One of my favourite games growing up was the incomparable Jet Set Radio.

There was just something so daring, flashy and creative about its whole getup – grinding around tracks, spray painting walls, getting out of the dodge before the police show up.

It’s a franchise that truly deserves its flowers and one I’m regularly amazed SEGA haven’t recently revisited among the vast treasure trove of riches they’re sat on.

Rollerdrome is not Jet Set Radio, even though the game’s comic-book, cel-shaded esque vibe bares more than a passing resemblance to it. But it’s also not Tony Hawks either despite the comparisons we made in our preview. It’s a game that’s very much its own thing, but pays so much respect and homage to great, classic franchises in ways few other games do that you can’t help reminiscing.

From the moment I got my skates on, to that first, death, Acid Drop action shot that saw me tear through mobs, down to incredibly satisfying grenade shots that take out a load of enemies, I was hooked on Rollerdrome.

It really is one of the most satisfying, mechanically smooth variations on a stunt racer that I’ve seen in quite some time, but then Roll 7 up the ante with guns, explosions, and laser beams.

This is not a game to take lightly. It’s one that makes you work hard to love it and so to progress, you have to wade through increasingly difficult challenges that will test your patience and resolve. You start simply enough with multipliers and token gathering, but soon you’ll need to defeat two enemies with the same bullet, perfectly dodge and weave your way through rockets and mines, and even perform tricky stunts on the slimmest halfpipe.

One concern we cited in our preview was whether the game could hold up on its merits over the long term. For the most part, I would definitely say that it does, there’s new weapons to add to your arsenal, some intriguing enemy types to go up against and the exploration scenes in between each stage of the tournament, really depict a fascinating interesting world that I wanted to learn more about.

See how Rollerdrome successfully blends the likes of Max Payne and Tony Hawks together!

The stages do stay within a similar theme, however, which was a little bit disappointing. I would have loved to have seen a bit more variety, exploring some unique environments, especially from the final. But what Roll 7 do with these stages to open them up and create different pitfalls within them is really smart and still manages to keep the action fresh.

But yes, this is a really tough game and that may sound pretty off-putting to people from the get-go. Fortunately, the accessibility and assist options provided are really generous and will easily carry you through all the content if you want them to. From Invincibility, to Infinite Ammo, you can coast through without getting a scratch and still see everything Rollerdrome has to offer. The caveat? Your scores won’t be listed on the online leaderboards. A small price to pay, at least initially.

That can also be used as a good way to help you get used to the levels, learn your tricks, time your reloads, use bullet time correctly, and work out enemy weaknesses. Then when you’re a bit more comfortable with the fast-paced action, level layouts and how to stay fast and furious, you can essentially take the stabilisers off and play for real.

Because, honestly, there’s a lot to learn in Rollerdrome. You’re still learning ways to get around past its opening stages and will need to make use of your advanced training to the full to unlock challenges and compete for high scores, like killing a stooge while wallrunning, for instance.

As we said in the Preview, though, it all handles and plays so well. You’re constantly on your toes, while trying to figure out your next move, determining the right weapon to use in each instance, and figuring out the best way to get the drop on everyone while keeping yourself safe. Nothing really plays quite like Rollerdrome out there at the moment, which makes it a really special, intelligently designed and mostly enjoyable experience.

But as we eluded to above, there’s also a really interesting story bubbling around in the background. While the games are certainly the main draw here, this depiction of the future can be explored through other characters, overhearing conversations, leftover literature and notes scribbled around. You’ll get emails sent to you that offer opportunities and even get some banter from rivals in the competition. The information is all in fragments and it’s up to you to piece it together to really understand the game’s deeper messaging, what’s prompting this violence and how the rest of the world is responding to it.

There’s a ton to learn and master here, and you get the feeling speedrunners and completionists are going to have a blast with this in the weeks and months ahead. From its stunning presentation to the stylistic nuances, Rollerdrome just oozes confidence and charisma at every turn.

Summary

If you ever loved Tony Hawks, Jet Set Radio, Max Payne or any/all of the above, you should definitely look into Rollerdrome. It’s a smart, well-designed, polished genre hybrid that genuinely does something a bit different while still giving you a game you’ll enjoy and be familiar with.

Pros

+ Combat and action that flows wonderfully
+ Lots to learn and master across your arsenal
+ Increasingly challenging enemy variety that require their own strategies
+ An intricate world to explore in between domes
+ Great Assist and Accessibility Options