Another week, another teaser trailer for Monster Jam Showdown. This time, it is all about freestyle, Monster Jam's most famous discipline.
Images: Milestone
The latest Monster Jam Showdown trailer is here, this time focusing on the Freestyle discipline monster trucks are arguably most popular for. It starts with eight seconds of the cinematic-style shots with Grave Digger doing a backflip and a few of the other trucks doing various freestyle tricks. But, unlike the previous trailer 'Just In Monster Jam', there is plenty of gameplay footage.
The Gameplay
The gameplay shows the UI and camera angles players will be using in Freestyle mode. They are not anything too spectacular, as the UI is fairly minimal with your score, time remaining in your run and your speed. It is good to see an arcade title like this with a minimal UI.'El Toro Loco' performing a 'Bicycle'.
El Toro Loco is shown doing a backflip to start, a fairly common trend in this trailer. It is the third one in 30 seconds. The truck then proceeds to do doughnuts which looks worryingly easy to boost your points tally with.
Grave Digger is shown crashing over a jump and then managing to save itself with a crazy horizontal sidewall spin. You may think this is unrealistic - but check out the video below of Son-Uva Digger doing the same thing back in 2022.
The rest of the gameplay in the trailer shows another truck, Megalodon, jumping and crashing through one of the fictional freestyle maps set in an Arctic stadium. Lo and behold, another flip comes at the end before the cinematics take over again to round the trailer out.
The voice behind the trailer details how there will be 'In-game aids' to make sure 'Everyone has a blast'.
Just before the trailer ends, the next trailer is hinted at and it looks to be themed around the 'Off-Road' mode. Time will tell if that goes down well with the Monster Jam fans.
'Dragon' during a Freestyle run.
Players will be able to experience the Freestyle in the regular and familiar stadiums inspired by the venues hosting official events and open-air arenas with distinctive styling. Stadiums will provide the atmosphere of the official competitions featuring ramps and crushed cars.
Three themed outdoor environments will transport players to extreme environments with stunning visuals reminiscent of Alaska's rugged terrain, Colorado's breathtaking landscapes, and the unforgiving land of Death Valley.
These new features are a welcome addition. Authentic freestyle recreations appear to be impossible, however, with the lack of licensed freestyle stadiums - at least none have been unveiled thus far.
Monster Jam Showdown will land on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on August 29, 2024, with Early Access available from August 26, 2024.
What do you think of the Freestyle Monster Jam Showdown trailer? Let us know over on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!