Moto X3M

Summary

If you’re as old as us, you’ll know that Moto X3M is one of the true OGs in the browser game world. Despite being over ten years old now, it still feels super smooth – just look past the somewhat basic-looking old-school 2D graphics!

Across 50 super varied levels (up from the original 22 following several updates) you’ll need to balance speed, angle, and timing to survive giant ramps, spikes, spinning saws, unpredictable moving sections, and traps that’ll suddenly appear out of nowhere.

If you reach the finish (even with no stars), you’ll unlock the next level, while faster times can earn up to three stars, which you’ll put towards unlocking five more bikes. You’re rewarded with deducted time for clean flips, and a series of checkpoints make the (inevitable) crashes less punishing.

It might look simple, but you’ll soon realize it’s anything but. After the opening levels, I was grateful just to progress to the next one (after about 50 retries), even though I didn’t earn any stars. I still couldn’t resist hitting next and giving the next one a shot (repeatedly). You might be far more talented at it than I am, though!

Features

• Release date – May 13, 2015
• Difficulty – Intermediate/Advanced
• Levels/environments – 50 levels
• Number of vehicles – 6
• Vehicle customization/upgrades – No
• Multiplayer – No
• Mobile – Yes
• Developer – MadPuffers

Physics

You’ll likely be surprised by how polished the Moto X3M physics feel for a 2015 game. The bikes are super responsive, and the weight and suspension feel predictable and refined.

Unlike a lot of modern browser game offerings which often feel a little thrown together, you aren’t likely to run into any bugs here. It kinda feels like an old Nintendo or arcade game, where the team clearly cared about getting things right.

Graphics

It has a slightly blurry, unflashy 2D look, and a pretty square ratio, but it just adds to the honest old browser-game feel.

It isn’t technically impressive as the modern trial bike alternatives, but you’ll soon realize your eyes are more focused on spotting the next blades rather than admiring the scenery (although the beach does look pretty tempting).

The scenery soon swaps out the sunbathing for spooky areas, flame-lit underground canyons, and other funky themes. Familiar scenery doesn’t mean a recycled course, so don’t get fooled into thinking you’ll know what’s coming next.

Loved a specific location? The team created a specific game dedicated to each one. Moto X3M Pool Party builds a full summer water-park run around the clear blue skies and beach vibe, while Moto X3M Spooky Land fills its Halloween-style courses with bone ramps, pumpkins, ghouls, and flying daggers.

For something new that you won’t get to see or experience in this one, Moto X3M 4 Winter introduces chilly, snowy backdrops with fresh obstacles.

Controls

PC/laptop/Chromebook

• W/Up arrow – Accelerate
• S/Down arrow – Brake
• A/Left arrow – Lean backward/backflip
• D/Right arrow – Lean forward/frontflip
• Space – Return to the last checkpoint after a crash
• R – Restart the level from the beginning

Mobile (iOS/Android)

• On-screen accelerate button – Accelerate
• On-screen brake button – Brake
• On-screen rotate-left button – Lean backward/backflip
• On-screen rotate-right button – Lean forward/frontflip
• On-screen pause/restart buttons

Our mobile games section has plenty more games built for touchscreens, including many of our popular drifting games, if you fancy a break from the two-wheeled action (or frustration..).

How to Play Moto X3M

Initial Setup

You begin with the generic free red motorcycle and a rider dressed to match. The bike icon at the top right of the main menu opens the Bike Shop, where five more bike-and-rider pairings wait behind star totals that you’ll eventually get to unlock.

The level menu is just as straightforward. Pick an open stage (only 1 will be unlocked for now) and head straight into the action!

Getting Started

The simple controls are shown on-screen at the start. Your job is to reach the finish as quickly as possible without wrecking your bike (or smashing your rider’s head), which you’ll soon learn is easier said than done.

Completing each level opens the next one even if you get zero stars. Up to three stars are on offer, but you’ll only get to see what the time goals were when you finish.

If you’re wanting to collect stars for new bikes, you can learn the course, see what time you need, and then decide whether you’re close enough to be in with a chance. Finishing a fraction outside the target can be frustrating, especially when you know the next attempt needs to be nearly perfect. (Which will likely be the case.)

Each completed (single) frontflip or backflip removes 0.5 seconds from your final time. Land two flips and you save a full second (and so on). It’s a small bonus, but helpful when you’re just outside the next star threshold. However, blindly spinning over every jump is a perfect way to discover a spike with your face before you know it. Consider finishing and learning the course first, then add the flips where you know there’s enough clearance to do so confidently.

When you see a road sign, don’t try to outsmart it. An exclamation mark means some kind of craziness is about to happen, and the STOP signs usually means you really do need to stop. Don’t try to be clever and blast straight through them, or it’ll usually end in failure.

Crashes send you back to the last checkpoint after you press Space, but it’ll set you back if you’re aiming for a specific time goal. If you’d prefer, R (restart) starts a clean attempt from the beginning. Some of the difficult obstacles took me about 15 goes before I succeeded (with a sigh of relief!), so the checkpoints will likely get plenty of use. Unless you’re better than I am, of course!

For an even crazier experience than this, Vex X3M 2 is the most recent follow-up in a collaboration between the legendary Vex and X3M series’. It carries the same fundamentals but with 60 levels, teleporting, fans, gliders, lasers, and Hardcore variants that make things keyboard-smashingly hard. We’ve also got plenty more stunts & crash games if you want more epic jumps and challenges.

Fancy a bigger puzzle-based challenge? Drive Mad uses 100 physics-based levels, where you’ll need to get a different (often bonkers) vehicle to the finish each time without crashing.

Game Modes

You’ve just got the 50-level career-style mode on offer in Moto X3M. Clear the level to open the next one, or replay it to improve your time and collect missing stars. Unfortunately, there’s no multiplayer game modes or anything.

Fancy a motorbike game with more to do? Moto Road Rash 3D 2 switches things up with first-person highway riding, upgrades, and more than 100 missions involving timed runs, rival races, and police escapes.

Traffic Road is another similar option that has become the most popular motorcycle game at Drifted, offering the chance to weave through fast-moving traffic across two islands, while its Career, Endless, and Free Ride modes and 30-bike garage provides more to do.

Bike Shop

The Bike Shop offers six motorcycles, each with its own unique rider. You won’t need to spend your stars to unlock bikes, they remain in your total, and the next bike unlocks automatically when you reach 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50. Simply open the shop and press “equip” to use one you’ve earned.

• Starter bike – A free red moto-style bike with a matching rider.
• 10 stars – A brown road tourer with a rear storage box (certainly not your typical trials bike) and a bandana-wearing rider who looks ready for a long trip.
• 20 stars – A superbike with a ninja-like rider.
• 30 stars – A stunt bike and rider with an Evel Knievel-style look.
• 40 stars – A death-bike-looking machine with a flaming-skull rider.

• 50 stars – A futuristic bike with a funky robot rider.

There’s no definitive stats, but the unlocked bikes feel quicker, less bouncy, and more planted to me than the starter. Its worth revisiting early stages for a second shot where the free bike didn’t cut it initially.

There’s no upgrades or customization in Moto X3M. Stunt Bike Extreme is the best modern alternative with the same crazy ramps, flips, explosions, and hazards. You get bike upgrades, rider customization, and tournament races across a bonkers 270 stages. Our motorcycle games section also offers many more trials games, wheelie challenges, highway traffic, circuit racers.

Advanced Tips & Tricks

Practice the landings before throwing in a flip

Ride through the jumps without spinning on your first attempt and keep your eye out for potential issues. Once you know what’s safe, you can try adding a front or backflip for the half-second bonus. A double flip cuts off a full second, but only after you land cleanly.

Don’t ignore the warning signs

Ease off the gas and prepare to stop when an exclamation mark or STOP sign appears. You’ll soon see why you’d been warned!

Build up your speed and angle before the harder jumps

When you’re struggling to clear the more technical jumps. A longer run-up may solve it, but sometimes you need to lift off the gas slightly before takeoff to provide enough angle to clear the obstacle.

A wheelie can also help increase the run-up, but you might want to consider getting back to both wheels for the pump.

Use the checkpoints to learn and full restarts for star chasing

You can press Space as many times as you need to simply get through the hardest parts of the level. Then, once you know what’s coming, press R and put the route together from the start. Several checkpoint retries can rescue a finish (and next level unlock), but you’re unlikely to bag a three-star time.

Sweep the earlier levels for missing stars

Later three-star times will demand an almost perfect run. When you’re close to unlocking the next bike, try revisiting the early courses where you’ve got a better chance to collect the easier stars you left behind.

Once you’ve got a fresh (and improved) ride, you might even be able to go back to the harder levels and capture even more stars.

Moto X3M FAQ