OlliOlli World

Skate through a pastel-coloured world in OlliOlli World

Time to skateboard through a pleasant sequence of pastel-hued lands (“…a skate utopia”, said its developers Roll7) in OlliOlli World, the third game in the original skateboarding platformer OlliOlli. It’s procedurally generated world filled with lush greenery, cosy, seaside escapades, and giant bumblebees leisurely floating about.

But rather than the flat, pixelated aesthetics of the original, OlliOlli World is now presented in eye-popping 3D, so you can admire your own tricks and kickflips in greater detail.

There’s also a storyline added to the game too, complete with a new cast of characters that appears to be as colouful as its universe, such as a neat frog wearing a Aloha shirt, a muscle-flexing seagull, and a girl with ice-cream hair, some of whom will be sending along your journey to somewhere with quests and checklists of cool stunts to complete.

The OlliOlli games were known to be punishingly difficult with a steep learning curve—and based on a persistent, almost sadistic streak to keep on persevering despite repeated, painful failures. Presumably like the real sport, you’ll end up face-planting on asphalt one too many times. But what’s surprising is that with OlliOlli World, the developer wanted to make a game that’s approachable to all players, across all skill levels to “achieve a perfect equilibrium between focus and relaxation”—a xxx that will be performed through the smooth, rhythmic tunes of its electronic soundtrack.

I’ll be looking forward to nailing some of the game’s more complex skateboard manoeuvres when OlliOlli World is released sometime this winter. But in the meantime, you can find out more about the game on Steam.