Roller Champions has had an interesting life cycle so far. Not much has been shown beyond the initial reveal and a handful of betas over the past three years. However, the game is finally out, and after spending countless hours diving into its fast-paced action, I’m a huge fan of its addictive gameplay and collectible and playful nature.
Roller Champions consists of short games of about seven minutes in which two teams of three players compete for five points. These points are awarded by gliding around an oval arena and playing the ball between your team and preventing the other team from stealing it.
After clearing the four checkpoints, the goal attached to the edge of the arena will open and you can choose to score a goal by throwing the ball into the goal. However, you can also increase the bet, as rounding the arena up to three times will increase the points a goal will earn you. Slide once and score and complete the game in a single match by sliding and scoring one point, twice three points or three times by sliding on the arena.
I’ve spent so many hours over the past week and fell in love with the dynamic team-based gameplay after grasping the game’s unique moveset which included fighting and pumping.
What I quickly discovered with Roller Champions is that you can’t go it alone and score a goal alone unless you want to get crushed like a pancake at 11am and get knocked down by all three opponents. Instead, you need to switch between your teammates and make the most of pumping to build momentum and get past the current player carrying the ball.
You can also stand next to a member of your team and hit the bumper of your controller to quickly propel yourself forward, allowing you to pass, shoot, and clear the other team’s ball or to overtake an opponent. further away.
Combining all of these moves is incredibly satisfying, and once your team has mastered each move and worked together, you’ll enter a loop of immersive and rewarding gameplay. This increases even more when you decide to move up the ranks of Roller Champions.
The best part is that the basics of the game are so simple that communication via voice chat is not required to pass. Hopefully, this puts the game in a good position to retain a player base, as it’s definitely one of the less intense and less stressful multiplayer games on the market today.
A cool atmosphere and simple controls give Roller Champions a very good sense of accessibility, thanks to an excellent licensed soundtrack. This also means that the game’s free-to-play business model will also contribute to this.
The game has almost no progression system built into the core experience
Customization in Roller Champions is very similar to Fall Guys, as there are simple character creation tools to craft your skater, as well as obtainable gear items such as skates and outfits. You don’t have to tinker with dozens of skins or tons of different cosmetic categories, but they’re unlocked through loot boxes (aptly called Lootballs).
These can be earned in-game. Individual items and bundles of items can then be purchased with real money from a premium shop. Finally, the Roller Champions Roller Pass includes some cosmetics and some Lootballs.
And while the cosmetics are fairly simple, their lack is frustrating. The game has almost no progression system built into the base experience with Roller Pass, and you have to spend real money to get something exciting.
Wheels, the primary in-game currency, cannot be earned in-game for more than the total amount required to purchase next season’s Roller Pass. This means that you cannot buy anything from the Item Shop without buying more currency with your own money. Also, there aren’t many Lootballs in the game, they’re restricted to a few slots in the Roller Pass and can be unlocked here and there with a weekly challenge.
The first season feels like a more limited launch season with bigger plans. But right now, the progression and customization available in-game is well below what would be considered the minimum for a free-to-play game in 2022.
While the game only offers two main modes with a few ad-hoc one-off modes and a subtle progression system, Roller Champions is an absolute winner.
This launch week, I spent dozens of hours playing the game listening to podcasts, playing a show in the background, and just using it to relax in the evenings. So while Roller Champions is worth a try, don’t expect this to be your new hardcore multiplayer addiction. Hopefully the progression and customization options improve with each new season.
Source : The Load Out
