REVIEW: ‘Rollerdrome,’ Beautifully Defies Expectations (XSX)

If you have ever wondered what it might look like if the Tony Hawk and DOOM franchises had a video game love child, Rollerdrome is the answer. Developed by Roll7, the creators of the OlliOlli series, and published by Private Division, this genre-defying hit was first released on PlayStation and PC in 2022 and has now finally made its way to Xbox Series X|S on November 28th, 2023.

Rollerdrome puts players in the shoes, or, rather, the skates, of Kara Hassan, an up-and-coming Rollerdrome player working her way up the ranks. Contestants in Rollerdrome must perform roller-skating tricks while completing optional objectives like those seen in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. Still, the main focus is defeating the enemies with a bounty of guns at their disposal. The climb up the ranks requires an incredible amount of skill, and players are sure to be challenged every step of the way as they look to guide Kara to the pinnacle of the sport.

The interesting premise of taking Kara to the top in high-octane sport leads to the only real disappointment of the game, which is that there is so little time spent with her character and the world she exists in. There are a few scattered moments between some of the matches that allow players to explore small areas and uncover more of the world Kara is competing in, but it only makes me want so much more. There is a real missed opportunity here to create and explore a unique narrative to match the unique gameplay. That said, it is such a small complaint in the grand scheme of things once you get into the actual gameplay.

Gameplay in Rollerdrome focuses on two main things: shooting people and looking cool while doing it. Shooting down enemies restores players’ health, but only completing tricks will give more ammo. It forces players to focus on both facets in order to truly succeed. What’s impressive is that the forced focus never ventures anywhere close to the line of feeling uncomfortable. Movement is very fluid while skating which gives players time to focus on either completing tricks or nailing difficult shots without too much worry. The two mechanics work so well together that players won’t think twice about how different they should be in theory.

That flawless execution leads to some truly incredible gameplay. Every match takes place in a fresh new arena and builds on what the last provides. New enemies require newly unlocked weapons to defeat, and new areas require new tricks to reach them. Learning to wallride while timing a slug shot perfectly feels so satisfying, and every mechanic matches that same feeling. There is also not really a feeling of “failure,” which I greatly appreciated. Messing up a trick or missing an enemy does not hamper the game. It just opens up new opportunities to try something else or learn from the mistake. Rollerdrome is very forgiving in this respect, which is part of what makes it so enjoyable to play.

There is also a ton of inherent replayability in Rollerdrome. Scores are tracked on a leaderboard and every small tweak to a run can help players climb higher and higher. Going through the same arena over and over again does not feel stale when the player’s approach is different, and that can be really difficult to achieve considering the limited number of levels and weapon choices. Rollerdrome is a decidedly short game, only taking a handful of hours to complete, so the ability to re-attempt levels with new tricks and ideas vitally adds a significant amount of replayability.

Of course, it also helps that every second of Rollerdrome is dripping with style. The cel-shaded design choice works perfectly with the high-intensity action and gives it such a distinct look. There is not another game out there that plays like Rollerdrome, so it makes sense to make it look like nothing else too. I especially loved how great the different arenas looked in action; the fast-paced movement never took away from how stylistic and cool the areas looked. Plus it feels so much cooler to pull off badass tricks when the backdrop is as beautiful as your sweet, sweet moves.

Rollerdrome beautifully meshes two very different genres and defies all expectations coming into it. The style practically drips out of the screen as Roll7 delivers one of the most unique and exciting games in recent memory. Easy to learn but difficult to master, players of all skill levels are going to find something to love here.

Rollerdrome is out now on PlayStation 5, , and PC.