I used to have a BMX back in the 80s. Fell off it a few times and got several cuts and bruises along the way, we didn’t bother with safety gear back then. Even though I sustained quite a lot of BMX related injuries back in the day, that still was more fun than playing Legends BMX from Saga Legends Games and Firenut Games.

“Pure Flow and Adrenaline! LEGENDS BMX is an energetic and exhilarating game made for extreme sports enthusiasts! Ride your BMX through a variety of parks and scenarios designed to let you pull off incredible tricks.”

Honestly, I don’t have a great deal to write about Legends BMX because, there’s not very much game here. From the trailer, I was expecting Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater but on a BMX. Some Matt Hoffman’s Pro BMX or Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, I guess. Instead, I got something that feels like a demo for an unfinished game. What you get here is some very basic arenas to play in and a selection of tricks to perform. You get 50 seconds to pull off these tricks to earn points, points lead to unlocking new content… of which there is very little.

There are four different arenas. I write “different” there, but all four are very samey and restrictive. There’s a selection of riders to unlock and bikes to ride. However, there are no skills or stats. All of the riders and all of the bikes play exactly the same, rendering the unlocking of them utterly pointless. You can play this game for two minutes and see all that is has to offer. I unlocked all four areas in around 20 minutes, and as the riders and bikes offer no differences, there’s no point in putting the time in the unlock them. There is no story mode, no career mode, no little side-missions or special level goals. You just get 50 seconds to preform some tricks in a small arena, that’s it.

The controls themselves are quite responsive, but they feel wrong at the same time. You know how certain game genres have controls that you know without even knowing? You look at a FPS and you know what the left and right stick will do without even having to play it. You know that the right trigger will be the fire button and you can accurately guess at the jump and duck buttons. With Legends BMX, one of the tricks you can do is grind. Guess which button you press to do it… nope, it’s not the one you instinctively think it is. This is what I mean about the controls feeling wrong. We have controls for these types of games hard-coded into our subconscious, it’s a gamer’s natural instinct from years of conditioning. Yet, Legends BMX decides to throw that out of the window. This is no Tony Hawk’s on a BMX, not even close.

Now, you may think that comparing a small indie title to the all-time fan favourite that is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is a bit unfair. I admit that I too felt exactly that myself… until I found this interview with the devs where they are very clear on the main influence and inspiration for Legends BMX.

“We grew up grinding rails in Tony Hawk’s, then trying to copy the moves at the local park,” laughs Carlos, gameplay programmer and amateur BMX rider. The team’s mission was clear from the start: bring that same mix of fun, freedom, and creativity to BMX, with controls that reward experimentation and a vibe that welcomes everyone.”

Yet, despite the love for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and that team mission to “bring that same mix of fun, freedom, and creativity to BMX”, they have failed massively. There’s very little fun, there’s zero freedom, and the creativity is microscopic. Priced around £9 and available for PC and all the consoles. Even with this low-budget price, I can’t recommend Legends BMX because it plays like a demo that you would normally get for free. There’s very little game here, very little content. You get 50 seconds to do some tricks with controls that feel counterintuitive, in small arenas with new characters and bikes that play exactly the same. I don’t know of there is a demo for this but if there is, just play that because you’ll get the exact same experience and life as from the full game.