Relax in a Skateboard Fantasy World, OlliOlli World Exclusive Interview with Roll7

With the announcement of OlliOlli World, fans and fans of the skateboard genre can now look forward to a new game that looks so promising. Apart from the visual quality and style that is so unique, this latest series also brings interesting platforming gameplay mechanisms that are rarely found on the market.

In addition to having the opportunity to try OlliOlli World directly through a special demo version, we have also conducted an exclusive interview session with John Ribbins as Creative Director and Tom Hegarty as Co-CEO developer Roll7. In this interview session we got more interesting information about the development process and what makes it so special. Instead of being curious, just take a look at the full summary below!

Responding to the Reception Received

Since OlliOlli World was announced at the Indie World Showcase a few months ago, the developer has been really happy with the reception that fans have given to the game. John admitted that they were afraid because there were so many aspects that were changed, especially from the visual approach from the pixel art style which has now become 3D. They deliberately kept this project secret very well and did not directly respond to fan requests for the presence of OlliOlli 3. The many requests and feedback they received made the game development process continue to be driven with the ambition to create a new series that is different. In the end, the reception they received paid off their hard work, and now Roll7 has really put their full focus on polishing the game before it’s ready to be released.

Tom went on to explain “We think it’s closer to an evolution than a straight third game. It’s not like how we immediately took the concept from the second game and used the same base, but we had to build it all over again from scratch. We saw what could be brought back from the previous two series, while adding something that wasn’t there yet. Like what if the previous game brought gameplay that was so hardcore, for OlliOlli World we wanted to make it more accessible.”

Evolution from Previous Series

Apart from the visual aspect, Roll7 developers want to make OlliOlli World a series that can bring new evolution from various aspects. This is especially emphasized in the gameplay, where in the previous two series players were presented with a linear progression system like most platformer games, in this new series they want to give more freedom to what players want to do. For example, the level design now includes 3D graphics which allows for different route options to be taken, thus automatically adding extra replayability. Players will still be presented with challenging levels, but the difficulty level itself will not be as high as the previous two games.

The freedom to play becomes an attraction that is trying to be emphasized from various aspects in the game. So instead of just focusing on a progression system that is no longer linear or level design with different paths, players can play any level they want, including the way they want to do it. Sometimes players will be presented with extra challenges given by NPCs, or they can pass them in order to maximize their playing skills first. Although it is a new evolution, playing skills in OlliOlli World in the end still focuses on your actions in executing skateboard tricks.

John explained, “It’s easy to compare it with previous games that still use 2D, and the staff who worked on the game had to draw every frame so that every trick could be in the game. Switching to 3D gave us the freedom of being able to rotate the character model, eliminating the need to draw every frame of the animation. Because the game has more mechanics, it gives us the freedom to create interactions between tricks when controlled with an analog stick.”

So the visual approach that has now become 3D turns out to provide the developer team with convenience, moreover they can implement more mechanics that make the game more fun to play. This automatically allows players to express themselves with a wide variety of combos that can be executed in one go. John and Tom even said that their QA team could play the game with such a tricky trick with a limited amount of time in the air. But on the other hand, players can always enjoy their time more relaxed because the game approach is more friendly to newcomer players.

Efforts to Satisfy Old and New Fans

Because it comes as a new series from a franchise that has a loyal following, of course there is a challenge for Roll7 to ensure that old fans are still satisfied with the quality that the game has to offer. In order to answer these expectations, Tom then explained that the old fans must still really like the level of difficulty offered. They can even test their skills at a higher level with various extra challenges, which of course can be even more extreme for old fans who are aiming for the best scoring record. The point is that the high difficulty level which was the main focus in the old game is still maintained and is an open option in OlliOlli World.

In addition to old fans, this game was also developed specifically to be more friendly to newcomer players as well. If in the previous two games the players were forced to follow the pacing of each level according to their playing skills, then in OlliOlli World the barrier is no longer there. Every player who jumps into the game can enjoy the sensation of playing that is more free, fun, and still offers challenges that can be adjusted according to how much PD the player can complete. Tom then added that this is indeed a top priority that they want to bring to OlliOlli World so they can reach more new players, but at the same time still provide a high level of difficulty option for old fans who want to get back to testing their skills.

Creating Radlandia, Skateboarders’ Paradise

Changes in art style and graphic visualization to 3D are the new attractions that make OlliOlli World so unique in the eyes of many fans. The factor that drives this big change is also related to how the development team wants to bring characters and storylines into the game. Another comparison related to the previous game is how players feel the sensation of skateboarding and only focus on completing linear levels, while in OlliOlli World players will be taken on an adventure with new friends they will meet along the way.

This is the part that makes the setting in this game, namely the island of Radlandia, the main star. With a fantasy world setting that feels magical, they can add unique characters to the game that are not only limited to humans, but also other living things such as talking frogs, tree humans, giant bees, and many more. This opportunity to interact with so many interesting characters is a special element to maximize the OlliOlli experience that fans have never experienced before.

The development team at Roll7 deliberately did not create realistic skateboarding games with official brands, but rather took elements from the culture or culture of the skateboarding world into a new game where they could express their creativity freely. For example, for Radlandia, they have gone through a long process of bringing this setting to life as well as adding background stories that fans can learn from, such as the history behind areas like Cloverbrook and many more. The unique and strange elements that OlliOlli World offers will indirectly be the best attraction that makes it so special.

When is the Game Released?

OlliOlli World itself is scheduled to be released this winter for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. The release of this game also supports the availability of subtitles in various languages ranging from English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and many more from America and Europe.

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