Rollerdrome Review – A Dystopian Delight

My roller skates vibrate loudly, rolling on concrete and then drowning out to the horrible symphony shotsgun blasts. To avoid being hit by bullets, I turn and latch onto the rail to propel my roller skates through the air. Then, I do a show to get the crowd up to their feet, with my guns flashing as I flip my way through the air. This run should create a large enough death combo that you can reach the highest score, unlocking the next stage with more deadly weapons and foes. Rollerdrome is an extreme skating-shooter. It combines Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater trick system with Doom 2016 kill chains to make you feel like a God on wheels.

Roll7 is the OlliOlli team. They are focused on this sport and deliver enticing skating freedom as well as challenges that will require dedication. Rollerdrome is James Caan’s love letter. RollerballThis sport follows the same pattern of corporations dominating the earth and using the weak as participants in a blood sport. The uniforms of the skaters have a similar design and color. This retro-inspired vibe creates an interesting backdrop that is fun to skate on. While there are many similarities to Rollerdrome and other entertainment, they combine to make something new.

You can skate or you die. Stop moving and a sniper or mech will take you out. The arenas are designed as a skatepark with many ramps and rails. You can travel around the world to find them. To gain advantages points, you use these playgrounds in order to fight militant groups that are hired by big-corporations. They can be thrown away and used to show off the talent of the contestants. Kara Hassan (a rookie) is your role. She’s always behind you, wearing a helmet. But her skills and fun are unquestionable.   

Kara is a chaotic force that rips into any area and causes thunderous applause. It doesn’t let up until all the bodies are gone. She moves quickly and fluidly, making it easy for the most important actions to be performed, like spinning through the air and simultaneously firing a machinegun. Roll7 was a master at controlling the controls. They quickly became muscle memory, and require only one button to activate. It’s also easy to evade sniper fire by using the timing windows. If you can perform a perfect evade, your point total ticks up.

The first level was purely for me to win and move on to the next. However, the progression system in this game requires that you do more. Kara has to first accomplish a set number of mini-objectives in order for her to progress to the next tier. You can achieve high scores or take down specific enemies in certain ways. Although these goals look Pro Skater-like, they can lead to frustration for those who don’t wish to fight the same battles repeatedly.

Although I was frustrated in some levels, I loved how they pushed me to create and execute large combo strings that allowed me to achieve higher scores. Your combo meter multiplier does not increase based on kills. You need to figure out how you can reach and kill your enemies quickly. The arena is filled with foes. You can’t replenish your ammo unless you do tricks. So you have to constantly try and impress the crowd, or take down an opponent. The combination of these two gaming genres is amazing. Thanks to the generous lock-on targeting system, the gunplay works well with skating. Your character is extremely fast and often airborne, so the emphasis is on timing shots and gaining ammo.

Although the retro sci-fi settings suit the action well, don’t expect too much. You’ll hear voices in the locker room that advance specific plot points and gain more insight into the world through notes and newspaper clippings, but they don’t add up to much – all the excitement is in the arena.

Rollerdrome was a hit with me immediately, so I went crazy for it. It feels as though Roll7 is only dipping its feet in the waters, no matter how polished or fun the experience may be. The talented team at Roll7 should have the opportunity to produce a sequel. This would allow for more depth in the storyline and player progress. Rollerdrome has a great first step forward. The campaign gameplay was amazing and I have no doubt that my friends will also love it.