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By allowing players to link chains of tricks across areas of flat ground, Roll7 has enabled spiralling score multipliers.

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But in a game of such speed, where furious stick movements are required to wring maximum points from every second, nailing solid manuals that don't sap energy presents a definite challenge.Īnd the two forms of manual have a significant impact that echoes that seen in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. Holding back or forward on the stick while pressing X to land is all that's needed. In OlliOlli2, manuals manifest themselves as a more elaborate landing technique that can be used to traverse stretches of open ground. A split-screen local multiplayer mode is due via an update, but for now OlliOlli2 remains a captivating solitary experience. Revert manuals are also introduced, adding a 180 degree rotation into the movement, upping both complexity and scoring potential in tandem.

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If the Challenges collectively have a little more intelligence in this sequel, they're backed up by new tricks, and most significantly the debut of the manual - an update which divided the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater audience when introduced to that series in 2000.įor those not au fait with skateboarding parlance, a manual is a 'wheelie' - a trick where you roll along on just the front or back two wheels. The Challenges are OlliOlli2's guiding hand and cruel master. Others counter bad habits, pulling the player away from falling back on the same tricks and grinds for every run. Some Challenges serve as a masterclass in speed management, for example, control of which is crucial as the game enters its Pro chapter.

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What makes the Challenges so good is that, like the most thoughtful Trophies and Achievements, they encourage exploration of the full sweep of OlliOlli2's systems, engendering a variety of play-styles and gently nudging the player towards a true understanding of the game. Passing a level's five Challenges opens up its harder cousins in Pro and then Rad mode, and even by the later Amateur stages, they will test the mettle of the hardiest of twitch and arcade gamers. These range from scoring goals and lists of required tricks, to treasure hunts and sadistic time constraints. The true game, however, lies elsewhere, lurking within the 'Challenges', five of which are assigned to each level. Making it to the finish line without crashing to the ground is enough to get by on, and this alone provides an enjoyable, simple experience with a handful of standout moments. To merely clear an OlliOlli2 stage and unlock the next - at least within the bounds of the opening 25 'Amateur' stages - is a fairly simple business. The manual debuts in OlliOlli's second outing, and you'll be doing it a lot. Initially, like skateboarding itself, it can feel somewhat counterintuitive, but OlliOlli2's controls swiftly reveal themselves as a superb way to weave together linked sets of flips, grinds, and several newly introduced tricks. Stick rotations take skater from crouched, coiled spring through the trick and back to the ground, before a well-timed stab of the X button secures that landing and the speed at which the board rolls on. The elegant control system of the first game also returns, borrowing from the conventions of arcade fighters as much as the tricks used in EA's Skate series. Pushing the difficulty further still is 'Rad' mode, available to those that can meet a taxing list of unlock requirements.

Once again, OlliOlli2 delivers a collection of short levels, spread along a meticulously plotted difficulty curve that makes its way from accessible to distinctly challenging across 50 core stages. The result is a more polished, attractive game, even as, mechanically, much remains familiar. It's all delivered with a subtly reworked aesthetic, the pixel art-leanings of the original OlliOlli, replaced by smoother, cleaner lines.

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OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood takes its name from a new setting: a movie studio tour that justifies a range of visual styles, from Westerns to science fiction. Much will be overtly familiar to those who lost hours to the first game, as Roll7 have wisely taken the path of refinement. And it happened to be a damn fine example of modern twitch, too.Ī little over a year later, and OlliOlli's sequel is here. Retreating from realism, OlliOlli got closer to what is at the heart of skateboarding than most other games could dream of. Roll7's console debut, despite abstracting its subject matter into a 2D twitch side-scroller, captured the rhythm and flow of skateboarding, right down to its use of kinetic energy and the sheer presence of those landings. It's clear to anybody with a knowledge of skateboarding that the team behind the original OlliOlli understood the sport at the centre of their game. Roll7's stripped-back charmer returns - and clever tweaks ensure that it's capturing the glory of skateboarding better than ever.