A Ride into the Mountains

A Ride into the Mountains is a 2D action game controlling Zu riding horseback through a rural environment. His family has protected a relic on the mountains for ages to prevent evil from corrupting it. When a meteor strikes the relic loses its luster and Zu takes a bow and his horse to solve what has happened. While riding on his horse Zu has to use his bow to defeat enemies. On mobile devices aiming is done through swiping and releasing. It determines the direction of the arrow and the longer the swipe is held, the more powerful the shot. Tilting the device is used to move Zu and his horse on the screen to avoid incoming shots. Arrows can also be used to block them. There are often more powerful opponents that take multiple shots. For those enemies the remaining health is shown on the screen. Zu can also charge a bar near the top of the screen. He then needs to draw his bow and the screen needs to be tapped with the other hand to enable focus. This slows down the action and allows Zu to aim more precisely and this technique is often needed to get past past enemies' defenses instead of shooting blindly.

There are two types of gameplay. One is shown from a side-scrolling side-view on a flat surface or going up or down a mountain, and the other one from a top-down view. An indicator in the bottom right corner shows the progress through the level. Zu's remaining lives are shown in the top left corner. Between levels short cut-scenes are shown. The game has a contemplative tone, soft colours and ambient music.