GAME CLEAR No. 81 -- OlliOlli World

OlliOlli World (2022, Multiplatform)

Developer: roll7
Publisher: Private Division
Clear Platform: PlayStation 5
Clear Date: 2/22/22

Another banger from roll7, folks. I’ve been a fan of OlliOlli since the original Vita release, but I think this is by far their best-marketed and highest-profile release to date, so I expect it to bring in new fans. This one is improved by virtue of having a better art style, actual characters (and character creation), and a cute story, but fundamentally it’s more of the same. Kind of like THPS, these have gotten better each time and have added new tricks, refining a gameplay system that was already nearly perfect. Unlike Tony Hawk, I almost consider OlliOlli to be more of a runner platformer than really a skateboarding game. Certainly skateboarding is the means of traversal, but ultimately the point is to bust sick combos while in perpetual motion through a bunch of levels. Anyway, whatever you want to call it, it rules.

The new story stuff is cute and minimal. Basically, the current grandmaster god of skateboarding is retiring and needs a successor. That’s gonna be you! Skate through all the levels and prove your worth and the credits will roll. This is actually a drastic improvement for someone with backlog brainworms like me. The previous games don’t really have a clear indicator of when the game is “beaten,” so I feel like I still haven’t really finished them. This one is unequivocal about it, which puts me at ease.

But to leave it at just that would be to play only a tiny fraction of the game. The majority of its value is in the goals found in each stage, which require you to perform specific feats within the levels (as opposed to simply getting through them). The thing is that some of these are insanely fuckin hard lol, so I get why they structured it the way they did. Fortunately, this means OlliOlli World will be a game I’ll continue to nibble on for years to come, even if I never 100%. There’s just so much to do.

Even if I were to somehow clear all the single-player content, there’s still some online intrigue. In the game’s “leagues,” you can compete in daily contests to hit the best score in a (similarly-ranked) group of 10 other players on procedurally-generated levels. Needless to say, these are not quite as compelling as the hand-crafted ones found in the game proper, but they’re still fun enough, and they can engage the competitor in you if you have such a drive.

I can’t recommend this game highly enough. $30 might be a bit steep for folks that aren’t quite sure it’s for them, but I’m sure it’ll go on sale. Grab it if it does.