Snowboard Knockout: Race Game

The pitch

8 riders drop in on the same mountain and only one of them reaches the bottom first. You carve between the gate flags, hit the kickers, spin 360s and 720s with a grab held, and stack a combo for every trick you land clean. The others are in your way, and you do not have to be polite about it: a snowball puts a rider on his back, and a full speed hit sends him tumbling down the slope. The mountain also gives you rails to grind, coins to collect and a snowmobile that hands you a burst of speed. Ahead of you are three cups and twelve stages, from the bunny bowl through the pine run to the summit, in golden hour, night shift and whiteout. Then the endless run opens up, where the slope never stops and the riders keep getting faster.

Controls & how it runs

Mobile: Drag your thumb to steer left and right. A tap at the lip of a kicker pops you into the air, and keeping your finger down spins the board: let go early and you land clean. Keyboard: A and D or the left and right arrows: steer. Space: pop at the lip, hold it in the air to spin. Shift: grab the board in the air. F: throw a snowball. Your job in a run: pass between the gate flags, score points with tricks and finish at or above the placing the stage asks for.

Getting a run going takes exactly one press: Press start, up top, and the game boots inside this page — nothing downloads in the background and no form wants your details before the first jump. The cabinet is drawn for a flexible screen and listens to mouse, keyboard or touch, whichever the game prefers. It reshapes itself for tall and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all get the full picture. Given a fullscreen button, use it — scores look better at full size, that's just science.

Snowboard Knockout: Race Game — quick-fire questions

Does Snowboard Knockout: Race Game cost anything to play?

Not a token. The cabinet is free from the first run to the five-hundredth — no wallet, no sign-up, no toll booth hiding three levels in. The adverts around the page are what keep the floor's lights on.

What sort of game is Snowboard Knockout: Race Game?

It stands on our Driving row — that's the family it plays most like. The pitch above is the publisher's own rundown of what it throws at you and what it hands back.

Can I play Snowboard Knockout: Race Game on my phone?

Happily, yes. It runs inside the browser on phones and tablets the same way it does on a computer. It reshapes itself for tall and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all get the full picture.

Do I need to install anything first?

Nothing whatsoever. Snowboard Knockout: Race Game is an HTML5 game: hit the start button and it boots on this page, and shutting the tab sweeps the cabinet clean behind you.

Before you wander off

Personal best banked, or still chasing it? Either way the full Driving row is powered on and waiting — Forty-eight driving cabinets: crash rigs, parking puzzles and delivery runs where the steering is easy and the judgement is the whole game.