Short Ride

Short Ride is a hilariously brutal ragdoll obstacle course

Short Ride takes the concept of a simple side-scrolling ride and gleefully smashes it to pieces with spinning saws, spike pits, bombs and every other cartoonishly sadistic trap you can imagine. It’s a physics-based platformer where your main objective is to stay in one piece long enough to reach the goal and, if possible, grab three stars along the way.

Gameplay is straightforward but surprisingly tense. You control a fragile rider on a variety of vehicles, from bicycles to odd wheeled contraptions, navigating levels packed with deadly mechanisms. One mistimed jump or sloppy landing and your character is dismembered in gloriously over-the-top fashion. The ragdoll physics are the star of the show here: every fall, collision and explosion produces a different, often ridiculous result, which makes failure almost as entertaining as success.

What elevates Short Ride beyond a simple gore-fest is the level design. Stages are short but cleverly constructed, rewarding patience, observation and a bit of daredevil recklessness. Going for all three stars turns each course into a puzzle, pushing you to experiment with timing and momentum instead of just rushing to the exit.

The built-in level editor is another big bonus. It lets you create your own courses packed with traps and devices, then test them until they’re just the right mix of possible and cruel. This greatly extends replay value and is perfect for players who enjoy tinkering with game mechanics.

Visually, Short Ride uses clean, minimal graphics that keep the focus on movement and impact, while the sound effects give every crunch and splat a punchy, slapstick feel.

Short Ride is best suited to players who enjoy dark humor, ragdoll physics and challenging, trial-and-error gameplay. It’s not for the squeamish, but for everyone else, it’s a fast, frantic and frequently laugh-out-loud experience.