Rollerdrome pays homage to pulpy cult movies from a bygone era. Players assume the role of Kara Hassan who is a competitor in the deadly sport of the same name. The year is 2030 and this sport has taken the world by storm. Compete for glory or die trying is seemingly the motto of this bloodthirsty society.
That is the basic premise for Rollerdrome and it doesn’t go much beyond that. Reviews are generally favorable but the game could use a few tweaks here and there along with some new features to help keep it alive. Let’s sum up what this new skating game does and doesn’t do well.
8 Best: A Killer Idea
The concept for this game is a great one even though it has been seen before in films. The 70s and 80s were filled with death game scenarios like The Running Man and even something like The Warriors. The idea of taking a skating game and adding brutal combat on top of that is novel for a video game though. Maybe that’s something that could revive the best skating franchise, Tony Hawk. The possibilities are endless and hopefully, Rollerdrome is the start of a beautiful new trend.
7 Worst: The Trouble With Weapons And Ammo
There is a small issue with the weaponry that isn’t bad so much as it is annoying. Players will eventually unlock four weapons that they can swap between at any time from dual pistols to a shotgun. The trouble is that all guns use the same ammo meaning that players can’t swap between weapons if they run low while fighting enemies. This is a trick passed down from shooting games as old as DOOM. Ammo is easily replenished by grinding on rails or doing tricks but it can still get repetitive quickly.
6 Best: The Art
The art might be the biggest selling point of this game. The cel-shading looks incredible and is overall influenced by those aforementioned 70s and 80s movies. The retro-future aesthetic is something that society needs to dip back into.
Kara’s costume is nice and simple and fits the mood but the enemy designs are far better. One of the coolest enemy types are the upgraded snipers that can warp in and out of existence and create streams of fire to block your path.
5 Worst: Lack Of An Energetic Story
The story is the most disappointing thing about the game. The idea is good and the gameplay is bombastic and fun but the story doesn’t match that explosive magnitude. Some title cards explain the story of the world in the beginning and that’s it. There are no villains that Kara has to face and she doesn’t talk either. There are no voices in Rollerdrome period. Before matches, players can explore the locker rooms and read notes to pick up on context clues as to what is going on. It’s not without some interesting bits, but the overall energy is lacking. This may not matter to every player because at least the gameplay is superb in Rollerdrome.
4 Best: Level Variety
There are four level types players will fool tackle from a standard stadium to an icy outdoor arena. Four levels may not seem like a lot for a video game, but each area gets remixed as the tournament goes on. They are open enough to allow players to explore while being small enough as to not get confusing. There are secrets in each level too and finding them may unlock a challenge. Being creative in environments is half of the fun in a skating game and players can get even more artistic with their kills. There are tons of ways to take out enemies from grinding on rails to going up on ramps and flipping upside down.
3 Worst: Boss Battles
One thing that the game didn’t take inspiration from regarding old films like The Running Man is creative boss battles. Boss battles are something that games like Metal Gear thrive on.
Like the story, there are no big characters Kara will be fighting against in the arena. In the first campaign, there are only two boss battles and they both feature the same mech-like tank. This giant tank is cool but it would have been better to get more variety in the boss fights and more boss fights in general.
2 Best: The Assist Features
Rollerdrome has no difficulty settings but it does have an ample amount of assist features that will blow other games away. Players can become invincible or turn on infinite ammo to reduce the annoyance of doing tricks to reload their weapons. There is even a setting to allow slow motion infinitely which can help players time their shots better. Making the game accessible like this may entice more players to check it out which is a great thing for a small indie game like this. The only downside is that there is no way to make the game more challenging for the more hardcore players.
1 Best: The Music
Using headphones while playing the game is a must. The soundtrack is great and listening to it in full blast while taking down enemies should help players feel more immersed. Finishing Rollerdrome will unlock a new campaign set one year after the original tournament. The campaign is mostly the same albeit with more enemies and they will be harder. The other change is that the soundtrack gets remixed which somehow makes the already incredible score even better.
Rollerdrome was released on August 16, 2022, and is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.