OlliOlli World is a skateboarding video game developed by Roll7 and published by Private Division. The third game in the OlliOlli series, the game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in February 2022. The game received positive reviews by critics.

OlliOlli World
Developer(s)Roll7
Publisher(s)Private Division
Director(s)John Ribbins
Producer(s)Dan Croucher
Designer(s)Craig Thomas
Programmer(s)Andrew Brechin
Artist(s)Paul Abbott
Writer(s)Lizz Lunney
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)
Release8 February 2022
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

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OlliOlli World is a 2D-platforming skateboarding game. The game takes place in Radlandia, where the player can interact with the game's characters, and take on side quests. To get high scores, the player is required to chain together tricks in order to get combos. The player can ride walls and grind on rails to increase their score. OlliOlli World introduces elements new to the franchise, such as quarter pipes and branching paths. The game has a hand-drawn art style, in contrast to the pixel art of previous entries.[2][3]

Development

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The game was developed by British developer Roll7. One focus of development was making the game more accessible to newcomers, while still retaining high level play. The developers commented on the switch to 3D, saying, "OlliOlli and OlliOlli 2 are awesome games but there's things in the physics that we always wanted to do that we were never able to make work. There were ramps that we wanted to put in, huge launches and angles that were impossible when we were essentially doing pixel art".

The studio had previously considered making a 3D OlliOlli, but gained inspiration for it on a prototype that let the player skate forwards and backwards. Another focus was making failed landings less punishing. Roll7 replaced the previous penalty of failing the level with a loss of speed alongside breaking the player's combo. John Ribbins, the creative director of the game, says that the hand-drawn art style was inspired by Jet Set Radio and comic books.[4]

OlliOlli World was announced during Nintendo's April Indie World presentation. It was then later released on February 8, 2022, with Private Division serving as its publisher.[5] Two expansions for OlliOlli World were made available after its release: the VOID Riders expansion was released in June 2022,[6] and the Finding the Flowzone expansion was released in November 2022.[7]

Reception

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OlliOlli World received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[8][9][10][11]

Polygon praised the title for allowing player creativity, "The thing I love about skateboarding is how it lets me be creative with my body... OlliOlli World's wacky environments explode this fantasy to the nth degree".[27] The Verge liked the new surreal world in comparison on to the previous games, "the fantasy universe really adds life to the franchise, which was previously full of drab, utilitarian urban environments".[28] Despite criticizing the writing as having a "how do you do fellow kids" feel, The Guardian enjoyed the visuals and game feel, saying "intricate stage backgrounds make this fantastical world come alive... this kingdom of eye-popping pinks, giant donuts and hipster animals blends together to create something wonderfully warm and relaxing".[24] Game Informer liked the stage design, especially the multiple routes the player could take through it, "Each level's various explorable paths also means you can replay them to discover new experiences and combo opportunities. Often, I immediately revisited a level to see how other routes stacked up and what challenges I could find there".[13]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Result Ref
2022 Golden Joystick Awards Best Audio Nominated [29]
The Game Awards 2022 Best Sports/Racing Game Nominated [30]
2023 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Sports Game of the Year Won [31]
23rd Game Developers Choice Awards Social Impact Award Nominated [32][33]
Best Visual Art Honorable mention
19th British Academy Games Awards British Game Nominated [34][35]

References

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  1. ^ Saver, Michael (27 December 2022). "Made with Unity: 2022 in review". Unity Technologies. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  2. ^ Shea, Brian (14 April 2021). "OlliOlli World Grinds Onto The Scene This Winter". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  3. ^ "OlliOlli World revealed, will have players search for skate gods". PC Invasion. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  4. ^ Robinson, Martin (14 April 2021). "OlliOlli World brings the superlative skate series into vivid 3D". Eurogamer. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  5. ^ "OlliOlli World launches February 8, 2022". Gematsu. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  6. ^ "OlliOlli World: VOID Riders Expansion Now Available". Private Division. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  7. ^ "OlliOlli World: Finding the Flowzone is Now Available". Private Division. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b "OlliOlli World for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  9. ^ a b "OlliOlli World for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  10. ^ a b "OlliOlli World for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  11. ^ a b "OlliOlli World for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  12. ^ Handley, Zoey (3 February 2022). "Review: OlliOlli World". Destructoid. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  13. ^ a b Hester, Blake (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World Review – Video Days". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  14. ^ Tamburro, Paul (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World Review: 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Crossed With Adventure Time'". Game Revolution. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  15. ^ Hornshaw, Phil (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World Review - Half-Pipe Heaven". GameSpot. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  16. ^ West, Josh (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World review: "All kickflips and good times"". GamesRadar. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  17. ^ Shea, Cam (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World Review". IGN. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  18. ^ Vogel, Mitch (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  19. ^ Orona, Alex (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  20. ^ Clayton, Natalie (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  21. ^ Green, Jarrett (8 February 2022). "OlliOlli World review – the mind is Gnarvana". PCGamesN. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  22. ^ Tailby, Stephen (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  23. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World review: Shred-venture". Push Square. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  24. ^ a b Regan, Tom (4 February 2022). "OlliOlli World review – vibey skater game offers a meditative ride". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  25. ^ Wise, Josh (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  26. ^ Doolan, Liam (3 February 2022). "Review: OlliOlli World - The Best 2.5D Skateboarding Experience You Can Have". Pure Xbox. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  27. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World is a challenging but joyous celebration of skateboarding". Polygon. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  28. ^ Webster, Andrew (3 February 2022). "OlliOlli World captures the essence of skateboarding, and then makes it weird". The Verge. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  29. ^ Jones, Ali (20 October 2022). "Time is running out to cast your vote in the Golden Joystick Awards 2022". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  30. ^ Harte, Charles. "The Full List of the 2022 Game Awards Nominees". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  31. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (23 February 2023). "DICE Awards 2023 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  32. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (26 January 2023). "Elden Ring & Stray lead Game Developers Choice Awards 2023 nominees". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  33. ^ Beth Elderkin (22 March 2023). "'Elden Ring' Wins Game Of The Year At The 2023 Game Developers Choice Awards". Game Developers Choice Conference.
  34. ^ Wood, Anthony (2 March 2023). "BAFTA Games Awards 2023 Nominations Announced". IGN. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  35. ^ "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Winners". BAFTA. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
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