Where to get it

2022 · Roll7 · Action · Adventure

Rollerdrome

Timed PlayStation exclusive

Rollerdrome is a third person action shooter that seamlessly blends high octane, visceral combat with fluid movement and tricking mechanics into one complementary and challenging whole, to create an original adrenaline-pumping shooter experience like no other.

Released: 16 August 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox Series X/S
Genres: Action Adventure Indie Shooter Sports
Developers: Roll7
Publishers: Private Division
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Science fiction
Age ratings: USK 16 PEGI 16 ACB M ESRB M GRAC 15+CLASS_IND 14
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, English (UK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 5hmain story14hcompletionist

About

Rollerdrome is an 2022 action video game that was developed by Roll7. The game is set in a dystopia in 2030 and follows Kara Hassan, who must compete in a deadly tournament known as the "Rollerdrome", in which she must fight enemies in an arena using firearms while roller skating. The game mixes roller skating with third-person shooting, requiring players to perform acrobatics to reload firearms. As players progress, they unlock more weapons and fight more-challenging opponents. While the game can only be played solo, at the end of each stage, players' performance is rated and can be shared online via a leaderboard.

Roll7 did not conceptualize the game internally; it originated as a side project of developer Paul Rabbitte, who created the concept during a game jam. Rabbitte described the original concept for the game as a mix between Tony Hawk's and Doom. After meeting in 2019, Roll7 and Rabbitte agreed to collaborate, and Rabbitte joined the studio as creative director. Development took two years and the developers spent the first year determining the core gameplay, which shifted from a linear structure to an arena shooter. The retro-futuristic setting was inspired by 1970s fiction like Rollerball and the visual style drew from ligne claire comic art, particularly from the works of Moebius and Hergé.

›Story

The year is 2030. In a world where corporations rule and the lines between reality and performance are blurred, the public are kept distracted by the violence and excess of a brutal new blood sport — Rollerdrome. Will you have what it takes to become the Rollerdrome champion and unravel the mysteries behind the Matterhorn corporation’s true intentions?

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Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

In 2030, in a dystopia controlled by mega-corporations, players control Kara Hassan as she competes in "Rollerdrome", a deadly sport created by the Matterhorn Corporation. Contestants, known as "House Players", must fight enemies using firearms while roller skating in an arena.

Rollerdrome is played from a third-person perspective. Players skate through stages while dodging incoming attacks and briefly slowing time to aim weaponry. They start the game with a pair of dual pistols and gradually unlock more-powerful weapons, such as grenade launchers, shotguns, and a long-range laser. They also face increasingly challenging enemies, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Development

Rollerdrome was developed by Roll7, the company behind the OlliOlli series. It was a side project of designer Paul Rabbitte, who devised the game during a game jam. A publisher was intrigued by the project but hesitated to sign it because Rabbitte was the game's sole developer. In 2019, the publisher recommended the project to Roll7, and Rabbitte joined the studio as a creative director to finish it.

Rabbitte described the prototype as a blend of Tony Hawk's games and Doom. Roll7 developed the game concurrently with OlliOlli World; while the games did not share a core development team, some technical art and quality assurance staff worked on both projects.

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Rollerdrome received "generally favorable reviews" upon release. OpenCritic determined that 78% of critics recommended the game. The game won "British Game" at the 19th British Academy Games Awards, and was nominated for "Best Indie Game" at the 2022 Golden Joystick Awards. The game exceeded one million players on March 19, 2024.

Jonathon Dornbush of IGN said Rollerdrome provides a good balance between skating and shooting. He added that despite both occurring simultaneously, neither overwhelms the player because the developers made some "smart concessions" to the gameplay, noting how some weapons automatically lock on to enemies as players are moving. He also praised the ammunition refill system for being "creative", saying the overall gameplay falls into "a rhythm that was almost zenlike in its flow". Sam Greer, writing for PC Gamer, described Rollerdrome as his favorite action game since Devil Daggers, describing the game as "stylish" and "evocative".