Slide Stars is a strange, yet brilliant, concept for a game. It’s a water-slide game where you play as 20 different online influencers. I’m not kidding. This is real. Imagine if a video game company approached me and said, “We’d like to put you in our game!” From a marketing and public relations perspective, it’s smart because, presumably, these influencers, none of whom I’ve ever heard of, will promote this game on their respective platforms — getting it in front of what I assume is a large audience. On the other hand, this transparent and unabashed sales strategy might turn off everyone other than the followers of these influencers. So, is this game any good? Read on for my thoughts.

I love waterparks! They’re a lot of fun. The water, the slides, the great weather — what’s not to like? I prefer them to traditional amusement parks because I feel safer on a slide than I do on a rollercoaster that goes upside down. I still get the exhilarating feeling without potentially being decapitated. It’s a win-win! With this in mind, I was excited to see what Slide Stars has to offer because it’s built entirely around water slides.

When it comes to visuals and audio, the game is very pleasing. There are bright colors, chipper music, and a helpful on-screen tutorial that allowed me to quickly become acquainted with the controls.

The level design is inventive, especially as the game progresses. And you earn hearts — as if your social media followers are liking what you do as one of the 20 influencers — for performing tricks. As my wife said, “It’s like a Black Mirror episode.” I appreciate the thought that went into the social influencer element of the game. However, losing hearts doesn’t mean you die. As far as I can tell, your character always comes back, even if you keep failing repeatedly — which I did because the imprecise physics and unforgiving nature of Slide Stars is frustrating.

Slide Stars surprised me on multiple levels. First, I didn’t read the game’s description before playing it. After viewing the in-game bios for the characters, which feature real-life social media handles for the online influencers these characters are based on, I was blown away by this revelation. I can’t think of another game that has ever done this. Sports games don’t count because athletes are legitimately famous. I was also delighted by the fact that despite this being a ploy to garner more sales, it’s a decent game. It’s not great, but it’s good. It retails for $40, so you have to decide if you’re willing to pay that much for what Slide Stars is: a fun pick-up-and-play water slide game featuring real-life social media influencers, as well as a wonky physics system that results in a lot of trial and error.

Below is a full description of Slide Stars:

Play with the world’s biggest stars and blast through crazy water slides!

Are you ready for the world’s most extreme water slide adventure? Play as Brent Rivera, Holly H, Doctor Mike or one of the other 20 world-famous influencers and blast into an adventure of a lifetime! Choose your favorite star, jump onto the ride of your choice and race head-first down some of the most crazy water slides!

Slide, jump and balance your way through insane tracks packed with race-platforming dangers and extraordinary enemies. Overcome insane challenges like rolling boulders, wobbly constructions, banana bomb throwing monkeys, and even a colossal kraken! Nothing goes too far for these stars!

Will you make it to the finish line?

FEATURES:
★ Play as Brent Rivera, Demi Rose, Ben Azelart or one of the other international super stars!
★ Slide, jump and balance to beat the most exciting and dangerous water challenges!
★ Make sliding even more fun by doing it together in 2 player local multiplayer!
★ Unlock 20 super bizarre rides, ranging from a shark, unicorn and llama to even a mech and a dragon: each with its own pros and cons!
★ Perform crazy stunts and get some airtime to increase your score!
★ Easy to pick up and play, yet exciting to master. Will you set a new record?
★ Challenge yourself by completing each level in multiple ways, unlock hidden tracks and earn special medals!

LIST OF STARS:
★ Alan Stokes
★ Alex Stokes
★ Amusementforce Greg
★ Amusementforce Kes
★ ApoRed
★ Ben Azelart
★ Brent Rivera
★ Demi Rose
★ Doctor Mike
★ Enji Night
★ Enya Wandres
★ Holly H
★ Jeff Seid
★ Kat Wonders
★ Luciano Spinelli
★ Lexi Rivera
★ Milan Knol
★ Prof. Dr. Freek Vonk
★ Sveta Bilyalova
★ Veronica Bielik