The last OlliOlli game, 2015’s OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood, was a breath of fresh air for the skating genre. Its stylised art, intense level design, and challenging trick system all helped it stand out. Seven years later, OlliOlli World has all those things going for it, too, but it also takes a huge step forward for the series by shifting into 3D, giving its skating a better sense of scale, speed, and dynamism without sacrificing the 2D perspective. At the same time, it builds significantly on Olliwood's technical gameplay by layering grabs, wall rides, and more atop the flip tricks, grinds, and manuals that were its foundation. And on top of all that, it goes out of its way to be more welcoming to players of all stripes, putting forth a host of changes that ensure just about anyone can have a good time without losing the fiercely high skill ceiling the series is known for.
OlliOlli World's colourful, cartoony look and character-centric approach is the first thing that had me saying "ooo" – not just because it’s very pretty in its own right, but because it’s also very reminiscent of one of my favourite cartoon locations, Adventure Time's Kingdom of Ooo. Whether we're talking about your character's skate wizard guide Chiffon, the ice cream-headed denizens of Sunshine Valley, the smiling trees of Cloverbrook, or the many “Skate Godz” that you're tricking across Radlandia to meet, there are too many homages to miss the inspiration. It’s also similar in its effervescent and eccentric personality but thankfully doesn’t feel derivative, striking out on its own with a world populated by endearingly offbeat characters and a story that doesn't take itself seriously, yet is enjoyably earnest at the same time.
Read more on ign.com