OlliOlli World review – colour grind

metro.co.uk:

The indie cousin of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater rises to the big leagues with a revamped personality and radical visuals.

OlliOlli has always felt overlooked in its contributions to the modern skateboarding resurgence. Between the aging titans of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Skate, the 2D side-scroller from UK developer Roll7 is perhaps the most inventive addition to the genre over the past decade – streamlining the action into a fast, rhythm platformer with deceptive complexity.

Seven years since the release of OlliOlli2, third entry OlliOlli World represents a leap towards wider appreciation. The simplistic, grounded visuals of prior titles have been overhauled with a vibrant 3D cel-shaded aesthetic bursting with Nickelodeon-esque personality. It’s a huge visual improvement which benefits the gameplay too, with the bold splashes of colour signposting grind rails and platforms in a way that’s needed to match the game’s rapid pace.

Presentation is where OlliOlli World makes the biggest changes from its predecessors. Before you learn the basics, you’re thrown into a surprisingly comprehensive character creation screen, where additional hats, shirts, glasses, tattoos, and skateboard cosmetics unlock as you beat challenges in the main campaign. The dopey, charming character models make unlocking cosmetics desirable too, tapping into the personal expression at the heart of skateboarding.

Similar to the previous titles, OlliOlli World is split into five areas in a mostly linear sequence of levels. This time around there’s an overworld map akin to Super Mario World, complete with secret side quests which are locked behind specific criteria like high-fiving a character. While you only need to reach the end of a level to progress, repeat