Sometimes, cheap games with easy achievements can transcend the dreaded ‘shovelware’ moniker and, dare I say it, turn out to actually be quite fun. Roll Mad is one such game, and for less than a quid can provide you with a good couple of hours of fun.
Roll Mad is the latest title from Entity3, a developer that has dabbled in this type of ball-rolling game before. That was Sky Roll!, and naively, I was expecting a carbon copy of that. But I am happy to announce, I was wrong; these two play very differently indeed.
Whereas Sky Roll! was a slower affair, Roll Mad feels a lot more arcade-like. Channelling the likes of Kula World and Marble Madness, you must roll a ball through 50 levels, avoiding all manner of traps and obstacles. It’s a simple premise, tried and tested over time, but pulled off pretty well in Roll Mad.
The ball rolls a lot faster than the previous game and is able to slow down quite quickly. For the most part, it controls as you would expect it to, something that is crucial in a physics-based game. Even when you ‘get got’ by one of the obstacles, it’s not like you can blame the game for your failings. You need to be precise to avoid them, but it never feels unfair in that sense.
Along the way there are two types of coins to collect: yellow, for purchasing new skins for your ball, and red, harder to find but purely for achievement purposes. The new skins are typically what you would expect for a ball-shaped avatar – different pool balls, sports balls etc. But old-school rollers will see the beach ball themed ball and not need to look any further.
In between you and these precious coins however, are obstacles, obstacles and more obstacles. Don’t let the first few levels lull you into a false sense of security; later levels quickly get filled with all kinds of trouble. There are spikes, lava pits, false tiles and pipes that spit green stuff in all directions to mention just a few. There is even an eye that shoots lasers out of it if you pass its line of vision. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Roll Mad is a stealth game, but sneaking past these eyes is definitely the right tactic to go for.
And if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the later levels will kill you by just how long they are. Gravity is always against you, as you roll on narrow platforms, but some of these levels really test your skills with how far you have to travel. Not in a tedious way mind you, but the fact you only have three lives per level means that there will be some squeaky bum moments as you try and complete the last section on your final attempt.
There are checkpoints but if you lose all your lives you must start again from the beginning, and coins will need to be collected again.
There was another, larger issue. But halfway through writing this review it has now been patched. Previously, Roll Mad was not keeping track of your progress on the level select screen, meaning you would need to complete the game in one sitting. Or risk Quick Resume. Thankfully it has now been fixed and as a bonus, it has recorded your progress in the background; it now shows you it too!
Each level has three stars to earn and – whilst not immediately obvious – these are based on the number of coins collected. And as you progress, the coin placements get more and more tricky. Is the risk/reward worth it for another coin for a skin you will never use?
You may want to play it with the music off though. As is typical with these types of games, there is only one bit of music throughout and it quickly gets tiresome. Alternative song suggestions include Rollin’ by Limp Bizkit, Rolling in the Deep by Adele or anything by The Rolling Stones.
Sure, it’s (dirt) cheap and cheerful, but above all else, Roll Mad is fun. Presentation wise, it is a bit lacking, but what are you expecting for a game that costs less than a pound? Certainly not 50 levels with a difficulty curve that gets pretty high. Don’t come in expecting the ball-rolling physics game to end all games, but come for an hour or two of simple fun and, perhaps even better, easy achievements.
Important Links
Roll Mad Rolls Onto Xbox For Less Than The Price Of A Chocolate Bar – https://www.thexboxhub.com/roll-mad-rolls-onto-xbox-for-less-than-the-price-of-a-chocolate-bar/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/roll-mad/9NC49K9NSDMK/0010
