Rollerdrome Review

ign.com:

I wouldn’t expect roller skating and third-person shooting to be a chocolate and peanut butter situation, but Rollerdrome proves it can be just that. By essentially inventing a new single-player sport, OlliOlli World developer Roll7 has found enough ways to make both sides of this unique coin shine without getting overwhelming. Wrap that package in an intriguing world with more going on beyond the sport than you might expect, and I’ve found myself lost in match after match of skate-shooting mayhem.

The year is 2030, and you’re entering the Rollerdrome as a new skater, Kara Hassan. This brutally clever dystopian future bloodsport has participants skate and shoot for their lives against waves of “house players” - aka neatly identifiable enemy classes that range from easy melee combatants to mini-mechs with homing missiles. Most of the time you’ll be chasing high scores and completing optional challenges in each stage, but Kara’s quest to become champion of the Rollerdrome isn’t just set dressing between the action – in fact, that story reveals a compelling picture of the rather dark reality it takes place in.

First-person sections peppered throughout the campaign let you explore locker rooms, office spaces, and a couple other locations before heading into the arena. While they offer the stylish bonus of transitioning directly from first-person to third-person as you enter a match, these sections are also a chance to better understand the part you play in your corporate employer’s machinations. Rollerdrome doesn’t force you to sift through documents or overhear conversations - you can run straight through the door and get into battle - but I’m glad I chose to, because I found an unexpectedly sharp commentary on some pretty