The critically acclaimed OlliOlli World finds its way to Nintendo Switch at the end of this month, with boxed versions of the game hitting retail shelves (no cartridge, just a game code) which should help bolster any ardent collector's Switch game shelf.

In our review of the game we lauded OlliOlli World's chill vibe as well as its steady cadence toward hefty challenge:

Charm isn’t often an overall trait by which games are wholly judged in the review process. There’s a lot that goes into considerations across numerous aspects, and obviously it all needs to coalesce in harmonious ways to reach the higher tiers of critical adjudication, but every so often a game comes across a reviewer’s desk that just oozes with a sort of style. The kind of game whose total presentation bleeds cool. A sheen and delivery of rad, if you will. Where that aspect becomes more than just an aesthetic tick in the creativity department, and features more completely as a pillar of the game’s actual workings and mechanisms. A triumph of total design.

OlliOlli World is such a game...

Standing as the third entry in the series, OlliOlli World is actually a fairly big jump ollie away from the presentations of the first two outings, landing (heh) as something of a marker for developer Roll7 who's enjoying the fruits of being a wholly owned studio under publisher Private Division, which is seeing it go from strength to strength. (Be sure to also check out the excellent Rollderdrome.)

In OlliOlli World, players flip and flow through a vivid, colourful world of Radlandia as they search for the mystical skate gods on a quest for Gnarvana. OlliOlli World’s signature flow-state gameplay represents that perfect balance between focus and relaxation, while super tight controls ensure a silky-smooth ride. The delightful and weird Radlandia welcomes new players with open arms, inviting them to tear down streets without fear of face planting and pull off epic tricks which are gradually taught over a journey across the game’s varied bizarre zones.

You can grab the boxed copy of the game for Nintendo Switch from October 28 for an RRP of $29.95 AUD.

The critically well-received OlliOlli World from developer Roll7 has had its first bout of expansion revealed via a new trailer, highlighting an invasion of the sleepy skatey town of Radlandia by aliens, bringing with them all manner of gnarly trickery when it comes to trying to abscond with your good time vibes.



This invasion has allowed Roll7 to introduce levels that transform more dramatically than in the base game and on-the-fly, no less, while also diving fairly headlong into what the inclusion of aliens to a place named Radlandia might look like.

Extra steezy extraterrestrials, Sair’Rah, Khehvyn, and Pftangxi, have arrived in Radlandia, intent on acquiring skater specimens for the mighty Nebulord. OlliOlli World: VOID Riders brings a brave new world of challenges and space-age gear as you prepare to enter and explore the alien zone, the V.O.I.D. Feel the flow as you skate across the snowed-in Cloverbrook, grind the eerie Sunshine Valley, and visit the storming Burntrock.

While traversing Radlandia, find yourself swept up in an alien abduction featuring a new tractor beam mechanic. Stick the landing and impress Nebulord with your out-of-this-world style and you may just find yourself in favor of becoming his favorite skate alien! Kickflip into the raddest reaches of space in OlliOlli World’s next extraterrestrial adventure.

OlliOlli World: VOID Riders will be available for AUD$14.95.

Players can also purchase the OlliOlli World Rad Edition, a deluxe version of the game, available for AUD$66.95. The Rad Edition includes the base game, OlliOlli World: VOID Riders and the upcoming second expansion (scheduled for late 2022), as well as the “Close Encounter Skate Deck” digital cosmetic item.

As the official info shared above suggests, this is loosely tagged as "2022" in terms of its release window, but if we had to guess we'd suggest you'll be seeing it before the midway point of the year.

Thanks to Private Division and developer Roll7 we have a cool skateboard pack to give away in celebration of the critically-acclaimed OlliOlli World (9/10 on AusGamers), which includes a new skatey and a copy of the game.



There's also a poster and some stickers to go along with the pack, and you can elect your platform of choice as part of the winnings. To keep things simple by way of a game of skill, we're entrusting you with the age old 25 words or less gauntlet, centring around the absolute absurdity of skate trick names.

We only have the one pack to give away, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it your all. And as skaters ourselves (read: me), we'll be judging based on silliness, creativity and even style -- all in keeping with OlliOlli Worlds' most charming bits.

Click here for more and to enter!

We thoroughly enjoy our skate culture gaming here at AusGamers. Action sports, too. But skating games are extra special because the activity that is skateboarding is a transcendent one. And in gaming we see that diversity reflected in its myriad digital representations. Not everything is about Tony Hawk or the X-Games. With that in mind, today we present to you a skating game that embraces skateboarding with a difference -- OlliOlli World from the aptly-titled team at Roll7.



Here's an excerpt from our review:

Oh, I should probably mention there’s a bit of a story here, too. OlliOlli World’s skating epic features your climb to status, deified. You see, this game-world is governed by five Skate Godz. Skaters who’ve shed their mortal coil, transcended material transition for ethereal kickers and exist outside the laws of normality. These cats are the real deal, but what the game readily explains is that they, too, were once like you -- up and coming and raw. A talent for the ages not seen since… well, since the last of the Godz ascended. And along for the ride is your Radlandia cheer squad. A ragtag group of skatniks who fill in the lore of the world of Radlandia for you, while also offering tutorial on the game’s mechanics as well as serving as Challenge prophets, to maintain a theme. And it’s fun. OlliOlli World’s story isn’t necessary or even required. It’s purely aesthetic and entirely skippable, but it’s fun. But when it’s applied in reason to the charm this review has lauded, it becomes something more.

Click here for our full OlliOlli World review.

And plenty has already been said of the game's hyper Adventure Time look and feel, but where it might share a design and aesthetic siblinghood with Cartoon Network's smash series, it differs in what it ultimately delivers -- that is a game centred around the nuance and art of skateboarding; a game that embraces skating's unique transcendent language, where the oratory exists only to help define pure expression.

Or something.



Actually, what today's 'cinematic trailer' (read: not gameplay-driven and wholly animated for the purpose of capturing the opening sentiment of this post) does, is help establish both the new direction for Roll7's skating series moving forward, and to landmark said direction with a sense of wholesale world-building.

In short, this visual package alone could easily sell OlliOlli World's world as a transmedia entity ready to expand beyond button inputs and challenges met, with a Saturday morning and bowl of cereal vibe, or even something more.

We're overdue on an up-to-date preview of the most recent build of the game, but some sort of pandemic struck the respective AusGamers offices, so that's a work in progress at the moment we implore you to stay tuned for. In the meantime, check out the new trailer embedded above, and get ready to nab the game this coming February 8 in either the base edition, or the content-heavier Rad Edition, details of which you can find here.

The indie skate series, OlliOlli, has always packed a bigger punch than it might at first seem. From a seemingly simple pixel-art presentation and its absolutely misleading 2D side-scrolling setup, that in fact hides an incredibly deep set of gameplay systems, through to its skate culture embrace that is thoroughly on-point, the series is just larger than life.

OlliOlli World, as we've explored in-depth somewhat recently, is the next major evolution in the series and looks to take it to new heights. But while visuals and reinvigored art are one thing, what remains true is Roll7's commitment to the cultural elevation of skating, and in this case, that starts with the game's music.

At the recent Golden Joysticks Awards, part of the game's soundtrack was unveiled, with a full official Spotify playlist ready to roll through your ears. This is eclectic instrumental chill-beat with tangents of drum and bass, chip-tune and more of this and that peppered throughout. And it's glorious.

"Music has always been a key component in OlliOlli games as it constitutes an integral part of the flow-state gameplay of the series”, explains Simon Bennett (via press release), Co-CEO at Roll7, who also announced the Best Audio award during the show. “We are thrilled to share these captivating tunes created by outstanding independent musicians from around the world.”

Here's the revealed artists thus far, along with their tracks appearing in the game:

• Shimmer by Fardust
  
• Arps by Nikitich
  
• Darling Gardens by Midflite
  
• Panoramas by Woodwire
  
• Avalanche by Fardust, Azureskye
  
• Can’t Sleep by Adam Swim
  
• Leaps and Bounds by Cotton Claw
  
• Not so Much by Nikitich

What's missing, of course, is tunes from this incredible local artist (hope you're listening, Roll7).

OlliOlli World is slated for a Q1 release in 2022, so stay tuned for more on the game as it becomes available and give both links above a whirl -- they'll each make your day better. Trust me.

We recently had a chance to grill the OlliOlli World dev team at Roll7 on their skateboarding action-platformer, after having had some time with the game, which you can read about in the link above. Chief among the brief conversation was that new direction in art and presentation, something the studio is very proud of.

"We really wanted to create an illustrated look that’s welcoming," the studio told us. "The soft, pastel-like gloopy graphics, the whole game, really, is built with that idea of flow in mind which comes through the art and into the gameplay. We actually reflected back on classic skate art from the 80s a lot as inspiration, too, as part of this process -- which was always very zany and goofy!

"From a development perspective it certainly gave us a lot more freedom with things – for example, how we're able to animate tricks and rotation in 3D compared to before when we were using pixel art doing each one frame by frame."

Click here for our Roll7 OlliOlli World interview in full.

Destined to redefine the way you think about skateboarding games, OlliOlli World from Roll7 is a dev-described "skateboarding action-platformer", which is a neat way of saying "this ain't your pop's Tony Hawks's Pro Skater, kid". What the game is, is a triumph for all things skateboarding cultural, not the least of which is the series' rebooted visual presentation which absolutely pops.

Think Adventure Time and... yeah, that's all you really need to think of, but here it works. From walking trees in the background to talking, money-hungry frogs, OlliOlli World is jam packed with colourful life.

We capped some video and put together a less-than-five-minute video preview for your viewing pleasure alongside a handy written feature featuring the full video script. Here's a snippet:

The game comes packed with in-level goals, whether it’s completing a Mike’s Challenge or uncovering secret paths, or running into one of the game’s kooky characters, there’s plenty to do.

And while these are fun and engaging there’s just something special about stringing together your own combos that feels elevated here.

And in addition to your own expression, Roll7’s biome variation feeds back into the studio’s renewed focus on presentation, so OlliOlli World feels different every time you play.

Click here for the full OlliOlli World video feature.