OlliOlli Shreds On Vita Jan. 21st

Gamers with a heart still rooted in the skateboarding culture of the 90’s have something to look forward to at the end of the month, as tricked-out grindfest OlliOlli finally makes its way to the U.S. PlayStation Vita on January 21st, followed by a European release on January 22nd.

Ah, the 90’s. It was a simpler time, one where boy bands ruled, Nickelodeon still had a fantastic line-up and skateboards were a sign of unimaginable coolness. Who needed a car when you had baggy jeans, a backwards cap and four wheels bolted to a plank of wood? Even better if the Jones’ recently had their pool drained and they’d be on vacation for a couple of weeks.

Now gamers on the go can relive all of that skateboarding goodness thanks to OlliOlli, due out in a couple of weeks via PSN and boasting a 2D field for players to roll down as carefully (or crazily) as possible. The object is simple: Keep that board rolling for as long as possible. You’ll have just one life at your disposal, chasing after the highest score with an arsenal of 120 tricks and grinds and more than 100 “deviously crafted” levels and 250 challenges, according to developer Roll7.

“OlliOlli rewards the most skilful and riskiest of players, always tempting you to go for that massive 360 Inward Heelflip and ludicrous chain of combos, leaving you to time your landing to perfection or risk losing your score” reads a statement from the developer. “The whole game is hand-drawn in pixelly loveliness, which is no mean feat considering the number of tricks, grinds, slams and stages.”

OlliOlli features multiple game modes, according to a recent post on the PlayStation Blog, including a career mode with 50 levels sporting five challenges each. There are Amateur and Pro levels to shred through, too, with “Spots” being unlocked by completing levels.

Those spots can then be utilized in Spot Mode, each built with the ability to combine one huge combo all the way to the end.

There’s also a Daily Grind and RAD Mode, the first of which gives you new Spot Challenges on a daily basis while the other turns up the intensity to 11, requiring absolute perfection in tricks and landings if you don’t want your run halted.

As you might expect out of a modern game built around repetitive runs and high score chases, every mode also sports its own leaderboards, letting players know how well, or how poorly, they’re doing compared to the rest of the world.

There’s also four-player gameplay thrown in for good measure, a soundtrack featuring the likes of Qemists, Dorian Concept and Flako, as well as a handful of trophies for those who have just gots to earn that digital bling.

“At PlayStation, we’re delighted to be working with the talented Roll7 to bring the savagely addictive genius of OlliOlli to the PS Vita,” said SCEE Senior Business Development Manager, Shahid Ahmad. “We loved OlliOlli from the first prototype and can’t wait for PlayStation fans to play this beautifully crafted game on their PS Vitas.”