Fresh Tracks VR Review: A Killer Soundtrack Can’t Always Keep It on Beat

Developer/Publisher: Buffalo Buffalo
Platform: PC VR
Release date: September 10, 2026

Steam Link

There is no shortage of rhythm games in virtual reality, but there is certainly nothing else quite like Fresh Tracks VR. Developer Buffalo Buffalo’s strange and ambitious combination of downhill skiing, sword combat, Nordic mythology, and a genre-spanning soundtrack sounds like someone threw Subway Surfers and Beat Saber into a blender—and somehow, it mostly works.

As someone who has spent considerable time with action-focused VR rhythm games like Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, and Ragnarock, I was impressed by how quickly Fresh Tracks VR establishes an identity of its own. Its music is easily its greatest strength, its combat can be immensely satisfying, and its short bursts of mythology-infused storytelling give the campaign more personality than the average score-chasing rhythm game.

Unfortunately, the same movement system that distinguishes Fresh Tracks VR is also what most often knocks it off balance.

Skiing Through the Songs of Norwyn

Fresh Tracks VR places players on skis as Skaii, a hero traveling across the frozen Nordic-inspired realm of Norwyn. The goal is to reunite its fractured pantheon of Mythics and confront Mar, the Queen of Terror. That journey unfolds through a series of Story-Songs, with players choosing branching trails of varying difficulties before skiing into the next musical encounter.

Moment to moment, the game asks you to change lanes, jump, crouch, lean, dodge obstacles, and slash or deflect attacks with a sword—all in time with the music. A visible metronome offers a helpful reference point, and the actions generally feel well synchronized with the beat. The right hand handles the sword while much of the directional movement is assigned to the left joystick.

When everything clicks, it is fantastic. The game is at its best when a level finds the right balance between movement and combat, allowing you to fall into a flow state as you cut through enemies, reflect projectiles, and clear obstacles without missing a beat. Completing an intense combat sequence perfectly delivers exactly the kind of physical, instinctive rush that makes VR rhythm games so addictive.

That sensation does not arrive immediately. I failed several early attempts before the various actions began to feel natural, and it took roughly two hours before managing several mechanics at once became consistently comfortable. Practice is part of any rhythm game, but Fresh Tracks VR sometimes makes that learning process harder than it needs to be.

Awkward Movement Breaks the Flow

The biggest problem is lane movement. Manually shifting between lanes with the joystick feels less natural in VR than physically stepping left or right, particularly for players accustomed to Beat Saber. The controls become especially awkward when the game asks you to switch lanes while jumping, ducking, leaning, and preparing a sword strike in quick succession.

The motion-control alternatives did not always feel responsive enough for the speed of those combinations, either. Rather than creating a satisfying physical challenge, complicated sequences could become confusing and disorienting. Once I fell out of rhythm, recovering was difficult; a single missed movement could quickly snowball into several more.

The difficulty curve compounds the problem. The easier Blue Square trails could feel overly forgiving, but moving up to a Black Diamond produced a dramatic spike rather than a natural next step. The harder routes become manageable with practice, but the game could use a more comfortable bridge between its lower and upper difficulties.

Players who experience motion sickness in VR should also approach with caution. Unlike Beat Saber, where the environment comes toward a mostly stationary player, Fresh Tracks VR creates a pronounced sense of traveling forward down a slope. That locomotion makes the skiing fantasy more convincing, but it may be significantly more uncomfortable for motion-sensitive players.

The Soundtrack Steals the Show

The original 28-track soundtrack is the reason to keep putting the headset back on. It moves confidently through pop, rap, orchestral music, tribal-inspired arrangements, and thundering Nordic metal, with each Mythic bringing a different musical identity to the journey.

Sogvar, the God of Metal, quickly became my preferred companion. The first metal Story-Song was the moment Fresh Tracks VR completely sold me on its premise, and I ultimately completed the campaign with Sogvar as my patron. The heavier tracks fit the swordplay especially well, turning successful combat chains into some of the game’s most memorable sequences.

The other styles are far from filler. Pop-focused songs carry an infectious theatrical energy, while later environments use glowing, almost neon-painted imagery to complement their musical shifts. The soundtrack is strong enough to stand on its own outside the game, but its ability to shape the personality and pace of each trail makes it even better in motion.

Repetition does eventually take a toll. Failing means returning to previously completed portions of the Journey, and hearing the same song repeatedly can become tiring. Branching paths help by letting players select different music during another attempt, while additional songs continue to unlock over time. Still, the roguelite structure occasionally works against a soundtrack that otherwise thrives on surprise.

A Short Story Worth Replaying

The narrative is light but effective. Each Mythic narrates portions of Skaii’s journey, revealing Norwyn’s history without forcing the player through lengthy interruptions. The performances add character to the tracks, and the banter between the gods—including revelations about Sogvar and Mar’s past relationship—makes them more than glorified gameplay modifiers.

Your chosen Mythic and equipment can meaningfully alter the tone of a run. Different swords affect how you approach combat, while each god brings a distinct musical style and changes portions of the campaign. Boss areas also evolve on subsequent visits and vary depending on the patron accompanying you. Completing the journey with every Mythic unlocks more difficult versions of their stages, offering a reason for dedicated players to return.

The permanent progression is less substantial. Skis account for most of the upgrades that persist between runs, so failure does not always produce the same sense of tangible advancement found in deeper roguelites. Individual Journeys can consequently feel similar until the patron, route, or equipment changes.

The campaign is relatively brief, but the length suits the format. A determined player should be able to see its major content in approximately five hours, with additional tracks, routes, difficulties, and patron-specific variations extending its life. The finale provides a fitting payoff by combining multiple musical styles into one climactic medley.

Performance Occasionally Hits a Rough Patch

Most of the experience ran well, but Mar’s castle exposed some technical and visual problems. During its busiest sequences, overlapping ghosts, gates, bushes, and effects began to wash together, making upcoming obstacles harder to distinguish. That visual overload was accompanied by some noticeable slowdown.

These issues were limited rather than constant, but clarity is crucial in a rhythm game. When success depends on identifying and responding to several cues in seconds, even a brief performance drop or muddied visual can turn an otherwise fair failure into a frustrating one.

Fresh Tracks VR Review Verdict

Fresh Tracks VR is an imaginative adaptation with a phenomenal soundtrack and a rhythm-combat system capable of producing exhilarating highs. When the track flows cleanly and every sword strike, deflection, and dodge lands on beat, Buffalo Buffalo’s unusual experiment makes perfect sense.

Its skiing mechanics are also its greatest liability. Unnatural lane changes, an uneven jump between difficulty levels, occasional visual overload, and potentially uncomfortable forward movement prevent the game from sustaining that flow consistently.

Experienced VR rhythm players looking for something genuinely different should consider jumping in, especially if its soundtrack speaks to them. Newcomers—or anyone particularly sensitive to artificial locomotion—may be better served waiting for a sale or trying a demo first. There is a very good rhythm game buried in this snow. It just needs smoother footwork.

Score: 6.5/10

A Fresh Tracks VR review key was provided by the publisher. This review was written after completing one full campaign Journey and sampling its alternate routes and difficulties