Rolled Out Review

 

A Great Precedent-A Rolled Out Review

Ever since Sega released Super Monkey Ball 2 and subsequently fumbled the series into obscurity fans have craved a return to form for the classics. Rolled Out sought to answer the prayers of those dear fans in a very on the nose spiritual successor to Sega’s now floundering monkey ball series. (Note that as of this review Rolled Out is currently in Early access so some parts of this review may change with time)

Keeping The Ball Rolling

Make no mistake, Rolled Out is a near one to one recreation of the original monkey ball physics engine, and it feels just as polished as ever. The only difference lies in the game’s one mechanic to set it apart-a slow motion meter that charges up based on how many coins (which serve the same function as bananas from monkey ball) you’ve collected. I really liked this mechanic as it helped to alleviate some of the challenges you encounter maneuvering on narrow platforms that come right over from super monkey ball. 

Despite not adding much, Polarbyte and Skymap Games have a stronghold on game design and adding in new level gimmicks to keep things interesting. For example, in one set of levels violent wind gusts will prevent you from falling down as fast, allowing for extremely fun vertical gameplay not ever seen before in these types of games. Rolled Out is a wondrous example on how to stay very close to the feel of a game you are taking inspiration from and yet keeping yourself distinct enough to not feel like a rip off. 

Importance to Industry

Rolled Out to me represents far more than just a video game. It shows that if fans truly desire something and work together, they can essentially revive long forgotten series through their passion. Personally, I’d love to see a crop of these games based around fallen franchises that serve to provide to those fans who have been left yearning for so long. I truly hope that Rolled Out sets a precedent for these types of games in the future. 

Early Access Woes

Now, because the game has not been finished yet, I’d like to spend time in this section suggesting future fixes to polish this wonderful base of a game. First, I feel like coins just aren’t special enough to replace the bananas of the Monkey Ball series. The bananas were directly tied to the theming of a game tied around monkeys, but this game which has a variety of playable animals should have something more thematic than placeholder coins. Next, and I am sure this will be addressed, but the UI is all very amateur and feels more like placeholder numbers than anything truly special. I feel like changing something as basic as the timer and level font could go a long way in keeping a consistent art style. 

Verdict

Rolled Out is a game I will be keeping a very close eye out in the future hoping for a smooth development. This game could play precedent to a whole series of spiritual successors in the future, and with that I hope all goes well. As for the game itself, the gameplay is perfectly polished and the only work left to be done lies on the art and UI front, I am excited for what the future holds.

9/10-Rolling Through Early Access


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