Shred It! Ultimate is a wonderfully animated endless runner game for Windows 10. You tackle the mountain slopes on your snowboard, dodging obstacles, collecting Leafs and earning paper clips that can be used to unlock new gear and characters
The papercraft world is full of detail, from the paper cut-out trees to the paper lines that span the display. Shred It! has three game modes, fluid controls and plenty of paper snow to shred. The Windows 10 game is available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, as well as Xbox One. All in all, Shred It! Ultimate is a fantastic game to spend a little down time with.
Shred It! Ultimate launches to a modest primary menu that provides options to access the game's store, jump into gameplay and visit a sub-menu that contains settings, leaderboards, and achievements. The Store is where you can spend the paperclips you earn during gameplay to unlock new gear and characters.
The three game modes with Shred It! are progressively unlocked. You have an Endless Slope mode available from the start that is your typical endless runner style game. There is also a Checkpoint Challenge where you race against the clock to reach checkpoints along the course and a Chill Session that is more or less a free-play mode.
Game controls for the PC version can be handled through the keyboard (directional arrows). The Mobile version has you tapping the bottom right/left corners of the screen to move your snowboarder and gestures to jump or duck the snowboarder.
Either method offers fluid movement with your snowboarder as they race down the slopes. You move left or right to avoid dangers, as well as jump and duck other dangers. Weather conditions pop-up that can add to the difficulty of snowboarding and dangers can also transform spontaneously as you race downhill.
Most of the dangers come in the form of fallen trees, stumps and rocks. You also have ice patches, wayward forest creatures, crevices and more that come into play as you advance in the game. A slight graze against any of these items results in your snowboarder crashing. Periodically you come across bonus jumps where you try to pass through a floating ring for extra points and other bonuses appear on the course, such as golden acorns or feathers, that can be collected.
Leafs line the course and they need to be collected for points. The patterns of the Leafs offer a challenge of their own by creating a slalom course to master. The final score is a combination of distance and Leafs collected. The higher the score, the more paperclips you earn. Shred It! does include daily challenges (collect a number of Leafs, travel a set distance, perform stunts, etc.) that can also earn you a few paperclips.
While an enjoyable game, Shred It! does not appear to support touchscreen navigation with the PC version. This is a bit of a disappointment when playing from a touch tablet since you'll need to use a controller or keyboard to play the game. The keyboard controls are responsive, but it would be nice to play Shred It! from a tablet with the same control layout that you find with the Mobile version. Or in the least, an option to switch between keyboard and on-screen controls.
Overall, Shred It! is a fantastic time waster of a game. The visuals are full of detail and simply look great! Controls could use a little help on the touchscreen side for the PC version but what is in place works. There is a trial version available for the Mobile version, with the full version running $0.99. The PC and Xbox One versions lack a trial version and currently run at $9.99 apiece. Hopefully Shred It! will eventually become a universal game, requiring only one purchase for all three platforms.
Shred It! Ultimate is an entertaining, eye-catching Windows 10 game and a wonderful addition to the endless runner genre.
