OlliOlli World is a reboot of the successful indie hit OlliOlli, which was a true love letter to skateboarding. Stepping into the footsteps of its prequels, OlliOlli World delivers the same level of fun, addictiveness, adrenaline-packed levels, and above all… The love for skateboarding. Yes, the visual style is completely different but don’t let this fool you, the flow of conquering the obstacles is still there, and yes, you better prepare for a sore thumb again too.
Welcome to Radlandia
OlliOlli World is set in the world of Radlandia… Which is indeed pretty rad. I had the opportunity to play a special demo which basically served as a tutorial and a first taste of what is yet to come. Make no illusions, I haven’t seen a lot of the game just yet but what I’ve seen does make me happy. First thing first, let’s talk about the visuals. Clearly, compared to the previous entries, OlliOlli World is a true looker. With gorgeous colorful 3D graphics and amazing character models, this one really pops, even in its early version I got to play. Everything about it just fits. From the crazy characters to the even crazier tracks you need to complete, the visual style all adds to this level of absurdness I really appreciate. One of my favorite moments was when I was finally nailing that wallride while a chubby cartoony bee decided to come to say hello while I was airborne. Crazy? Yes. Fun? Absolutely!
Although I haven’t seen a lot from Radlandia so far, I’m pretty sure the place is filled with memorable moments. Just like Super Mario games, you jump from level to level using a world map. In the demo, it appeared I was constantly skipping certain levels in order to progress. I’m pretty sure the final version is filled with fun little secrets and easter eggs just waiting to be discovered. One thing’s for sure, this isn’t just your normal skate game. OlliOlli World comes with a vibrant world and story that really elevate the overall experience. You’re not just skating to impress yourself, you’re also skating to impress your crew of absolute weirdos, you know, just like you would do in the skate parks around your corner. This evolution towards a more story-driven adventure will potentially unlock a crazy amount of extra fun content to discover and I simply can’t wait to play it discover it all myself.
One stick to land them all
Just like the previous games, this is a skateboarding action-platformer with an easy-to-learn but hard to master control scheme. You have one button to push yourself off on the concrete and make some speed, another one to switch lanes, but the most important one during everything you do will be your left analog stick. It’s here where the magic begins. If you flick the stick in a certain direction, you’ll perform a trick. Ranging from a basic ollie, to grinding, and even wall-riding. Sounds easy? Think again. My first attempts at combining my tricks ended up in total failure. This isn’t a problem at all, since you easily respawn and there are plenty of respawn points before you reach the finish line. Getting used to the thumbstick as the mighty control option needed some time but once I got the hang of it, I instantly hit a certain flow. There’s something about the game’s natural flow that really clicks once you enter that zone. It happened only a couple of minutes after I kept failing that it finally clicked. What happened next even amazed me.
Just when I was about to give up, I tried the level one more time and finally found the right rhythm (even though it’s not a rhythm game) to connect the tricks with each other. I started grinding down, which gave me enough speed and height to hit the wall ride, only to grind further down to change lanes using a quarter pipe and eventually kickflipping my way over the finish line. Let me tell your right here, landing this combination of tricks felt extremely satisfying and is unlike anything I experienced in other skating games. There’s just something about the flow, the soothing a-typical soundtrack, and the visual style that kept pulling me back in. Although the demo was rather short, I did see a lot of potential here and I can’t wait to see what kind of flow the game will have once it releases in stores this Winter.
Early conclusion:
OlliOlli World looks like an extremely fun and addictive game that really nails the feeling of greatness when you’re able to finally land that one trick you’ve been practicing on for days. The new visual style and its story-driven approach really benefit the overall experience, making this so much more than your regular skating game. The team certainly struck gold with this reboot and I can’t wait to see more!
Demo tested on PC
Want to learn more about the game? Be sure to check our special interview for some fun additional details:
