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‘OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood’ makes for a challenging and rewarding grind

‘OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood’ makes for a challenging and rewarding grind

OlliOlli2_4


OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood

Roll 7
PS4, Vita

A little over a year later, and Roll7 has released a sequel to their skateboarding title, OlliOlli. OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood does everything fans of the first game might expect from the franchise including: tight controls, catchy music, and incredibly challenging courses. OlliOlli2 does all that and more; manuals, grind switches, bigger tricks, and reverts. Few games match the intensity of attempting a level-long combo and successfully nailing it.

When a title features no story whatsoever, the gameplay better be pretty perfect. Luckily, OlliOlli2 will make your thumbsticks cry with glee, as countless variations work without a hiccup. For those unfamiliar with OlliOlli, players control a skateboarder through various stages crafted to seriously test your reflexes. Unlike many modern day skateboarding titles, OlliOlli is a side-scrolling title where the only concern lies with getting to the other side. In the loosest sense, that alone would unlock all the stages of OlliOlli2, but players would be missing out on most of the ingenuity behind the game.

OlliOlli was already a rewarding experience, so the team at Roll7 has really done a spectacular job of fine-tuning the title and delivering a worthy sequel. Of course the biggest addition is the ability to manual. Using the manual allows players to tie together outrageous combos climbing above fifty consecutive tricks. As the stages get more difficult and the combos more insane, OlliOlli2 turns into a game based on instinct, where navigation through the courses becomes a choreographed dance. OlliOlli2 never feels unfair either, as every mistake made during a run can be solved with enough practice.

More additions to OlliOlli2 include grind switches and reverts. This is as good a time as any to mention the practice mode. A few things are explained right off the bat. Perhaps the most interesting for OlliOlli is that players must press X to successfully land a trick. It’s another mental thing that takes a little practice, but once mastered it becomes second nature. Simple and precise, the practice mode eventually opens up to more additions to the skaters’ repertoire. Grind switches and reverts add another level to the madness that ensues in a typical run-through.

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What would a sequel be without all new stages and a spanking new soundtrack? Of course, OlliOlli2 delivers the goods. New locations and addicting tunes are in the mix, as well as some really fantastic level design. Nothing about OlliOlli2 would work without the detail given to the level design. There are plenty of ways to travel through the levels with varying paths and hidden passages as well.

If there is anything negative to say about OlliOlli2 it would have to be its killer learning curve and difficulty. From the outside, the simple graphic style and gameplay looks like a casual experience. Alas, OlliOlli2 isn’t even a little bit of a casual experience. The game will punish heavily for false button presses, and split-second reflexes are a requirement throughout.

Roll7 could easily be criticized for releasing a sequel so quickly. It has only been a little over a year since OlliOlli first hit Playstation systems. However, OlliOlli2 feels more like the game they wanted to release the first time around. Intense, lightning fast, and endlessly rewarding, OlliOlli2 takes all the lessons learned in the first title and lands a perfect trick. For those who don’t mind a challenge, OlliOlli2 has the goods.

[wpchatai]