The OlliOlli franchise has carried the skateboarding torch since its introduction in 2014. Its simple yet addictive sidescrolling skateboard gameplay paid homage to not just the origins of the Tony Hawk franchise, but also 2D platformers.
With the release of OlliOlli World, developer Roll7 has brought the franchise forward in big ways. The hybrid skateboarding 2D platforming is still there but has been expanded in a big way. Oozing with style, charm, and personality, OlliOlli World is an absolute joy to play. Its level design is jaw-dropping and inspiring, leading to some incredibly memorable moments and a wonderful gameplay loop that has you itching for more.
Olliolli World Wants You to Be Yourself
There’s a story to be found in OlliOlli World, though it serves more as a vehicle to get you from stage to stage than anything else. You’ll be skateboarding your way through Radlandia in an attempt to achieve skateboarding nirvana. The game’s style and visuals do well to complement the environment and characters you’ll encounter. The “be yourself” mantra oozes through the seems in OlliOlli World, including the about of customization available for the player character.
I spent a solid fifteen to twenty minutes messing around with my appearance, clothes, and gear. I’m not someone who often does this, either; normally I’ll opt for the default player character appearance, but with OlliOlli World, it feels rewarding to customize and truly make it my own. My wife even noticed “hey that looks just like you, how cute!” while watching my play.
All of this personality and style would be for nothing without incredibly satisfying skateboarding. Thankfully, OlliOlli World delivers here, not that it was ever in doubt. The franchise has always understood the assignment when it comes to delivering tight, enjoyable, and rewarding arcade-style skateboard action. Its mix of accessibility with its complex high-skill ceiling manages to ease players in while also allowing players to push their limits.
This allows people to step in and not be immediately intimated by some of the more complex levels and challenges found within OlliOlli World. With the move to a 3D environment, the days of simple skateboarding from left to right are gone.
Radlandia is open for business with a variety of branching pathways, quarter pipes that shoot you back and forth, and impressive vistas that require precision skateboarding. What’s truly beautiful is that regardless of your skill level, you’ll be able to pull off the coolest moves with enough practice. It also helps that restarting a level in attempts of achieving perfection is oddly satisfying.
There’s More Than One Way to Achieve Skateboard Nirvana
For an extra challenge, there’s more to completing a level than just achieving a high score. Every level offers bonus objectives to complete that are beyond obtaining a high score. They range from the simple (give someone a high five as you skate past them) to the borderline absurd and comical (complete specific tricks while jumping through a balloon).
The challenge that exists is beyond rewarding; these are just optional objectives, only available for completion if I so choose so. Thankfully, with the checkpoint system in place, I can replay a stage to my heart’s desire and only focus on the areas I need to focus on. As enjoyable as the gameplay loop is in OlliOlli World, having to replay stages I don’t need would get tiring very quickly.
Roll7 continues to show they know skateboarding inside and out. Your players floats across the level so effortlessly. Pulling off the insane combos and tricks as you fly for what feels like miles through the air never gets old.
In the event that such moments do get old, there are other paths you can take instead. The options are seemingly endless due to the brilliant level design.
There’s a surprising amount of freedom found within OlliOlli World. It plays out in a similar fashion to some of the best 2D platformers out there today. Every decision you make, between your ticks, rails you choose to grind, or paths you follow, will result in a different experience every time you play a level. There are countless times I’ll replay a level and discover a new path and it’s worth it nearly every single time.
Sadly, not everything comes together in OlliOlli World. I’m in love with the gameplay so much that I wish I was moving from level to level at a faster pace. Hopping in and out of the overworld is cumbersome. You get such an adrenaline rush from playing the stages and completing insane tricks and combos. That adrenaline runs out
Additionally, sitting through dialogue from characters before and after completing a level is also cumbersome. I do have the option to skip dialogue, but honestly, it makes me feel rude. Especially considering that I’m skipping dialogue by essentially saying “shut up and let me skate.”
There’s so much charm and personality found from everyone you come across in the game, it’s downright disrespectful to ignore them. I don’t want to disrespect anybody, I just want to skate and bring about peace, love, and harmony. It’s so easy to get into a groove playing the game that anything which disrupts said groove is jarring.
In fact, it’s easy to fall into a rhythm playing OlliOlli World that before you know it, the game is over. Thankfully, the main story, which you can easily beat in a day, is just the appetizer. There is still content available, whether it’s going back and trying to 100% every stage or achieving high scores from the endgame content that awaits, but this is where skateboarding perfection is needed. For a game that offers a lot of accessibility during the campaign, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
Sticking the Landing
In all honestly, OlliOlli World’s shortcomings are few and far between. It’s everything a sequel should be, expanding a solid foundation of a skateboarding franchise and taking it to the next level. Moving to the open quasi-3D level designs opens up so many options that weren’t possible before.
Combining its addictive style and satisfying gameplay results in one of the most enjoyable games in recent memory. It’s eye-catching, addictive, and incredibly satisfying. If you’re looking for a great skateboarding or platformer title, look no further.
