British indie studio Roll7 may have gotten their start in 2008, but it would be another six years before the team had their first breakout hit,OlliOlli, a side-scrolling skateboarding game that punished players with its quick one-fall failures, but rewarded those who pushed through and got better at pulling off tricks and keeping their momentum up. That combined sense of speed and skill would come to define the studio’s legacy not only through OlliOlli’s two sequels, but their other works like bombastic shooterNot a Herowhich saw players dashing and sliding between covers and diving out windows to keep the upper hand on the enemies. So it only makes sense that their follow-up to February’sOlliOlli Worldwould arise in the form of Rollerdrome, a futuristic bloodsport where players must shoot and skate to survive a deadly tournament and uncover the secrets of a “dark conspiracy.”
Much like the modern Doom games and other fast-paced shooters, Rollerdrome encourages players to constantly keep moving to survive as you clear the arena of competitors. In order to refill their clips, players will need to dodge enemy attacks and perform tricks to gain extra ammo, with additional bullets being rewarded for pulling off perfect evasions or more complex tricks. For PS5 players, Roll7 is looking to take advantage of the unique features of the DualSense controller with less resistant adaptive triggers signaling a lack of bullets and select enemy attacks inspiring haptic feedback that signals the kind and timing of the incoming danger. Players who successfully pull off enough perfect dodges will enter Super Reflex mode, which slows down time and briefly increases the damage you deal during this enhanced period. With all of these combined mechanics, Rollerdrome aims to offer a unique genre hybrid that emphasizes speed and quick reflexes if you want to make it to the end of the tournament.
The presentation of Rollerdrome also helps it stand out, with a comic book-inspired art style that amplifies the on-screen action, such as the distinctly-colored arcs a freshly-launched grenade will leave behind it to help players see its full trajectory. Meanwhile, the adrenaline-inducing synth soundtrack should end up serving as an excellent backdrop for the chaotic gameplay. With so much focus on the combat systems, one could be forgiven for missing the story clues that Roll7 has embedded in the game’ssole trailer.
With a brief glimpse at a first-person section in a mysterious hallway and some additional hints that the Matterhorn corporation that runs the Rollerdrome tournaments has more sinister intentions than it may initially appear, it could turn out that both Rollerdrome’s gameplay and story have more secrets to uncover. Fortunately, players won’t have to wait long to start skating and shooting as Rollerdrome launches on August 16 for PS5, PC and PS4.
