Rolling Sky Review

Every week, there are a multitude of new titles added to the Nintendo Switch’s eShop, from new AAA titles to small indie gems. Unfortunately this also means that some developers and publishers look to capitalise on this new and explosive market by porting just about anything and everything. Rolling Sky falls into this category as a port of a mobile game that’s more of a cash grab than an actual, enjoyable and meaningful gaming experience.

Rolling Sky is an endless runner game where you control a ball as you roll, dodge and bounce your way through levels filled with a multitude of obstacles. There are two ways to control your ‘ball’ – either via motion controls or by using the left thumbstick. This may be one of the only times I will ever say this but the motion controls are the better way to play this game. The gyro controls gives you the ability to make smaller, nuanced movements that are basically impossible when using the thumbstick. The sensitivity of the thumbstick is unbelievably high, so much so that moving the stick halfway to the left will tear you all the way to the edge of the playable area, sometimes even throwing you off the edge and killing you. You are forced to hold these positions (sometimes within a single block radius) to dodge obstacles or make it to jump pads, which is made remarkably tough with the thumbsticks on the Joy-Con controllers. Of course, the Pro Controller would be an obvious better option, but with its mobile roots this is clearly a game meant to be played on the go.

Welcome To The Purple Void. Population: My Sanity

The Gates Open To My Own Personal Hell

There are 38 levels included with the game. Each level has its own themed obstacles and music, including basketball hoops, Halloween cemeteries and laser-filled rave stages. The music included in these levels is probably the most enjoyable part of the entire game (even if it does sound like the most ‘public domain’ music out there). The idea is that you use the music to time your movements, but even that doesn’t stay try through all of the levels. Unfortunately, you’ll most likely only listen to the first few seconds of each track over and over again as you try to progress little by little into each stage. Trying to get a handle on the controls and the sometimes fairly ridiculous opening few moments will force you to retry stages multiple times to even progress a few seconds.

Final Thoughts

At a price point of $15 AUD, this game almost feels predatory. The lack of effort in making the port function any differently to its mobile phone counterpart (which is free on the Google Play store, mind you) is a stark reminder of the fact that some companies don’t care about their audience as much as their wallets.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch // Review code supplied by publisher

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