OlliOlli World is a new approach, but the skateboarding still owns

There was a moment while I was playing OlliOlli World's demo where I stopped thinking abo?ut how to ollie. That didn't mean I forgot; it was just that I was so locked into everything else, the ollie was becoming reflexive and mechanical, simple as turning left or right. And then the game asked me to beat the level without using it once.

It's an optional challenge, but one that made me shift a little bit more and get out of my comfort zone. As I progressed forward I was using the ollie less, even if I wasn't challenged to avoid it. A little gentle encouragement from my skate crew to try something new was all I needed, and that's why I'm really digging the new look for the OlliOlli series in OlliOlli World.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXvpGrp21jg

The first two OlliOlli games were solid skateboarding games, but pretty straightforward. Your character would go on a journey across various areas, completing challenges and skating around a fictionalized world that mostly resembled modern day. Not to say it didn't have character, but it definitely didn't have it in the way OlliOlli World does.

OlliOlli World is set in a fantasy land of Radlandia, where talking amphibians and giant bees holding up billboards are business-as-usual. It's a place that would fit right in on the Cartoon Network, but that distinct look helps everything feel a bit warmer—which is really nice when you start bailing on repeat attem??pts at certain gaps or challenges.

Accompanying your protagonist is a skate crew, made up of several very different skaters. Chiffon, a skate wizard, acts as the in-game reason for respawning and restarting, and a big friendly guy named Gnarly Mike is the one who issues you challenges. Suze tapes it all on her video camera, and "Dad" is the dad of the group, leading all of you on your skate-tastic adventure. It's a charming, fun group of skaters that represents the heart of what OlliOlli World and t?he dev team at Roll7 seems to want you to do: skate.

In an interview with Roll7 Co-CEO Simon Bennett and OlliOlli World creative director John Ribbins, they tell me they want OlliOlli World to be a more welcoming game. They looked at old reviews of the previous OlliOlli games to see what could or should change; as Ribbins puts it, the OlliOlli games are great, but "a bit cold."

Step one is putting faces behind the high scores. Now you're not just beating an arbitrary, developer-set high score, but Dad's high score. You're completing challenges for ??Gnarly Mike, and he congratulates you when you overcome them. Challenges are often times optional too, with an emphasis on experiencing the world and playing through it to discover things, even if you're not nailing massive c?ombos on your first run.

And dang, there is a lot to explore. OlliOlli World adds a lot of d??epth to its levels thanks to a few different changes, the largest of which is switching lanes. Your skater can cross-over lanes when they line up, and those paths will diverge, creating snaking, branching paths within different areas. Some might lead to certain sidequests, while others might offer interesting combo setups. It's all about how you want to navigate, and on multiple playthroughs of the same early levels, I was still finding plenty of new and interesting ways to traverse Radlandia.

Combine that with techniques like wallriding and a host of new skateboard abilities, and OlliOlli World feels much, much larger than the original straightforward OlliOlli games. It's still a ride from A to B, but the journey in between is so much more interesting to toy around with, finding new ways of cha??ining together different segments.

The "flow state" ideal is still at the core, but OlliOlli World presents a new, different kind of challenge. It wants you to explore the world, to learn at your own pace, and to have a ca??st of characters that nudge and encourage you along, as if it's your very own real-life skate crew.

At the end of?? our interview, I asked the de??velopers about what hobbies the team had picked up during the pandemic, and it shouldn't surprise you at all that skateboarding was the answer. But I asked Ribbins to elaborate a bit more, and he described how some of them had been playing a game of "skate golf;" if you're unfamiliar, the idea is that someone does a trick, and then you set a personal par for how many tries it might take you to replicate it.

For some new skateboarders, their kickflip might be a par 20, or a par 40. If you've been skating for a long time, it might be a par 2 trick. The focus on par meant everyone could participat??e, though. It wasn't just about playing "HORSE" or being the best at nailing a trick, but getting your own par down over the course of time.

It's a small thing, but it felt right in line with what OlliOlli World is trying to accomplish. Through charming visuals, challenges, and lots to explore and discover, this doesn't just feel like a fresh take on OlliOlli, but a smart way to get a lot of newcomers into a traditionally challenge-based kind of game. It feels really good to finally hit the end of the level, after nailing a big combo chain or finally nabbing all the collectibles, and having your skate crew ready and waiting to congratulate you. Those are the vibes of OlliOlli World, ??and I can't wait to hit the ramps and ?rails for more.

OlliOlli World arrives this winter for the Nintendo Switch, PlayS?tation 4, ?PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The post OlliOlli World preview: A side-scr?olling skateboard fantasy appeared first on Destructoid.

Indie skateboarding game will soon be available just about everywhere

OlliOlli is bringing its hot moves and catchy beats to Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and ?Xbox One early next year, British indie publisher Curve Studios announced today.

Roll7's side-scrolling skating game launched exclu?sively on PlayStation Vita this?? January, before taking the show on the road this summer with PC, PS3, and PS4 ports.

The more platforms the merrier, I say.?? This is one of my favorite releases of the year and it's pretty fantastic that virtually everyone will soon be able to play it on their machine of choice.

Curve Studios [Twitter]

The post OlliOlli jumps over to Wii U, Xbox One, 3DS?? ??next year appeared first on Destructoid.

360 flips with a flippin' 360 controller

OlliOlli first showed up earlier this year on the PlayStation Vita, and it flip tricked and grinded its way int?o the heart of Ian Bonds, who gave it a 9.5/10 and called it a masterpiece "in the sweet spot of 'simple to control' and 'just difficult enou?gh.'"

Now that it is available through Steam on Linux, Mac, and Windows, those without Sony's handheld can see wh?at all the fuss is about. It makes the jump from Vita to PC faithfully, with all modes intact. Few PC-centric bells or whistles have been added, but it retains what made it good to begin with.

OlliOlli (Linux, Mac, PC [reviewed])
Developer: Roll7
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Released: July 22, 2014
MSRP: $12.99
Rig: AMD Phenom II X2 555 @ 3.2 GHz, with 4GB of RAM, ATI Radeon HD 5700, Windows 7 64-bit

The great success of OlliOlli in taking a genre historically popular in three dimensions and bringing it down to two was in its control scheme. Though it features fast action and unreal combos like the Tony Hawk series, tricks are executed by manipulating the control stick in a manner more akin to skate. Upon landing, the ?player must press a button with precise timing in order to receive full points for the trick and maintain momentum.

This works well and feels natural with an Xbox 360 controller or comparable gamepad, but it is technically possible for those without a console controller to play using a keyboard. In that case, W, A, S, and D replace the control stick, and the down arrow is used as the landing button. Although this control setup functions, it feels far less smooth and satisfying. OlliOlli was designed with a controller in mind, and it says so? itself if the pla?yer tries to go without one.

The three main modes are still here, and each is supported by Steam leaderboards. Career tasks the player with completing objectives on a large course, Spots features smaller levels and allows only a single combo, and the Daily Grind offers a once-per-day high score competition like Spelunky's Daily Challenge.

Though nothing was lost in the port, it is a slight bummer that there are no Steam-specific features here. Steam leaderboards replace Sony's and Steam achievements take the spot of the previous Trophies, but there are no Steam Trading Cards or Workshop support. It presumably would have been a lot of extra work, but a level editor would have been sublime. Even just allowing users to create custom challen??ges on the existing tracks could have added a lot of interesting commu?nity interaction and replay.

The other downside to a completely faithful transition from Vita to PC is that playing on a large screen highlights the oversimplified pixel art and sometimes ugly environments. The art is functional for the fast-paced action, but over the five sets of levels it is rarely interesting. Somewhat counterintuitively, OlliOlli looks better on the small??er screen of the handheld.

The unappealing aesthetics are only a minor gripe, because the main focus of the game is on keeping up momentum, stringing together insane combos, and shooting for high scores. At that, OlliOlli excels. Skateboarding videogames have waned since the crazes of the past, but OlliOlli is as good now as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was fifteen years ago. It might even be better.

The post PC Port Report: OlliOlli appeared first on Destructoid.

Skateboarder? I hardly even know her!

OlliOlli is a super fun little Vita game, but a lot of people won't buy a Vita because "it doesn't have any games" and they like to be wrong about things. If you're one of those people (or you don't have a Vita for a reasonable reason; for example, you live paycheck to paycheck barely making rent),?? rejoice.

OlliOlli is coming to PS3, PS4, and PC on July 22, Den of Geek reports. Now w?e can all be punk teens and skateboard against Godzillas and use shoelaces as belts.

Exclusi??ve: OlliOlli for PS4, PS3 A?nd PC Eyeing July Release [Den of Geek]

The post Radicool skateboard game OlliOlli com?ing to PS3, PS4, PC in July appeared first on Destructoid.

Physical inputs and QA process very beneficial for the portable skating game

Hot new PlayStation Vita exclusive OlliOlli was once on the verge on making a run at the App Store. That didn't happen, obviously, but developer Roll7 had a working pro?totype for its skating game designed solely around touch controls. So, how and why did the studio come to ditch the booming mobile market for Sony's struggling portable?

OlliOlli was a much more difficult ga??me in its original state. It demanded absolute perfection. Then a chance encounter at a games conference (and suggestion from a colleague) pushed the title toward buttons, analog sticks, and Sony.

"We went in and showed [Sony] the game, and they were really into it," Roll7's John Ribbins revealed in an interview with Gamasutra.  "They gave us a shot, asking if we wanted to bring it to?? Vita instead of iOS."

Sony funded the project, and the change of platforms and inputs resulted in a very different game. Not only is the final product a ?lot more accessible tha?n its early prototype, but Ribbins says submitting Sony QA, was very beneficial for his team. 

"It?'s helped us grow, and we learned a heck of a lot from t??hat, and having to think about stuff I don't think we would have ever thought of if we were just self-publishing onto PC."

How skateboarding game OlliO??lli skipped over iOS, and onto Vita [Gamasutra]

The post Why OlliOlli passed on iOS ??to bec??ome a PS Vita exclusive appeared first on Destructoid.

Heelflippin' awesome

I was always a fan of skateboarding games. From Skate or Die to the Tony Hawk series, and most everything in between, I've played and enjoyed my fair share, some more than others. And while the heyday has passed, I still occasionally break out the old titles just to see if I can still rack up the high scores and complete sick lines in a singl??e run.

If you're like me, OlliOlli is just the game you've been waiting for.

OlliOlli (PS Vita)
Developer: Roll7
Publisher: Roll7
Release Date: January 27, 2014
MSRP: $12.99

Right from the start, OlliOlli seemed like the kind of game I would enjoy. Colorful, retro-inspired sprites, energetic music, and realistic-looking tricks. I'm a simple man; I can't skateboard in real life, but these types of games always allow me to jump and kickflip my way around a town. The first trailer for the game showcased everyt??hing I would want to do in a game like this, just in a side-scrolling 2D style.

Once I finally got to play the game, however, I instantly fell in love with how simplistic, yet punishingly difficult it could be. There's no two ways about it: you will bail, and bail often. The game controls simply enough: hold the left analog stick in a direction (down, left, right, or up) and release to perform a trick. To land the trick, press X as soon as you land; miss it, a?nd you run the risk of a sloppy landing, which can get you staggering and may make you miss a jump and bail quickly. Time it right and you'll get a perfect landing, and more importantly, the maximum amount of score for your trick.

If you're about to land on something grindable, simply press and hold the control stick in a direction while in the air?? to grind. If you press the direction at the moment you land, you get a perfect grind and of course, more score. From there, it's just a bit of finessing the controls to do more tricks. There's a guide to what moves are possible in the Tricktionary (see what they did there?), and quick flicks, or even directional rolls such a quarter circles help you execute more diverse tricks. The left and right shoulder buttons add spin which helps increase your score, and stringing tricks together in a line uninterrupted increases your multiplier.

Keeping your speed up is essential to keeping a line going from grind to grind, and getting enough of a kick-push before your first jump helps boost you along. I found whenever I was on a stretch of flat ground before a jump I was frantically tapping the X button to kick and build up speed for the next run. If there's anything to complain about with this title, it's that the limited control might cramp some hands as you spend most of the game flicking the le?ft stick, while mashing the X button constantly.

The game is separated into t??wo modes, with three difficulty levels for each: career and spots. Career is your standard mode, where you skate from one end of the level to the next. Reach the cheering crowd at the end and you unlock the next stage, 25 in all for each difficulty. Complete the five challenges for each stage and you'll unlock the same stage in the next difficulty, from Am??ateur to Hard, then again to Rad. Rad mode will melt your face with difficulty, as it only allows for perfect grinds and perfect landings. Wow. While in Amateur mode, I found myself actively not continuing the the next level until I beat all five challenges for the one I was on, even though the next had been unlocked.

Some levels are set up to be completed in one lo??ng run and racking up a top score, while others will take multiple play-throughs to complete each challenge, such as specific grinds, not using kick at all, or collecting items along the path. The career mode is where you will spend most of your time honing your skills, and Spots is where you'll try to use that knowledge for a perfect run.

Spots are levels that are designed to be one long line. Once you start the trick, you have to keep it going until you reach the end. As soon as you've landed on the ground, whether you've made it to the end or not, that's it. That will be your score for that level. Some levels I've been able to keep my line going for the duration, while others I'm lucky if I can even start a line at all. For sheer ??challenge, Spots is the mode that you'll keep coming back to in the hopes of besting you??r score.

There's a significant ra??nking system, with each level listing the top worldwide skater. Once you complete a run it will show you where you rank, and what the #1 score i??s. For the best way to judge ranking however, there is one new challenge a day called the Daily Grind. Here, you have only one shot to nab the highscore (where as with Spots you can redo the level multiple times). They at least allow you to practice the stage as much as you want before attempting for the ranking, but once you click "do it for real" all bets are off. You won't be able to do the challenge again for another 24 hours.

There's a lot to love about OlliOlli. The game is in the sweetspot of "simple to control" and "just difficult enough" to keep you playing without tearing your hair out. The Daily Grind and Spots challenges will keep the score-centric crowd happy, and Career mode will have you blistering your thumbs as you try to perfect each level. ?A masterpiece.

The post Review: OlliOlli appeared first on Destructoid.

You're gonna want to play this

We've talked about Roll7's OlliOlli on a few occasions and since I can only ??say "It's going to ??be cool" so many times before feeling self-conscious, I'm looking forward to PlayStation Vita owners finally getting the opportunity to play the 2D skateboarding game for themselves. It's been dated for January 21 in North America, and January 22 in Europe.

This trailer does an adequate job of showing what OlliOlli's all about, so I'll only add that this is one of those games where you'll feel compelled to continue replaying levels again and again until you nail that coveted "perfect run." And, oh look, it only took me 27 minutes.

The post Skateboa??rding title OlliOlli hits PS Vita this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Teaser trailer and new screenshots

I quite liked what I played of OlliOlli at E3. There's been a noticeable lack of skateboarding games and, although this obviously isn't on the same level as big-budget simulations like Skate, it'??s got a lot of heart and the familiar yet hard-to-master mechanics translate nicely to 2D.

If you've been digitally skateboarding for years, it won't take long at all to get into this. Improving your skills to actually reach the end o?f levels, on the hand... In a score-centric game like this, the real c?hallenge can be knowing when to go all out and knowing when to show restraint.

OlliOlli will release for PlayStation Vita later this year. In addition to the teaser trailer above, Roll7 has kindly sent over a batch of new screenshots. (Is that a Fork Parker cameo I see?)

The post OlliOlli is the Vita’s next great skateboarding game appeared first on Destructoid.

Another interesting Vita indie

There came a point at which skateboarding games as a whole became too complex for me to handle. Or maybe I just lost "the touch." At any rate, it was a nice confidence boost to check out OlliOlli, a side-scrolling title for PlayStation Vita.

Hammering away on the "X" button propels your skater forward, while flicking the left thumbstick launches you i??nto the air. The stick is also used for grinding, which had that sort of timing system that causes you to foolishly risk everything and ?then wipe out. Just one more turn, I swear.

This is one of those games that might not look like much at first. Once you get a Vita in hand, however, you'll have a hard time putting it down. Playing OlliOlli well -- ??getting into the zone -- was immensely sa?tisfying. What a pleasant little surprise this turned out to be.

The post One more try! OlliOlli does 2D skateboarding well appeared first on Destructoid.