If you’re a fan of side scrollers and skateboarding then OlliOlli: Switch Stance is a game you should be excited about. It’s been a long time since I’ve played a skateboarding game, or any other sports themed title for that matter, so I was excited to try this one out. OlliOlli developers Roll 7, originally released OlliOlli in 2014 for the PS Vita and from there it’s been ported to numerous other systems. Including the Wii U and 3DS. OlliOlli: Switch Stance packs in both OlliOlli and the sequel OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood (2015). So you get both awesome games in one! Let’s take a look and checkout how these popular titles hold up almost half a decade later on Nintendo’s newest system.
When I used to play Wario Ware on my Gameboy Advance there was a mini game called SKATING BOARD that you could unlock. It was a sidescoller where 9-Volt jumped over obstacles and you tried to reach a high score. As soon as I starting playing OlliOlli that’s what it reminded me of. Except this time you’re trying to pull off tricks, combos and landings, instead of jumping and ducking. When I first started playing I was pretty confused about the controls, but after going through the tutorials and learning how to do the basics it was pretty easy to get the hang of. Usually I’m not one to go through a whole tutorial but I recommend it with OlliOlli. There are a lot of specifics and complicated tricks that you’ll want to learn before you get started.
When you start up the game you can choose to play either OlliOlli or OlliOlli2. From there you are taken to the main menu for that game. Both titles are remotely similar gameplay wise, but OlliOlli 2 amps up the visuals and content making it the better option in my opinion, but just barely. Overall with both games included Switch Stance has around 100 levels, 500 challenges and 300 tricks to master. There’s also a daily grind that changes each day and a couple modes that you can play locally with friends. The levels seem short, but fully completing all of the challenges on each of them will take you some time.
If you ever played any Tony Hawk game then you probably remember having to press a button to perform an ollie and get your skateboard in the air. Well in OlliOlli you use the joystick to control the skateboard and perform tricks, and you need to press the B button at the right time to make a clean landing. Unless you’ve played this game before it might take a little bit to get used to but I liked the way it felt and the game responds well to it. Tricks are sometimes difficult to pull off but it makes them that much more rewarding when you do. There are quite a few combinations of things you can try and it’s a fun challenge trying to execute all of them perfectly.
The only thing that was hard for me to master was pressing the B button before I landed each time. Your score is based on how perfectly you time this. Since the game is so fast paced it can be easy to get caught up in your tricks and then forget to press B before landing. While this did annoy me, I felt that the game would be too easy if you could just roll around doing tricks without any thought to it. So it adds some strategy and a good amount of “challenge” to the experience.
I played through the first OlliOlli before trying out the sequel, and I have to say I really liked those old skool pixelated graphics. Even though it looks similar to a lot of indie titles I’ve played lately, It gives the game a neat, retro arcade vibe that looks really cool. OlliOlli 2 improves on this with a smoother look and feel. Really, the only word to describe OlliOlli 2 is “better”. Visually they’re both a bit minimalistic, but I think it would have been pointless to put tons of detail into them considering the player doesn’t have much time to take in the scenery. Switch Stance looks great docked or in handheld mode. I preferred playing with my pro controller, but its a great game to take on the go and play in small bursts.
I was pretty surprised with how enthralling OlliOlli: Switch Stance is. I’ve played this quite a bit since I downloaded it and still haven’t seen all there is to offer. I can tell you one thing for sure though, this is a fun game that I’m excited to fully master and complete, and that doesn’t happen too often when I’m reviewing an indie game. So if you’re looking for something radical, fun and fast paced to play on your Switch head over to the eshop and checkout OlliOlli: Switch Stance.
Review: OlliOlli: Switch Stance (Nintendo Switch)
Gnarly Bro
OlliOlli: Switch stance is an awesome combination of two great games and packed with fun content. If you’re a skateboarding fan or you just like a good sidescoller then you’ll definitely want to check this one out.