Descenders is pretty hard, right? I enjoy it, but I'm not overly enamored with the "run-based" format, especially since there's so little progression. It's fun to play, but I think the opening practice area is proof enough that anything that's not riding downhill really fast just isn't quite as fun.
I mean I think the name is a giveaway where the game's focus lies :p
I think it does an incredible job at that focus as well, I haven't been this hooked on a gameplay loop in awhile, just unlocked the Alpine shortcut today. The physics model is just so satisfying when you pull off several big jumps and stunts in a row.
I also just discovered how to use the seed system for generating tracks, there's some absolutely insane ones people have shared on the Steam forums, some that are so crazy it seems the game engine can't keep up as I had a couple crashes on some of them xD
The sense of speed and physics is what really sells this game for me, more than 10 hours in and I still get a rush from doing steep tracks. I'd love to see this studio make something comparable with a bigger budget for visuals, that's really the only underwhelming aspect.