Leap into Urban Acrobatics?
Back in the 2000’s, parkour was all the rage, with the real-world acrobatics merging into the video game and film scenes. We had James Bond trying his hand at it in Casino Royale, but then we also had the likes of Mirror’s Edge and the whole Assassin’s Creed franchise leading the way in rooftop acrobatics and death-defying jumps from above.
These games worked a parkour mechanic, building it in with a story or narrative. In fact, I don’t think a game has ever celebrated this sport for just what it is. Until now that is, because we now have the solo and multiplayer game, with the most longest of titles – Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game.
Urban Playground
There isn’t a story or overarching narrative to anything that you do in Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game; it’s just all about the skills and how you navigate some urban areas using a mixture of parkour and tricks. You can make up a narrative or give yourself a cool name if you like though, something you may wish to do because there are elements of it that remind of the Tony Hawk games, focusing on the mechanics and the gameplay.
You start the game with a much-needed tutorial, giving the chance for you to learn the basics of parkour through a sort of VR assault course. You learn to jump and hold onto ledges, do standing power jumps across spaces, and how to flow your running with your leaps and movement, all as one. Soon you learn to roll as you land and action tricks in mid-air, pulling off twists and vaults.
Solo Stunts or Multiplayer Madness
Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game is playable as a solo affair, or with friends or strangers online, capable of handling up to three people. There are six maps on offer, each with an urban edge to them, full of streets and vertical things to play with. It’s an open world in its feel and there is nothing guiding you from the off – it’s up to you to go out there and make your own fun.
This fun might consist of little areas that give you mini-missions or quests, time trials or score tasks. These can be a good place to start in Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game, as you look to prove that you can transfer your skills from the training ground into the real world.
Ragdolling!
Medal collection is a focus, as you look to build scores in order to beat Bronze, Silver, or Gold medals via your actions. If you fail a trick or action there is some strange rag doll physics at play when the character sort of flops to the ground and you have to press a button to pick yourself up again.
Multiplayer is where the real potential of the game sits, and it’s here where it will live or die. With some online randoms or friends, you can test your skills against each other, or play games like Tag. Believe me, there is a lot of fun to be had here, as well as in the capture-the-flag mode as well.
To ensure that multiplayer scene stays alive, going forward the game definitely needs more things for the player to get involved with, possibly more maps to play around in. In solo, it could do with further challenges and objectives too, because certain gamers – read: me – aren’t great with those games that lack purpose.
Tony Hawk Vibes
Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game has a visual style and tone that remind a lot of those Tony Hawk skating games from yesteryear. Of course, they are better than those older titles, but it definitely has the same feel. The menus are clear and concise too, however, while the characters are fine, it is a bit generic. The soundtrack is good too, without being remarkable and there are effects that again work nicely with the gameplay.
A Niche Parkour Playground for Friends
I never thought I would be playing a parkour game in 2025, but Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game is worth checking out. It does feel a bit old-school in terms of the open world and the need to create your own entertainment, rather than being constantly guided. It works nicely though, and the mechanics are cleverly crafted. Multiplayer is where most of the fun of Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game will be found, but that will then depend on a player base going forward. If you’re looking to play solo, you may wish for more objectives to focus on.
Ultimately, should you be looking for a game that nails parkour then Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game does just that.
Important Links
Pigeons x Jumping – Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game Launches on PC & Console – https://www.thexboxhub.com/pigeons-x-jumping-rooftops-alleys-the-parkour-game-launches-on-pc-console/
Buy Rooftops & Alleys on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/rooftops-alleys-the-parkour-game/9p55kht5533x
