Back in 2014 before I went to attend The Restaurant School in Philadelphia, I bought myself a PlayStation Vita off of Craigslist with my sole purpose of playing a new skateboarding game created by a small indie developer titled OlliOlli. It was a simplistic game with relatively easy controls to learn (hard to master), but its premise was perfect. It was a two-dimensional side scroller that I needed in my gaming life to fill the void left in my heart after Tony Hawk and Skate went bye bye. The game speed was Sonic the Hedgehog fast, and its unique visuals left a lasting impression on me. Or, at least it made me go out of my way to buy a system.
OlliOlli World Review
Flash forward nearly eight years, and Roll7 is back now with OlliOlli World. In short, Roll7’s colorful skateboarding video game is impressive, so let’s talk about why in my review of OlliOlli World on the PlayStation 5.
What I Like
Becoming The Skate Wizard With Help From Your Friends
OlliOlli World has a story mode that feels right for the series. The story begins with you creating your character and choosing your deck, trucks, and wheels (more on that later), which is probably what you’ve come to expect in a skateboarding game. Shortly after you decide on your character’s appearance, you will be thrown into Radlandia — a Skatetopia with five unique locations, each equipped with exciting challenges, characters, checklists, and so much more.
These five areas are Sunshine Valley, Sketchside, Burnt Rock, Los Vulgas, and Cloverbrook.
Each level will help you on your journey. For example, in the aforementioned Sunshine Valley, you will learn the basics of OlliOlli World. This includes how to gain momentum, link tricks, grind, and anything under the sun. And as you continue on your journey, each level will lend different tricks to your arsenal and unfold more of the beautiful story of Radlandia.
I learned how to wall ride in Cloverbrook and pushed my boundaries in Sketchside. On and on it will go, and that is because there is so much to do and so many people to meet along the way. There’s even more that unlocks after you beat the story mode and inevitably end up in Gnarvana, an entire “league” that pits you against some of the best skaters in the world.
But none of that would matter without stunning gameplay and visuals.
Vibrant Visuals And Gnarly Gameplay
The first thing I noticed when booting up OlliOlli World was the game’s stunning visuals. Yes, it’s 2022, and the graphics may only be 2-D, but they are so much more than that. There are vibrant colors, and it’s a style that gives off vibes similar to Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. The art style is perfect, and I genuinely don’t think the game would be the same without out this style.
That’s not to say the gameplay is not equally impressive. Each level feels almost like an amusement park ride as you go up and down and side to side through each level. For those familiar with the series, OlliOlli World opens up new possibilities. Some levels will use quarter pipes to change directions on the map that are unlike what we’ve seen in the past (right to left instead of left to right). Others allow you to switch paths by pressing square, unfolding a new area with a new task at hand. On some levels, this may be racing a bear down a river, smashing seagulls, high-fiving a friend, or trying to avoid popping inflatable cats. There isn’t always a rhyme or reason to Roll7’s brainchild, but it always seems to work.
Each level is different and has a lot happening in the background. In some instances, parts of the level may come to life too. Rails may teeter and totter, while in other circumstances a wall you’re riding may be carried to a nearby rail by a pair of bees. So expect the unexpected when it comes to Roll7.
I played on PlayStation 5, so I can only speak for the DualSense controller, but you can hear the board underneath your character’s feet. This slight touch adds a unique dynamic when grinding rails or planting a perfectly executed kickflip down a set of stairs. The problem, in my opinion, is that you can’t feel the skateboard under your character’s feet. I guess what I mean is after playing a game like Astro’s Playroom, you realize the capabilities of what the controller can do and anything that doesn’t compare, well, doesn’t compare.
Customization
Considering Roll7 is a smaller developer, I really do have to smash my trucks against the coping of the nearest quarter pipe in awe of what they were able to accomplish with their customization options. It is an extensive library with endless possibilities. There are options to create just about anyone (and potentially anything), and that’s coming from this grizzly-looking guy with a haggard beard and Troy Polamalu-type hair. In addition, you can add accessories like a variety of hats (trucker/beanie/drinking), hoodies, melted ice cream cones, and anything under the sun.
Shirts, shoes, hoodies, sweaters, tank tops, flip flops, and other accessories like boards, trucks, and wheels can be unlocked as you progress through the game. I can’t reiterate how many different options are available, and I probably have yet to discover a handful of them. My kids and I can get distracted for hours as they try to agree on the perfect outfit for my character.
Perhaps they will continue to add accessories and items down the road, but for now, creating and changing your skater is easy and will be something you grow to love about OlliOlli World. I know I have.
What I Don’t Like
The Game Speed Is Fast — Like Bones Ceramics Fast!
Maybe I’m getting a bit old for my age, but there are times when I can’t keep up — and I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. In all honesty, I think it makes the game more complicated, and I sort of like that. That said, not knowing whether or not I should try to switch paths or prepare for a gnarly gap with a rail waiting at the end until the last minute seems downright mean.
It’s also possible there’s an issue with my TV, but I did change the settings to “game mode” as instructed at the very beginning of the game. Nevertheless, there are times when things feel a split-second delayed. In all honesty, there have been times where I completely missed a rail or failed to create any pop by just coasting off a ledge, but I’m still uncertain whether or not that’s part of the lore of OlliOlliWorld or a curse.
The game’s speed isn’t a deal breaker for me. Still, when coupled with the extensive trick list, it does make the game a bit more complicated than you may like at times. This also might become more apparent for you after you’ve been trying to stick a run that you’ve continued to try over and over again.
Even With The Tricktionary, I Find Myself Struggling To Master Tricks
OlliOlli World has an extensive list of tricks, and the visuals for each one are as stunning as the next. With that said, it took me way too long to learn some of the more advanced tricks in the game. Doing gnarly grinds and different variations is relatively easy. It’s the 360 flips, dark slides, Casper flips, and tricks of that nature that seem to give me fits. It doesn’t make it any easier that you’re cruising down a hill at warp speed or grinding a rail that has been waxed with some of the finest wicks in all the land.
Again, this is probably a mixture of the game’s speed, me being old and washed, and the responsiveness all rolled into a ball of frustration. It’s not something that kills the game, but I’ll be honest, I can rarely go through a level without restarting because I missed a grind or failed to hit a trick that I was able to stick “perfectly” previously. But, of course, part of that is just the way I play skateboard video games. I attempt the perfect line repeatedly the way I would if I had been trying to land a trick or line in real life.
Thankfully, Roll7 has added checkpoints throughout the levels, which means you don’t have to restart from the beginning after each run. Still, I find myself replaying levels repeatedly because something doesn’t seem to go my way.
Bottom Line
Over the last year, I’ve played a handful of skateboarding games, most of which focused on the more realistic side of skateboarding (the most realistic of course being SkateBird). OlliOlli World won’t be as over the top as you may expect from a side-scrolling arcade skateboard game with this art style. However, it definitely separates itself from some of the other games on the market, and I mean that in a good way.
The story mode is juicy enough to keep you going, and I’ve also found myself a few times trying to beat my previous score and unlock everything in every level I conquer. And the customization, well, if you haven’t heard, it’s something that I genuinely applaud and hope to see in more games. I mean it when I say it had more options than many big budget EA games.
But it’s not the story mode or extensive customization options that make OlliOlli World so great — though it doesn’t hurt. It’s how well it combines the art of skateboarding with the perfect roller coaster ride, even if there are times when you have to ollie over giant ice cream cones or high-five your friends.
OlliOlli World is worth the $30 and so much more.
Published: Feb 8, 2022 06:15 pm