OlliOlli World brings chill vibes and top-of-the-line skateboarding

Here's a confession: I don't think I've ever successfully ridden a skateboard in real life. I'chiliad entirely likewise impuissant and fully believe the 2nd I push off I'll slam my head on the ground. My encephalon will come out of my ears like those Playdough toys that turned the clay into McDonald's' french chips. It's not a reasonable fear, but information technology's all I can imagine when presented with one of those iv-wheeled boards.

Instead of risking my own life and limb, I vastly prefer taking things digital. I grew up playing every Tony Hawk game up until they started branching out into weird peripherals. More recently, I've spent hours messing effectually with a single line in Skater XL. Skateboarding games are exceedingly rad, even if I'thou besides big of a wuss to try it out in existent life.

OlliOlli World, therefore, was 1 of the more exciting announcements of the last few years. A game that claimed it was going to take the series' tight gameplay and put it into a more open-globe surround? Sign me right up. Fortunately, OlliOlli World more than lives up to my expectations, shattering them into a million pieces with smart pattern decisions and sublime skateboarding.

The Night Souls of skateboarding

Souls games are known for a few things. Two of the near important are: combat that is tough but fair and worlds that interconnect in unexpected ways. OlliOlli World follows in those footsteps with gameplay that requires finely-timed input and a dizzying amount of connecting lines to skate.

The OlliOlli series has always made skating feel great. Fifty-fifty when the original game released on Vita, the amount of depth the team at Roll7 was able to get out of the elementary control scheme was impressive. With the game at present fully taking advantage of a gamepad (even on PC you lot can't play without one), Roll7 is able to squeeze in everything a acme-tier skateboarding game needs.

Smartly though, OlliOlli World doesn't give you the full toolbox out of the gate. The game is split into five different worlds, and you're still getting tutorials in the fourth globe. For long-fourth dimension fans, that might audio frustrating, but it gives the levels a sense of progression that lets new players slowly add to their box of tricks. Plus, the early levels don't keep you from doing most of the key maneuvers. If you know how to do a transmission, you lot tin do it from the first level. The game simply doesn't look you to implement them into your lines until much after.

Once the game really gets rolling, riding a clean line through a level becomes much more than difficult. You lot'll need to be totally locked in for several minutes at a time if y'all're going for a high score. If you want to beat the Local Heroes' high scores and unlock new cosmetics, y'all'll sometimes need to go on a combo through an unabridged level. That's a tough task, but Roll7 does a neat job of easing you into it. There were a few mechanics toward the very cease of the game that weren't explained well, only after banging my board confronting them for a few runs, I was able to puzzle them out.

On peak of the tight skateboarding are levels that constantly implore to poke and prod at the edges as you look for the perfect line. In addition to besting each Local Heroes' high scores, each level has three challenges that will exam you in several ways. These can be equally simple as landing three advanced tricks in a combo or as difficult as finding a line that lets you requite an NPC 5 loftier fives in a single combo.

Not every level has the aforementioned level of complication, simply most of them have offshoots OlliOlli World calls "Gnarly Routes." These branching paths lead you to new challenges and, in a few places, secret side missions. Every bit you lot're skating, you can encounter how the level wraps around itself, letting yous get back on a subsequent run to endeavour and find the alternating road. It's both a spectacle of gnarly skateboarding runs and a tubular trick of level blueprint that gives players enough of reasons to dive into levels over and once more.

We've hit Gnarlandia

While you're exploring these levels, you'll besides enjoy one of the improve soundtracks in recent retentivity. I'one thousand usually not one to listen to video game music in my reanimation, only I left OlliOlli World running in the background anytime I wasn't playing just because of how chill the beats are. It's the perfect complement to the fast-paced gameplay, keeping you in a near zen-like state as you continually fail the line you've been working on.

Visually, the game is also a treat. The pastel colors mesh well with the mellow vibe the game is going for, and the unlockable cosmetics are both plentiful and skater-approved. Yes, in that location are some wacky ones in there, simply if you want to embrace your inner Bob Burnquist and sideslip on your proper noun-brand tee and cargo shorts, it's all in there (albeit with a fake brand). Even if you don't dear your current look, you constantly unlock new pieces of gear and can switch things up whenever you want. The carmine on top is that, unlike many other games, they aren't charging you lot actress for any of it.

The one downer about the game might be that the story is but kind of there. It's certainly non breaking any new basis, but that's also non why you're coming to this game. The worst I can say well-nigh this tale of trying to become the side by side Skate Wizard and meet the Skate Gods of Gnarlandia is that information technology'south hands skippable. That just means more skating, then I wouldn't telephone call that a bad thing.

The verdict

OlliOlli World is everything a great skating game should exist. It merges tight controls with a world yous'll desire to explore and adds in an infinitely-listenable soundtrack and soothing visuals. The story might not blow you out of the water, merely information technology doesn't have to when the skating is this good. If you're a fan of the sport or just like good action games, this is a must-play.

+	Tight gameplay leaves you feeling in command of every victory and fault
+	Brilliantly designed levels brimming with possibilities
+	Gorgeous art and cosmetics that perfectly fit skate civilization
+	The soundtrack is full of bangers
–	A few unexplained mechanics left me puzzled
–	Then-and then story, but that'south not really why you're here