Lonely Mountains: Downhill - Eldfjall Island DLC

One of our favourite games of 2019, Lonely Mountains: Downhill has now released its first major DLC: Eldfjall Island, and we couldn’t have been happier to get a new reason to re-visit this game. It’s actually been a while since we last played LDM, despite enjoying it immensely. After playing through it all previously, it would occasionally call us back for a quick run due to how relaxing it is but we’ve been gone for a while now due to all the new games we’ve had to get through. Admittedly, with how 2020 has panned out - playing this has really made us wish we got back into it earlier in the pandemic for how much it chills you out.

As before, you get to take your character mountain biking down various trails ranging from fairly peaceful to particularly challenging, all throughout Eldfjall Island. The island feels to be a good bit bigger than the previous locations, and with the variety through the different areas of the mountain, ranging from green, grassy areas to areas of volcanic ash and lava, there’s a lot to see.

Whilst it doesn’t seem to be on the “Optimised for Xbox Series X|S” list, LDM looks absolutely stunning on Series X, as it did back when we played it on Xbox One X a year ago. Different weather effects, including raging storms with fantastic lighting and atmosphere really add to the experience. Pouring rain looks and sounds oddly relaxing, like sitting in your warm bed listening to rain against the window, similar in that you’re playing this from the warmth and comfort of your own home, rather than speeding down a volcanic mountain. The lighting from the thunderstorms is spookily beautiful, but just as impressive is the lighting from the lava - casting a warm glow around. And yes, Allan succumbed to the lava after declaring that it just looked so inviting… A lack of music would typically be seen as quite an odd thing, but here it just works so well. The atmospheric nature-sounds work well with the game, and the peaceful act of gliding down the trails is emphasised by this - despite the death-defying speeds you reach.

Controls feel just as good as before, and you never feel unfairly punished for missing a jump. Exploring for hidden areas with secret views is rewarding, and stumbling upon these whilst looking for shortcuts never fails to surprise. It’s a lot of fun to play, and cycling down the trails at full pelt just feels so good, particularly after pulling off a successful drift round a tight corner or a big jump. New unlockable gear and other customisation options are available as part of this DLC, which adds some other collectibility to the title.

I’m so glad that Lonely Mountains: Downhill is still receiving the support it is, and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for the future, as it’s such a relaxing game to play (even when you die a few times in a row!) that I think I’ll definitely be keeping this one in the rotation. As well as the new Island, Daily Rides have also been implemented - adding another thing to keep you coming back for more. Figuring out a route down these treacherous trails is a whole new challenge, with trees blocking the path and new shortcuts waiting to be sought out. And with an Online Leaderboard showing you your ranking, it has brought out a lot of the competitiveness in us both, getting us to keep trying again and again to boost our scores.

Priced at £5.49 on Xbox, with a slight discount (bringing it to £4.94) if you’re a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber - it’s a fantastic price for a well developed and filled expansion. And with the base game being free for GPU subscribers, it’s the perfect time to try it out.

In the end, we decided to give Lonely Mountains: Downhill - Eldfjall Island DLC the Collecting Asylum rating of 10/10.

Have you played the Eldfjall Island DLC yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!

- V x

Thank you to Thunderful Publishing for the Lonely Mountains: Downhill - Eldfjall Island DLC Xbox review code!