Polyroll

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Retro Rollers Bundle, along with Panic Porcupine)

Polyroll is a family-friendly Platformer released on iOS in 2012, and was ported to PC and Nintendo Switch in 2019. This game seems like it was designed by someone who played Sonic the Hedgehog and said, “okay, but what if this wasn’t so fast, and played a bit more like a Mario game?”, and while Sonic fans reading this are no doubt mortified, I would actually argue the result is pretty good.

While Polyroll is generally much more leisurely-paced than a typical Sonic game, much of the game design feels similar, with bright, colorful levels created using 2D pixel art visuals, and some pretty catchy chiptune music, with some noteworthy tunes including Seafoam Acres, Marble Museum, Dice Palace, and Frozen Desert.

The level design here has you moving to a Sonic-esque goal while collecting gems (in place of rings), and gaining different kinds of shields that surround you and bestow different abilities, but you’ll be doing more deliberate platforming and won’t be racing through the levels. Instead, there’s a bit more emphasis on exploration and varied level design. And, you know, it actually works pretty well.

I suppose, by not fully embracing either Sonic’s speed and flow or Mario’s full-blown exploration and creative level design, it doesn’t top either franchise when they’re at their best, and it’s far from breaking any new ground or doing anything especially original, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and found its well-crafted gameplay and solid level design to be well worth playing, especially at the game’s current price of $5, which I think is a steal.

Fans of Sonic and Mario games may not find Polyroll to be very original, but ultimately I think any fan of Platformers will appreciate this as an enjoyable blend of those two franchises at a superb price point. This game is well worth picking up.

tl;dr – Polyroll is a family-friendly Platformer that plays like a midway point between a Sonic game and a Mario game, and the result is something that’s actually pretty enjoyable. It’s definitely not going to win any prizes for originality, but what it lacks in originality it more than makes up for with well-crafted gameplay and quality level design. Add to that an appealing $5 price tag and you have a game that Platformer fans should definitely check out.

Grade: B+

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