads in there. When the music has been chosen, the countdown starts and the boarder sets off.
When carving up the snow, the player will be able to perform a variety of tricks. By jumping from the various ramps, ledges and junked cars, the player can press buttons to pull off flips, spins and grabs. By landing the tricks alone or as combinations, freestyle points will be earned which are added to the total for the run. The trick system is simple and easy to use, although limited in the trick variety, but this doesn’t work against the game experience.
There is a good momentum system with this game, as the player can reach a fairly decent speed when moving downhill. Due to the high speeds, when riding through the twists and turns of a track, it is possible to lose some speed when the board isn’t straight. But by using the turn/spin buttons on the shoulders, they can aid the player when carving up the snow. If the player can hit the vertical slopes at good speeds, they can get some good height for tricks.
With the Extreme tracks, they are specialised to speed, the Snowboard Park and Half-Pipe is specialised for tricks, but the Alpine course is special. This track introduces slalom mechanics, with red and blue flag gates, which need to be passed correctly or a penalty is applied. If they are missed, the player will get a second added to the time, making it a satisfying challenge in terms of precision, rounding out the experience quite well.
Unfortunately this game isn’t perfect, as there is are a few hiccups when it comes to the game physics. It is possible for the rider to get stuck, or not enough height from a jump to cross a gap or do tricks. This can lead to losing time if trying to set new scores, as well as wiping out when trying to perform tricks. However, with a little patience and practice, it is possible to learn the courses to get the best time and score for each track.
At the end of a run, if the player scores enough points or gets a good time, they will be able to add their name to the ranking. There will also be the option to save a ghost rider, that can be competed against in subsequent runs. For some of the tracks there are hidden targets, which will unlock secret riders if they are beat. There are four additional riders that can be unlocked, doubling the playable roster, each having their own distinct look and style.
This is a fairly robust game experience, with the number of tracks that players can challenge, the time/trick score system and unlockable characters. Players can also save and edit replays of their best runs, with different effects and angles that can be used. There is even the option for time progression, which will use the clock to change the time of day for courses. All of these elements add a lot of replay value, giving players a lot of content to enjoy.
Personal Thoughts
Like mentioned in my feature covering Zap! Snowboarding Trix, I am a big fan of the snowboarding genre, with this being one of the games I got to play growing up. While I had played the other games, this was the one that I played the most out of all of them. what I didn’t know at the time, was how special the game would be, due to the game being developed by CAVE, who are known for their output in the bullet hell shooter genre.
During their early years, CAVE had more diverse releases, with racing, extreme sports and even a rhythm game being released. With Steep Slope Sliders being their first attempt at the snowboarding genre, but as time passed the focus shifted to exclusively developing shooters. This led to Steep slope Sliders and the few non-shooters to become rarities of the library, with some of them gaining cult status and others being lost to time.
Steep Slope Sliders is one of those games that became a highlight of the SEGA Saturn, with the success of the home release potentially leading to the arcade ST-V release. There is a lot of fun to be had with the game, as it offers a lot of content for players to enjoy. It uses a rather simple control system, but with some practice it is possible to pull off some spectacular tricks. Thankfully, the simplicity of the gameplay makes it easy to pick up by everyone.
There is a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay on offer here, with the downhill focused Extreme courses, that give a good sense of speed. Then we have the trick courses which have the potential for big combo sequences, and the Alpine slalom course, where mastery of drift turns is key to good times. There are also the ghost rider and replay systems, which add even more for players to enjoy and mess around with for fun.
I have a lot of love for this game, the feel of it, the sound and the whole package is a tremendous amount of fun. The real time clock features and character unlocks add even more, which are excellent reasons to return to the game after playing. Having the courses change based on time, was revolutionary for the time, making extensive usage of the SEGA Saturn internal clock. This made the game stand out among the other titles of the time.
As this game is relatively niche with it rarely being discussed online, there is little in terms of wider popularity for Steep Slope Sliders. This has led to the game being rather affordable when it comes to the secondary market, as all three regional variants are attainable. Some have attempted to sell the game sealed at significant prices, but these are outliers on the market. So if you are a fan of Snowboarding games, then it is a good choice for collections.
This game has sadly become a relic of a bygone era, as CAVE have dedicated themselves to releasing bullet hell games and mobile titles. This means their other titles like Steep Slope Sliders are trapped in the past, which disappoints me, as this game showcased the versatility of CAVE as a company. While I would love to see this get a re-release, a sequel or even a remake, sadly I don’t think that is possible, as their success is from prolific shooters.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then please stick around and see what else catches your eye. I cover a wide range of games in reviews, get special previews and put out regular features. I have Lost Gems, Retro Revival where I discuss re-releases and the occasional Gaming Oddities piece, where I cover weird and wacky titles. So stay a while and have a look around.
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