I have only ever had two experiences of surfing. The first time I hit the waves I didn’t wear a wetsuit and I got sunburnt in every possible way. The second time a five-year-old laughed at me, as I kept falling off when trying to stand on the board. It’s safe to say that I haven’t been seen with a board since.
So it is with great trauma that I have had the chance to expel my demons with Barton Lynch Pro Surfing, all in hope of proving myself on the virtual ocean. There aren’t too many surfing games on the Xbox, but – without spoiling the review – I can safely say this is probably the best. But is it a bit too niche?
Surfing has been popular since the 1950’s and what once was an individual test of man versus the ocean has turned into a huge event and lifestyle. In the gaming world it hasn’t set the world alight, usually added in to a larger experience in the form of a mini-game or a side hustle, but Barton Lynch Pro Surfing hopes to undo that, providing a simulation of the sport rather than an arcade surfing experience and world tour.
The game starts by allowing you to choose a real-life pro to go on a journey with. Alternatively, you can make someone up from scratch. If you choose the latter the journey is a bit tougher as you don’t start with the gear and equipment that the pro brings. And thankfully Barton Lynch Pro Surfing provides you with a tutorial – it’s a must-do as you won’t get far without it. Helpfully, you’re given a cash reward for partaking in it.
The tutorial takes you through the mechanics of the game. It teaches you how to paddle up to a wave, when to nail the right moment and to stand up on your board. Then when you are on, you’ll be left to ride a wave before it breaks. Soon you will find yourself playing around with jumps, picking up speed, nailing tricks and then the ultimate, riding through the tube of the wave. There’s also some jetski riding to take in; a bit odd but handy.
Frankly, Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is complex, but challenging in the right way. And when it starts to click it does feel good riding the perfect wave.
Once you feel happy with the skill set you have obtained, you can move on to the main event – the career world tour. Here you find yourself heading to the most famous surfing spots in the land, from Spain to Japan. And when you get there you are thrown into a sort of tournament with other AI pro surfers, competing in comps. As you would expect to hear, the idea is to grab a score to beat all others, pulling off highlighted things and attempting to not get eliminated. There are also other elements to the world tour too; organising schedules, managing your fatigue, repairing broken boards and buying new equipment.
If you get bored with that, Barton Lynch Pro Surfing also provides a challenge mode or free mode, letting you hang out on the beaches of your choosing. Personally, I enjoyed the novelty of some virtual surfing and the career mode is a definite highlight. And what makes it all the better is that the small development team behind it obviously knows their sport, taking it very seriously, ensuring that wind and water temperatures affect the surfing fun.
However, the visuals are not a strong point. I liked the water and the wave mechanics, which is obviously an important part of the game, but the locations you get to surf feel like something from a few generations back, especially in terms of texture and emptiness. The character models aren’t the best either, feeling a bit lifeless. But the menus are great and Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is certainly well presented with some real-world footage thrown in. Accompanying all that is some basic voice work, kicking around alongside a soundtrack that is brilliant. It’s a perfect selection of tunes that fit the sport and is well worth a listen away from the game.
I’ve found myself enjoying taking in a game and sport that I knew very little about. Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is complex, but it comes with a user-friendly surf mechanic that means that when you get it right and ride the perfect wave, a thrill can be had. The career is good and gives an insight into some of the most favourite of surfing spots around the world, as well as a dive into the lifestyle of a pro. But the visuals are a bit disappointing, even if the soundtrack goes some way to lift it back up again.
Whether it has long term appeal is up for debate, but Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is quite probably the best surfing game money can currently buy.
