Lots of good video games launched in 2022; Elden Ring, Tunic, Pentiment, Grounded, The Callisto Protocol, Horizon: Forbidden West… the record goes on. Regardless of the disparate genres, the various budgets, the totally different philosophies of the event studios, all of these video games had one factor in frequent: they’re disturbing.
Whether or not you’re attempting to interrupt the circuits in a Thunderjaw’s fangs or keep away from the razor sharp riposte of a Godskin Noble’s epee, 2022’s video games all put you thru the ringer. However in the event you wanted a relaxation from being blindsided by well-fermented revolution in Pentiment, or smacking your head towards the obtuse world-building of Tunic, there was one place you would go to unwind: the blissed-out ‘Gnarvana’ of OlliOlli World. The sport will likely be provided free to all memebers of PlayStation Plus from February 7 – and I feel it is important you a minimum of give it a go.
Replete with pastel colors, introduced charmingly to life with the pop of an Journey Time artwork type, and coasting on one of the vital chill recreation soundtracks you’re ever more likely to hear, OlliOlli World was a refreshing palate cleanser of a recreation in 2022. It’s not open world, it’s not crammed filled with shit attempting to kill you, and it’s not obtuse to the purpose of irritation. It’s a pleasant, easy ‘what you see is what you get’ kind-of recreation. All you have to do is study your inputs, study the principles of the world, and get your grind on.
In comparison with the likes of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater, this recreation looks like extra of an correct reflection of skating in 2023: this isn’t all ripped denims and punk rock and 6 packs of beer. It’s extra meditative, extra laid again, extra digital. Skaters of all sizes and shapes meet to rejoice the artwork of skateboarding on this peculiar fantasy world the place actually the whole lot appears to exist to make life on the deck higher. Everybody talks about movement, about way of thinking, about zen.
As they need to. As a result of that’s what this recreation excels at. The beating coronary heart of the OlliOlli collection (that is the third recreation) has all the time been the developer’s obsession with getting gamers into the movement state. Suppose an excessive amount of about what your fingers are doing, and also you’re going to bail. Play together with your head – moderately than your physique – and also you’ll eat the curb prior to you’ll be able to say ‘radical’. When you’ve cleared the primary few ranges and discovered the fundamentals about the right way to ollie, when to grind, what manuals can do, and how one can construct (and hold) your momentum, OlliOlli World units you unfastened on its playground world, and asks nothing of you than ‘empty your thoughts’.
When you get into that zen-like state – consider Bart Simpson saying ‘tree falling within the woods, tree falling within the woods’ to himself – the sport opens up. You’ll end up nailing aims with out pause, grabbing excessive scores that can embarrass your pals on the leaderboard, doing methods that’d make even Bob Burnquist blush. As you clear extra areas and sniff out extra secrets and techniques, you’ll additionally unlock extra gear; whether or not you wish to be a fae woodland hippie skating down the sidewalks, or a decked-out emo sk8r boi flipping over industrial waste, you’ll get to reside out your fantasy.
Earlier than you recognize it, it’s 2am (once more), and also you’ve obtained blisters in your thumb pads. You’ve progressed a couple of extra zones into the bizarre, fantastic world of Radlandia, and it’s time for mattress. Higher than any cup of chamomile, any hit of CBD, and most neat whiskeys, OlliOlli World has calmed you down and peaced you out. Even in the event you get trapped in a single notably gnarly little bit of degree design, or if there’s one particular goal you’ll be able to’t fairly full, you’ll have a superb time grinding it out, time and again, as you are feeling your mind unspooling and shedding the load of the day.
It’s a recreation that highlights the perks of free-spirited skating counterculture, all of the whereas offering a masterclass in unputdownable gameplay – all dressed up in a welcoming, encouraging and interesting world. Similar to skateboarding ought to be.
