Some games have a natural talent for being multifaceted and mechanic-heavy while being easy to understand and fun to play. Rollerdrome, developed by Roll7, is one of these games, and it promises to be a massively fun experience when it launches on August 16. Roll7 and publisher Private Division are best known for the OlliOlli series of games, making the ultraviolent and fast-paced Rollerdrome quite a big step out of their comfort zone.
Rollerdrome can be challenging to describe, as it is an amalgamation of multiple genres and ideas. Its skating mechanics are influenced by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Jet Set Radio; meanwhile, its shooting mechanics feel inspired by Max Payne. At the same time, its arena-based gameplay loop plays out like Twisted Metal on roller skates. There are a lot of games that Rollerdrome has to live up to, and so far, Roll7 is proving that its ultraviolent indie bloodsport is up to the task.
Rollerdrome opens with players taking on the role of Kara Hassan, one of the newest contestants in a brand-new sport dubbed "Rollerdrome." Rollerdrome presents its dystopian and retro-futuristic world without a lot of exposition, leaving the door open for numerous story questions that the game has yet to answer. Kara's backstory remains light throughout this playthrough, but it should hopefully unravel more in the full game. After a brief moment of wandering around an empty locker room, the game opens up the arena, and players are off to the races.
First and foremost, Rollerdrome’s skating mechanics immediately feel great. Many games try to reinvent the wheel with skating mechanics, but thankfully Roll7 keeps it simple when controlling Kara. Pushing forward on the thumb stick lets Kara skate indefinitely without needing constant pushing on the player’s end. Meanwhile, the triangle button performs grinds, the square button performs grabs, and the X button performs jumps. Anyone who has played a Tony Hawk game will be immediately familiar with the control scheme and can quickly get into the game’s groove. Skating flows naturally—gradually becoming something players give no thought to; however, Rollerdrome is more than just a skating game.
This bloodsport's main objective is to kill every House Player in the arena and look as stylish as possible while doing it. Constant shooting mixed with backflips, slow-motion sequences, and plenty of explosions are this game's bread and butter. Players will start racking up combo chains by killing enemies who drop health and then can perform tricks to replenish ammo. These mechanics are simple in concept, but learning how to weave every system together to keep combos flowing can be tricky.
Throughout the first few missions, the adjustment period for Rollerdrome felt a little clunky. The game tries to stitch several mechanics together, which can be difficult to digest at first. Getting accustomed to its shooting mechanics, the speed at which everything flows, and the level of situational awareness necessary in combination with resource management takes some time. However, Rollerdrome is one of those games that pushes players to hit an “aha” moment, where the mechanics all come together, and the game makes sense. After that moment, Rollerdrome becomes a delightful flow-state-style game, with players now experiencing it in the developer's intended vision.
Outside the crisp combat mechanics, Rollerdrome appears to keep it light on weapons and enemy types. Kara's loadout features a small but carefully selected arsenal of weapons. Hopefully, Rollerdrome has many more in the final product, but each gun offered in the preview does have a surprising amount of depth. The dual pistols are all about quick and fast damage that can keep the heat on enemies thanks to their large ammo capacity. The shotgun is more situational, requiring players to be up close, and often favors using the slow motion feature for best results. Meanwhile, the grenade launcher departs from the game’s auto-lock mechanics but rewards players with colossal splash damage on a successful hit.
Throughout the preview, Rollerdrome also introduced five unique enemy types: the basic bat-wielding Grunt, a shielded Riot Guard, a Polybeam that shoots a laser and can teleport, and the imposing Warhead with a bubble shield and heat-seeking missiles. Overall, there were not a lot of weapons or enemies in the Rollerdrome preview, but the game didn't feel like it needed too many variables in the first place. Roll7 has done an excellent job at ensuring that what is on offer is unique and will cause players to take a different approach to the weapon in use or the enemy in question. However, Rollerdrome does feel like it has plenty of room to expand on its weapon and enemy types in the finished product; its formula is too good to pass up that opportunity.
Rollerdrome showcased six missions throughout the preview window, with the whole game being structured around a bracket-style progression befitting of a bloodsport. Each mission offers ten unique objectives necessary for progressing to the next bracket. These challenges range from beating someone’s high score to collecting all combo tokens in a round to killing a House Player while performing a specific trick. This is where the Tony Hawk influences really shine with its per-level objectives, and they mix well with the frantic shooting gameplay.
Rollerdrome's opening bracket stages are as follows: Matterhorn Arena, a basic circular arena; Pike’s Canyon, a half circle desert arena; Civetta Summit, an open-air rectangular arena where players could fall to their deaths; and the Houston Mall, which is the most complex of the starting four and felt the most alive. These initial four levels looked great but also felt like they held back the exciting and fun skating mechanics at the game's core due to their simplicity and small-scale design. That was until Kara reached the Quarter Finals bracket.
The Quarter Finals had two playable missions in this preview. The first was Echo Basin, the most complex and sprawling arena of the bunch, featuring four zones offering decent verticality and plenty of space. And then there was the Barbican Arena, a more complex iteration of the simple Matterhorn Arena. At this point, the game opens up in scale and mechanics because Rollerdrome begs for larger environments. Enemies spawned more frequently in these two missions, adding to the frantic nature of combat, and there was enough sprawl in both arenas to have Kara properly flowing and chaining combos.
These last two missions were a joy and put Rollerdrome in the best light. However, the game's level design was exceptionally well-thought-out and intuitively presented overall. Rails, half-pipes, and ramps often flow naturally into each other and seamlessly blend into the level’s aesthetic design. Rollerdrome is off to an excellent start from a level design perspective.
Rollerdrome is shaping up to be an exciting game that appears to prioritize depth over expansiveness in a focused skate shooter experience. The game's selection of enemies and weapons in this preview were small, but each element has been well-thought-out and can significantly change how players interact with enemies and pace themselves in combat. When that ‘aha’ moment hits and all the game’s systems click, Rollerdrome becomes an adrenaline-pumping good time filled with style and speed. Hopefully, this momentum transfers nicely to the final product.
Rollerdrome launches August 16 for PC, PS4 and PS5.