There’s a new game in town and it is called Rooftop Renegade. Coming from Melonhead Games, stepping up for both development and publishing duties, this promises to be a fast and furious rooftop chase across rooftops as our hero tries to escape using nothing but the power of a pair of rocket powered inline skates. What could be easier, right? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot! Come with me to a world where speed and jumping are your new best friends…
The story of Rooftop Renegade is pretty weak, to be honest, and while it is serviceable, that is about as much as can be said for it. We are a renegade, who has discovered that Globacorp, an evil corporation (is there any other kind?) has been using crystals to do something with portals and this is bad. So what else are we to do but dash across rooftops, grabbing the crystals we see before Globacorp can hoover them up? There is no explanation as to why the crystals appear only on rooftops, and none as to why the most efficient way to gather them up is to whizz around at high speed, shoving them in our pockets, but we have to play the hand we are dealt, so we are left to run, jump, slide and boost through the levels. In depth storytelling this isn’t, but it sets the scene.
The presentation follows the tried and tested (and very familiar just lately) retro looking side scrolling platform style. We start at the left side of each level, and we need to exit the right, and between our start and our goal are a variety of platforms, grind rails and other obstacles. Our hero has a fetching line in headwear, a set of hover boots and the ability to jump and slide, and while there is nothing here that will set the world on fire graphically, the action is very fast and smooth, so swings and roundabouts, you know. Sound is fine as well, with all the effects you’d expect being in place. The music is all very nice as well. In fact, with the speed everything moves at, it is an impressive game to play and watch.
But let’s examine the actual playing of the game and it’s here where we find three basic methods to playing Rooftop Renegade – single player, multiplayer (local only) and a challenge mode based on level “seeds”. Starting at the beginning, the single player draws you in slowly and explains the basics of the game in a gentle manner, so this is the perfect place to begin your journey.
Starting in the traditional left edge of the map, we have to slide, jump and boost our way through the levels, and they get increasingly complex as we go, with multiple paths to take depending on your speed and the interference of Globacorp. You see, once Globacorp show up on the screen, they take potshots at you and usually end up blowing up bits of the path that you were hoping to take, resulting in on the fly course adjustments. Luckily, the controls are up to the job, tight and responsive, leading to a feeling of confidence as you fly through the various levels and obstacles. Boosting to go faster, using the slide function to fall quicker in open air, jumping on bounce pads and through some kind of portal machines, it will soon all become second nature. Rooftop Renegade put me most in mind of a side-on version of Mirror’s Edge, with a strong kind of parkour vibe running through it.
Multiplayer is a similar story, but with a twist. You, and up to three friends take it in turns to be the runner, and set your best time on a level, while the other people play the part of Globacorp gunners, trying their best to interrupt the run and slow the runner down. Once the level is complete, the positions change and the whole thing repeats; the winner is the person who scores the best time on the level. This mode works really well, but expect sniggering from your fellow gamers as they send you crashing through a hole in a rail. In all though, it is a good deal of fun, and very challenging.
Finally, the challenge mode asks you to enter a seed for a level, and then a random layout is drawn up based on what you entered. Apparently the seed can be a word or a number, anything you choose, but I just usually hit the randomise button to see what was thrown up. Some of these levels are extremely challenging indeed, with complicated layouts and many different forces trying to stop you. This is the place to go after finishing the campaign, I feel, as no two runs are the same.
All in all and you should find a good deal of fun in Rooftop Renegade. It isn’t going to set the gaming world alight, but it is fast and challenging whilst the multiplayer mode brings a little bit of creativity into the game. Should you be in the market for a fast and fun little platformer, this is the game you’ve been looking for.
