Skate or don’t
To perform an ollie is to commune with gods.
This one’s got a flashy third dimension, moon-faced cartoon characters, and a plucky story to match.
We’re told of Skate Godz who once appointed a human representative on earth.
But she’s about to retire and needs a prodigy to step forward to fill her Vans.
The player is that potential new conduit between holy half-pipers and humanity.
In other words, this is a quest to become Skate Pope.
I’m the chosen one.
Firstly, I’m good at virtual heelflips.
Secondly, this game must have a small audience.
Enter the smiley friends and dopey businessfrogs ofOlliOlli World.
This colourful cast and even colourfuller wardrobe are a sign of chill things to come.
There’s still tough meat to gnash on.
A particular jump might require precise timing, a bonus level will make stern demands.
But overall the barrier to entry seems to have been hugely reduced.
Fair warning: I say this as a veteran.
It’s possible my idea of “easing up” might be miscalculated.
But developers Roll7 have made a lot of changes to convince me otherwise.
Levels are side-scrolling flows of perilous leaps and handy rails.
These fundamentals haven’t changed for the fresh instalment.
But other things have been shaken up in small yet significant ways.
The biggest difference comes with simply landing your board.
That severity has been discarded in OlliOlli World.
The tap of the landing button is no longer critical.
The button still exists, it still functions, but it isn’t 100% necessary.
you could land clean and easy without it.
You do still need to hit that landing button to pull a sick manual.
But it’s not vital.
There’s a sense that the devs are doing away with the mono-combo crucible of OldiOldi.
This game has colourful kneepads and cartoon bees withAdventure Timesmiles.
It has giant leaps you’re free to conceivably pull off without needing Mantis Shrimp reflexes.
I’m all for this.
The more people who can be introduced to the series, the better.
There are also checkpoints now, multiple times in a level.
Which was inconceivable to me as an indoctrinated noseslider, but made total sense once I saw them.
It’s a concession to casual cruise kids, yes, but it doesn’t dumb anything down.
There are options, and that’s great.
There are a dozen tiny technical changes that explicitly call out seasoned underflippers.
These changes will feel largely invisible to any newcomer until they learn the ins and outs.
But they have massive ramifications for anyone competing on the game’s online leaderboards.
But I’m deeply, happily impressed with what I’ve seen.
There is a deep significance in the ability to rumble down steps on your board’s tail.
I stand among the Godz.
I have broken every bone in my body.
Know only that it’s turning out to be a generous re-jigging of all that made past OlliOllis excellent.
An extended hand, picking up anyone who tried an older version and fell off in the fifth level.
It’s strong, flow-state escapism featuring seagulls who work out at the gym.
Researchers recently claimed thattaking up skateboarding as an adult can improve your mental well-being.
But from what I’ve played so far, OlliOlli World seems set to fulfill the same desire.
