‘OlliOlli 2: XL Edition’ Review

Platforms PS4 / Xbox One / Windows / OS X / Linux / iOS / Android / Vita

Publisher Devolver Digital, Team17 Developers Roll7

Genre Side-Scrolling, Indie, Sports Platform Played Xbox One

Olli Olli 2 is a stroke of brilliance that rolls the feeling of satisfaction, addiction and frustration into one small bundle for everyone to enjoy. Developer Roll7 has accomplished a great feat by designing a unique art style, soundtrack and fantastic gameplay to accompany this highly addictive game.

The entire premise of this quirky side-scroller is to reach the end of each level and achieve the best possible score through a series of skateboarding tricks, so simple yet so great. With a unique art style, each level presents a different feeling environment. Colours pop and each style brings out the level’s aura. The variance in styles is apparent between the initial set of levels and the last set of levels as the protagonist travels from an easy going concert-like setting to a dystopian, futuristic one, each accentuating the amount of thought and effort that went into level design.

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The art isn’t alone in Olli Olli 2, it’s accompanied by an astounding soundtrack composed of synths, thumps and unique sounding flair. Each tune appears to perfectly fit each level it is featured on and works with the fast paced nature of the game.

Gameplay is the star focus in Olli Olli 2. Once learning all the nuances and tricks through the games inbuilt training mode, players can begin to pull off super slick tricks and actions. Tricks are accomplished through the combination of a couple of button presses in addition to a flick of the analogue stick, it can be a daunting task that may take a few tries before understanding it. It can’t be stressed enough how much important timing is in Olli Olli 2. It plays a major role in determining when the player should execute precise tricks, which helps with accumulating points. Through the use of particular ‘manual’ actions it’s possible to chain a combo multiplier with helps with collecting additional points.

Points determine how skilled a player is. It is a vital piece to Olli Olli 2 as it regulates a number of factors within the game such as which tracks are unlocked to the player in addition to ranking with others online and in local multiplayer. Olli Olli 2 features a multitude of game modes and this allows for endless replay-ability. Beyond the default single player campaign there are other modes such as ‘Daily Grind’ which gives the player an opportunity to name themselves king or queen as they battle it out to be top of the leader board for a single day.

The game mode ‘Combo Rush’ is a great example of how bringing a game of this simplistic yet addictive nature to a multiplayer environment can help bolster the competitive and fun aspect. Combo Rush allows four players to play competitively in a split screen nature and battle it out for the top score through the use of insane grinds and tricks.

While Olli Olli 2 can be super slick and satisfying, it is extremely challenging. The difficulty of this game can only be likened to those old retro games where a level needed to be replayed well over thirty times before it could be passed. The first few levels in the game introduce a steady, relaxed and enjoyable level of difficulty while the later levels dramatically increase in difficulty. This difficulty can lead to frustration which in turn leads to addiction, as I found myself coming back to the game over and over to, at first, try beat the level and then subsequently came back to try to achieve the highest score possible. Perhaps through the use of abilities such as invincibility as players re-do levels over a specific amount of times it would be possible to combat this difficulty factor.

Olli Olli 2 is a culmination of fantastic art styles, an incredible soundtrack and intuitive gameplay. Each level and world allows for a new feeling of immersion while the soundtrack features the right amount of synth and hip to suit the fast-paced and highly intuitive gameplay. As challenging as the game may, be pulling off those perfect grinds, lands and tricks can be very rewarding. Through the multiple game modes presented it is clear that Olli Olli 2 is a game that is definitely worth the time and effort. For fans of indie style games or challenging games with addictive gameplay Olli Olli 2 is an absolute dreamer.

The Good

  • Great art style for each level.
  • Outstanding soundtrack featuring fast-paced tunes.
  • Highly addictive gameplay with satisfying tricks.
  • Plenty of game modes, has excellent replay-ability.

The Bad

  • Bit challenging.

The Score: 8.5