Ubisoft surprised us by announcing Steep, the simulation of extreme winter sports at this year’s pre-summer E3, and the interest of the audience followed the meteorological trends, the first was warm, and then only gradually coolant to the final release. Small internal studio Ubisoft Annecy explains that this game project is driven their passion and perhaps is easy to recognize in the game on which they mean by, but not why it made some stupid decisions related to the game.

Interestingly, short Google search of the term “passion” offers two definitions: 1. strong and barely controllable emotions (op.au. not specified what type), 2. Jesuses suffering and death; that is, look and behold, just a combination of impressions that we know through my head like a bullet flash while I was down snowy slopes steep. It’s not good dear reader, I was not expected as much and I was looking forward to something quite relaxing, but this game has problems too deep to just buried in snow.

In order to immediately understand each other, Steep requires constant and thus a stable Internet connection. Also Uplay account, without which it does not run, but if connection accidentally breaks ties during gameplay (op.au. you’d be surprised how often it happens) you will only be cast in the main menu, which consists of a single button and irritating waiting to reconnect. And why, why this, I’ll assume you’re wondering. Well, because the game will sometimes connect with another to a maximum of three players who are on one of the huge folders of players and maybe you’ll meet them and you can, but don’t have to contact them.

It is interesting then, but I will return on this, how the only moments when I had fun in the Steep have been when I have researched the world so we have a situation where you are offered a huge open map, with limit to only four players and additional restriction that you should always be ready to connect even though it is obviously not necessary for the basic mechanics. Only three additional players with you in such a large and open world make that connection just some kind of addition, not a key game mechanics, but the game is not possible to play without it.

Playing online with the company can be really fun, but playing solo under constant threat of problems with an Internet connection only that some crazy guy with a green icon above his head buzzed next to you and the more you never see.

Let me show you some similar design failures in practice. Steep is a simulation of extreme winter sports such as snowboarding, skiing, paragliding and wingsuit. A sort of tutorial and introduction to the story and the world will introduce you to each of these disciplines all in one freakish and pumped way to spend like never before; Tricks, screams, completely missed the youthful jargon that are obviously written for older generation – Very, very cool old weevil? There is one problem though, and that is that player at first did not explain how to competently manage all these vehicles, and the player is let alone to learn how to do tricks.

I still do not like this, but it smells to me as some at least little fun things like special bones locked in the store where the government currency is Steep points. Frankly, points are fairly quickly earn and are never lacked, at least in the beginning of the game while you are quickly leveling up and solving challenges, but of course there is the option of buying credits for real money in packs of up to 7 euros. And then adding another already announced DLC to insert four new sport that sound potentially amusing. Rocket Wings, Base Jump, Speed Gliding and sledding. Damn sledding will come as DLC and all this sounds more fun than what is currently offered in the game, knowing that none of them so far available sport is not managed properly.

But in a week of winter holidays in steep, it hasn’t even once kept my interest for more than the first 20 minutes after ignition. Just as the lack of meat in vegan stew, and we all know that the skiing carries tea in a thermos and charm in pot, not Brussels sprouts and peas.