Official Review Computer

Review cover Rollerdrome (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): August 16, 2022
  • Release Date (EU): August 16, 2022
  • Publisher: Private Division
  • Developer: Roll7
  • Genres: Action, Sports
  • Also For: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
What if you'd put rollerblades and guns in a blender? Of course, you'd get Rollerdrome, the new hip sports in 2030! Is it a good mix?

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In our near dystopian future, bloodsport Rollerdrome - a deadly combination of roller skating and firearms - is here to entertain the masses and keep their attention away from the greed and manipulation of the ruling corporations. Matterhorn corporation features among the latter and is holding the 2030 Rollerdrome Championship; business as usual. Amidst the tournament’s participants is rookie Kara Hassan whom you’ll play as. Do you have what it takes to become the new Rollerdrome champion and expose the true intentions of Matterhorn corp?

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Rollerdrome easily strikes with its cel shaded, comic book-styled aesthetics. Combining this artstyle with skating tricks and gunshots make for vibrant, stylish scenes that could easily have been snippets of a comic book or an animated show. The retrofuture presentation is further evoked with the original synth soundtrack.

As for the plot, it works as a placeholder to set the tone for the game but it isn’t totally lacking. In between Rollerdrome matches, you’ll get to control Kara in first person before she enters the arena. During those downtime sessions, you’re free to explore around and gain more information about the game’s universe whether it’s through eavesdropping on conversations, reading notes, checking slides or messages. It’s not much but it does help breathe some life into Rollerdrome’s retrofuture universe and learn more about the plans of Matterhorn corporation.

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The highlight of the show is, of course, Rollerdrome’s gameplay. It is an original blend of skater and shooter; and developer Roll7 masterfully executes this odd combination. To progress across the 2030 Rollerdrome Championship, you’ll have to survive each tier of the competition: opening stages, quarters, semis, final. In each, you’ll need to emerge victorious by offing the living and gunning obstacles, while also entertaining the audience with rollerblade tricks.

So you’ll be tail-grabbing, grinding, wallriding and performing more advanced tricks to earn points and complete optional challenges to get the best score in the leaderboard while firing at your opponents in the arena. In fact, performing skating tricks is essential to the shooter aspect as they will refill your much-needed ammo. And by offing your foes, you’ll replenish your life gauge. You’ll also unlock a total of four weapons as you progress, ranging from a shotgun to a grenade launcher to take on the enemy waves during each session.

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The difficulty ramps up as you progress, with more enemies and new challenges to complete. You’ll also come across varied enemy types including the riot guards with laser beams, shielded opponents, snipers, mecha tanks and more that each have attack patterns of their own. Things quickly turn hectic but the bloodsport sessions, with their short bouts and fast pace, are inevitably fun. While the battles do get challenging, often requiring several tries to be the only one alive, wins are always satisfying as you can deal some neat tricks and finishers in style to unlock the victory screen.

On top of that, Rollerdrome delivers decent replayability. Even after completing the tournament, you can aim to complete the goals of each arena and rank higher in the leaderboard. Once the ~5 hour-ish main campaign is completed, the Out For Blood mode is unlocked, which is a new game plus of sorts, with all weapons unlocked, higher difficulty and, to sweeten the pot, remixed soundtrack.

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However, before reaching this point, the learning curve can be a bit steep. Getting a grasp of controls, scoring adequate points by performing skating tricks, shooting and trying to stay alive at the same time can require some getting used to; but it does come with practice. 

Moreover, while Rollerdrome’s championship takes place in different locations, most look the same. There’s the skating arena, a mall, a snow-covered level and an arid outdoors one. While the main campaign is of a relatively short duration, the same-y areas you’ll encounter is felt. 

In some maps, due to the random spawning of enemies at each wave, it can be hard to find where the last one is and complete it with no or minimal time penalty. This can lead you to momentarily look for the remaining enemy until they fire warning shots at you.

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Those gripes aside, Rollerdrome delivers a well-executed and original interplay between skater and shooter mechanics that delivers an fresh, adrenaline-fuelled and memorable experience.

Rollerdrome – Official Cinematic Launch Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Original blend of skating and shooting gameplay
  • Retrofuturistic presentation
  • Fun, short bouts of gameplay sessions
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Learning curve to manoeuvring skating and shooting simultaneously
  • Limited level types
9
Gameplay
Developer Roll7 strikes a delicate balance by delivering an odd-sounding mashup of shooter and skater that works and plays great.
8
Presentation
Cel shaded and coupled with synth tunes, the retrofuture universe of Rollerdrome is brought to life in its striking presentation.
8
Lasting Appeal
Even if the number of arenas is limited and share visual similarities, there are lots of challenges to take on during and after the main campaign.
8.5
out of 10

Overall

Part shooter, part skater, Rollerdrome masterfully strikes a delicate balance as a well-executed, original and fresh mash up.
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Reactions: Mama Looigi, StrayGuitarist, SuperDan and 2 others
tabzer
"What if you'd put rollerblades and guns in a blender?"

Are there actually rollerblades in the game?
 
N
This is an excellent game. I can run it over 400fps on my laptop, I wish it's made with more flashy graphics to take advantage of modern gpu.

A bigger studio should steal this idea and make an open world game where you skate through the city and shoot in slow-mo.
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): August 16, 2022
  • Release Date (EU): August 16, 2022
  • Publisher: Private Division
  • Developer: Roll7
  • Genres: Action, Sports
  • Also For: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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