Rollerdrome
Rollerdrome | |
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Developer(s) | Roll7 |
Publisher(s) | Private Division |
Director(s) | Paul Rabbitte |
Producer(s) | Drew Jones |
Designer(s) | Andreas Yiannikaris |
Composer(s) | Electric Dragon |
Engine | Unity[1] |
Platform(s) | |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Action |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Rollerdromeis anaction video gamedeveloped byRoll7and published byPrivate Division.The game was released on August 16, 2022, forWindows PC,PlayStation 4andPlayStation 5.It was also released forXbox Series X/Son November 28, 2023.[2]
Gameplay
[edit]Players assume control of Kara Hassan, a participant in a deadly sport named "Rollerdrome" in which contestants must perform roller-skating tricks while fighting against enemies using firearms.[3]As athird-person shooter,[4]ammunition is refilled by performing various roller-skating tricks, while health is restored by acquiringhealthpick-ups from defeated enemies.[5]Players skate throughout various stages while dodging incoming attacks, and using a bullet time function to aim weaponry. As players complete levels, they will gradually unlock more powerful weapons such asgrenade launchersand shotguns, though they will have to face more challenging enemies as the game progresses.[6]Each stage also has optional challenges, which prompt players to perform feats such as eliminating enemies while performing tricks.[7]
Development
[edit]Rollerdromewas developed byRoll7,the company behind theOlliOlliseries. The game was initially a side project of solo game designer Paul Rabbitte.Rollerdromewas initially conceived by Rabbite during a 48-hour game jam hosted byGame Maker's Toolkitin 2017 with the theme of 'Dual Purpose Design'.[8][9]Roll7 took a liking to this prototype, and Rabbite subsequently joined Roll7 to finish the project. Rabbitte at that time described the game's prototype as a mix betweenTony Hawk'sgames andDoom.[10]The game's spent two years in production, with the team spending the first year of development deciding the core gameplay. They ultimately decided thatRollerdromewould primarily be a shooter game, though the skating mechanics will heavily complement with gunplay. Players will not fall despite failing to perform a trick. This is an intentional gameplay design decision to ensure players can maintain their momentum in both skating and combat.[11]According to lead producer Drew Jones, the game was "a wealth of fantastic inspiration from the 1970s", citingRollerballandThe Running Manas examples. The game features a stylized, cel-shaded visual style since the team believed that a simple art style would not compromise gameplay readability and that players would not be easily overwhelmed.[12]
Roll7 and publisherPrivate Divisionannounced the game on June 2, 2022, during Sony's State of Play event. The game was released forWindows PC,PlayStation 4andPlayStation 5on August 16, 2022.[13]
Reception
[edit]Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 81/100[14] PS5: 79/100[15] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 8.5/10[22] |
Eurogamer | Essential[16] |
Game Informer | 8.5/10[19] |
GameSpot | 8/10[18] |
GamesRadar+ | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
IGN | 9/10[20] |
PC Gamer(US) | 94/100[21] |
Push Square | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Shacknews | 7/10[23] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
According toreview aggregatorMetacritic,Rollerdromereleased "generally favorable reviews" upon release.[14][15]
GameSpotenjoyed the way the game incorporated skating gameplay with traditional third-person shooter mechanics, remarking "it never feels like the tricks are an impediment to the shooting; instead, they're the secret ingredient that helps Rollerdrome stand apart from other shooters".[18]The Guardianpraised the flow state that players could achieve with combos, but criticized the high difficulty spikes as "downright brutal".[24]Game Informerliked how tricks were needed to reload, causing the player to rely on trying to "dazzle the crowd or down an adversary".[19]The Washington Postfelt that the game could be unclear on where the player could skate, writing "I often felt the wind knocked out of my sails when I failed to get that one wall ride to the balcony some gunman was on. It started to feel like a flaw in a certain map’s design and not a challenge".[26]GamesRadar+disliked how the game failed to make full usage of the arenas, "each arena may look different, but they rarely challenge you to use their layouts in creative ways".[17]Eurogamerpraised the artstyle, comparing it favorably to magazines and the works ofJean Giraud.[16]The game crossed 1 million players on March 19, 2024.[27]
Accolades
[edit]Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Indie Game | Nominated | [28] |
2023 | 19th British Academy Games Awards | British Game | Won | [29] |
References
[edit]- ^"Made with Unity: 2022 in review".Unity Technologies.December 27, 2022.RetrievedJuly 31,2023.
- ^Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 31, 2023)."Rollerdrome Finally Gets an Xbox Series X and S Release Date — and It's Coming to Game Pass".IGN.RetrievedMay 11,2024.
- ^Nwosu, KC (July 26, 2022)."Rollerdrome Combines Sick Roller Skate Tricks & Gunplay for a Great Time – Preview".The Escapist.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Conditt, Jessica (July 26, 2022)."'Rollerdrome' preview: Twitchy dystopian bloodsport is my new favorite genre ".Engadget.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Van Aken, Alex (July 27, 2022)."My Rollerdrome Preview Is Late Because I Can't Stop Playing It".Game Informer.Archived fromthe originalon July 27, 2022.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Northup, Travis (July 30, 2022)."Rollerdrome Preview: Extreme, Sports Just Got a Whole Lot More Extreme".IGN.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Donlan, Christian (July 26, 2022)."Rollerdrome brings together the very best of Roll7".Eurogamer.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Garcia, Chris (August 15, 2022)."Rollerdrome is Proof That Even Simple Concepts can Make a Game Stand Out".One More Game.RetrievedJuly 27,2023.
- ^"THE ROLLER DOME by ChonkuRabb".itch.io.RetrievedJuly 27,2023.
- ^Bailes, Jon (July 26, 2022)."Rollerdrome preview: Hands-on with the skating sensation born from a viral tweet".GamesRadar+.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Hornshaw, Phil (July 26, 2022)."Rollerdrome Is Like Slapping Roller Skates On Max Payne".GameSpot.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Leri, Michael (July 27, 2022)."Interview: How Roll7 Released 2 Games in 6 months Without Falling Apart".ComingSoon.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^Diaz, Ana (June 2, 2022)."Rollerdrome will make roller derby deadly".Polygon.RetrievedAugust 10,2022.
- ^ab"Rollerdrome for PC reviews".Metacritic.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^ab"Rollerdrome for PlayStation 5 reviews".Metacritic.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^abTapsell, Chris (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome review - Roll7 delivers a game of impossible style".Eurogamer.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^abJon Bailes (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome review:" Reaches impressive heights, but keeps dropping back down to earth "".GamesRadar+.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^abHornshaw, Phil (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome Review: Skate Or Die".GameSpot.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^abReiner, Andrew (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome Review - A Dystopian Delight".Game Informer.Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2022.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^Dornbush, Jonathon (August 22, 2022)."Rollerdrome Review".IGN.RetrievedNovember 10,2022.
- ^Greer, Sam (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome review".PCGamer.RetrievedNovember 10,2022.
- ^Andriessen, CJ (September 1, 2022)."Review: Rollerdrome".Destructoid.RetrievedNovember 10,2022.
- ^Mejia, Ozzie (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome review: Trick shots".Shacknews.RetrievedNovember 10,2022.
- ^abRegan, Tom (August 16, 2022)."Rollerdrome review – skating as a bloodsport".The Guardian.RetrievedNovember 10,2022.
- ^Croft, Liam (August 16, 2022)."Review: Rollerdrome (PS5) - Just As Good As Tony Hawk's Pro Skater".Push Square.RetrievedNovember 10,2022.
- ^Amenabar, Teddy (August 16, 2022)."'Rollerdrome' brings gunfights to skateparks but it's no 'Pro Skater'".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.RetrievedAugust 24,2022.
- ^"Rollerdrome Achieves Milestone with Over One Million Players".Manual Droid.March 22, 2024.RetrievedMarch 22,2024.
- ^Jones, Ali (October 20, 2022)."Time is running out to cast your vote in the Golden Joystick Awards 2022".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedNovember 11,2022.
- ^Wood, Anthony (March 2, 2023)."BAFTA Games Awards 2023 Nominations Announced".IGN.RetrievedMarch 2,2023.
External links
[edit]- 2022 video games
- Action games
- British Academy Games Award for British Game winners
- Dystopian video games
- Extreme sports video games
- Game jam video games
- PlayStation 4 games
- PlayStation 5 games
- Indie games
- Private Division games
- Roll7 games
- Roller skating video games
- Single-player video games
- Third-person shooters
- Video games developed in the United Kingdom
- Video games featuring female protagonists
- Video games set in the 2030s
- Windows games
- Xbox Series X and Series S games