Last Updated on Aug 21, 2025 @ 20:50:48 PM.
The long-awaited revival of rhythm-action games has finally come with the arrival of Fresh Tracks, a brand-new game from Buffalo Buffalo that puts players on a set of skis as they traverse a world covered in an endless blanket of snow. They also meet numerous gods who help them on their journey to save the world from this never-ending snowstorm.
Recently, I got the opportunity to try Fresh Tracks in its entirety, as in the past, I have played demos and a preview of the game, but now I have had the pleasure to try the game out fully, and I am excited to share my opinions on Fresh Tracks.
However, let’s be more accurate with the genre that Fresh Track falls into, and that is a fast-paced rhythm-roguelite game that is set within a fantasy world that allows players to choose between different paths and songs as they choose different upgrades, acquire power-ups, and much more.
Fresh Tracks Breaths Fresh Air Into Rhythm-Based Games
For a very long time, rhythm-action games have been very few and far between, with the most notable games in this genre being games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but now Fresh Tracks is attempting to revive this genre, and it is safe to say it is doing it in a very interesting way.
One of the most important parts of a rhythm-action game is the music that the player is playing to, and Fresh Tracks has managed to gather a large collection of incredibly catchy songs that stay with you for a long time after playing.
Throughout Fresh Tracks, there are numerous songs that the player can enjoy, each with their own specific levels, both in world design and rhythm-action gameplay. When it came to creating a challenging rhythm-roguelite game, Fresh Tracks relied on a lot of different game mechanics to help it stand out, and for me, it managed to do that.
Whether it be switching between different lanes to avoid obstacles, using a magical sword to break obstacles in your path, jumping over obstacles that intend to trip you up, or even fighting enemies that block your way, there were plenty of mechanics on show within Fresh Tracks that kept me interested and engaged. Still, it wasn’t always a perfect experience.
As stated above, since I had tried Fresh Tracks in the past, I felt a challenge was needed for me, and I encouraged myself to go on a harder difficulty. For a while, this wasn’t a big challenge, and I did enjoy it for a long time, as each song has various difficulties, and while playing through the story, there is no telling what version of the song you will get.
After playing through various songs on various difficulties, from easy to medium to hard, one song came up that was “Experts only,” and I accepted that challenge. It is safe to say, I was humbled very quickly. However, this is part of the appeal of a game like this because if it didn’t have challenges, it would be boring, so I thoroughly enjoyed being thrashed by this difficulty as it gave me something to aspire to as I progressed through the game and earned new rewards that improved my skills.
The Characters You Meet Along the Way are Unique in so Many Ways
Throughout your journey on Fresh Tracks, you will meet a few different characters along the way, each fully voiced and with their own stories to tell. During my time with Fresh Tracks, I spent a large amount of time with each of the different gods that you could meet throughout the journey, as they weren’t just narrators to the tale you were telling, but also provided unique buffs that helped me pass through certain challenges.
What encouraged me to play with each god was the fact that each god had their own unique spin on the different boss levels that you came across throughout Fresh Tracks. This meant that I was able to have a completely new experience each time I went through the game, perfectly embodying the roguelite genre.
Along with having their own spins on the different boss levels that you come across, each of these gods was unique in their own way, as each god embodied something different and had beautiful designs that made them stand out within the game’s world. This was even more emphasized by the incredible voice acting done by the different voice actors who appear within Fresh Tracks.
However, these gods aren’t just voices guiding you through the journey; they each provided me with buffs that made fighting through the snowstorm a breeze. Whether it be providing me with extra hearts or allowing me a second chance at a challenging song, they each provided me with plenty of options to attempt to clear each stage in any way I chose, while also adding their own challenges as they told harder and harder stories for me to conquer.
Fresh Tracks’ World is Incredibly Detailed and Wonderfully Creative
Finally, let’s talk about the world of Fresh Tracks. For me, the world of Fresh Tracks is a rather unique and incredible world, as the developers easily could have chosen to just allow the player to ski through basic scenes with barely any detail, but Buffalo Buffalo really outdid themselves as they created beautiful and detailed scenes for players to fly by.
When it comes to each song that the player chooses, they are all accompanied by a different location that the player can witness, which helps to tell the story that this song is telling. Whether it was travelling through a forest full of trees that light up in the dark or traversing a small path with flowing blocks travelling towards you, there was plenty to see and experience within Fresh Tracks.
The only sad thing about this is that these beautiful locations fly by so fast that you cannot savor them. This is because you are too busy attempting to survive the threats that are flying towards your face at rapid speeds; you cannot take a moment to look around and witness the beautiful locations that are literally flying past your face.
On countless occasions, I found myself too busy looking at all the details and interesting locations that I found myself heading straight for an obstacle, as I was so distracted by the amazing world around me that I forgot I needed to focus on the obstacles heading towards me.
My Overall Opinion on Fresh Tracks
Overall, I found Fresh Tracks to be a fresh change of pace from just a generic roguelite game or a generic rhythm-based game, as it combined these two genres together to create a new and exciting genre for players to enjoy.
Whether it be the unique gameplay mechanics that kept me on my toes, the beautiful soundtrack, or the unique characters and world the game is set in, I was constantly surprised by the next step on my journey within Fresh Tracks as it kept dragging me back for more.
Fresh Tracks
Summary
In my opinion, Fresh Tracks is a unique and fun game full of amazing songs, unique mechanics, and complicated challenges that make it a fun game to play while also providing all kinds of replayability.
The characters and world of Fresh Tracks are incredibly detailed, with plenty of unique and colorful scenes that players can easily get lost in if they aren’t too busy trying to survive the constant onslaught of obstacles.
HOURS PLAYED: 8
PLAYED ON: PS5
- Plenty of songs to enjoy, each with their own unique locations and challenges.
- The world is beautiful and full of detail and mesmerizing moments.
- Characters are fleshed out and interesting, as well as being vital to gameplay mechanics.
- The world can easily be missed due to the speed of the game.
Fresh Tracks is currently set to release on August 26th on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.
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I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.
