Stand on a paddleboard and ride a winding river for 1200 m. Balance: the board wobbles, so lean your body the opposite way to its tilt (watch the bar in front of you). Paddle for real: swing the controllers down and back through the water like a paddle (a stroke on the left turns you right, and vice versa). The river has a gentle current, but only your strokes make you fast. Moving boats leave spreading wakes that rock your board. Dodge obstacles and duck under low branches and bridges: crouch, or squeeze a grip. A bump slows and rocks you.
Get back on is the default mode: unlimited splashes, no lives. After falling or a crocodile bite, pull a VR trigger, press Space / Enter, or click Get back on to remount at the same distance. Choose Three lives for the challenge mode.
Settings: Wild river (rapids, rocks, crocodiles), English river (canal boats, willows, low bridges, swans) or American lake (speedboat wakes, buoys, piers). Traffic can swap the boats and crocodiles for other paddleboarders. In VR, change them from the Y menu.
VR: choose a single or double blade and adjust its length below or in the menu. Hold both controllers along the shaft; for a single blade, your higher hand holds the grip. Put the blade in the water and pull back to paddle. Left stick = steer, lean with your body, Y = menu. In the menu, point and pull the trigger, or move either stick up/down and press X / A. X = recenter, B = view tilt. Desktop: drag to look, arrow keys paddle (left / right side strokes, down = back-paddle, W = both sides) and hold Up to duck (C also works), Q/E steer, A/D lean, R restart, V view tilt.
Lean sensitivity: Low allows more movement; High makes it easier to fall. X recenters your neutral position. Changing the setting, traffic or obstacle density restarts the run.
English narrowboats fit under the bridges with a small clearance. Duck under low bridges: hitting one while standing knocks you into the water.
Leave room to lean and keep your headset boundary on. Stay seated if you prefer: lean with your body, and use the grip to duck. View tilt can be turned down or off.