When famous landmarks are transported into space by a cackling skull-shaped UFO, it falls upon not the army or even superheroes to retrieve them, but rather the planet’s sports stars with their powerful backhands and precision slapshots. It’s a simple premise, but enough to facilitate a jaunt around the globe, with this being an arcade-style platformer (think Snow Bros. and Parasol Stars) that has the world’s remaining landmarks as its backdrops. The UK is represented by good ol’ Stonehenge, if you’re wondering.
Out of those previously mentioned comparisons, it resembles Snow Bros. the closest. The alien invaders are defeated by bouncing short range balls which will trap them in a larger ball, much like Snow Bros’ snowball system. Said sports ball (or hockey puck!) can then either be slammed into other enemies, or frenziedly ridden until it explodes, often taking you from one side of the screen to the other. Alternatively, trapped enemies can have a ‘charged’ status applied before being slammed and then detonated to defeat surrounding foes. Adding further nuance, shots can also be aimed upwards and downwards. A single hit will kill your chosen sports star but continues are infinite and power-ups appear liberally, adding a double jump and increasing damage. The ability to leap down from platforms is a power-up too, oddly enough.
Initially, there’s a choice between just two customisable baseball and hockey stars with more sports personas – including tennis, football, and ping pong players – added to the roster after being freed from a boss. Stats vary, so it’s worth trialling each.
The pace here is fast, with levels short yet high in number – the total for the campaign style Tour Mode stands at 112 stages, each with a noticeably different layout. Around halfway through, side exits are introduced, increasing the danger of enemies appearing out of view, while increasing the potential for slammed balls to clear a screen entirely. Different enemies are also introduced periodically, including acid spewers, whirlwind generators, and darting mosquitos. Each lets out an amusing cackle if they kill you, which not only induces personality but informs who ended your streak.
Defeating every enemy within a stage using as few slams as possible is the focus of the Tour Mode, with each stage having a three star ranking to acquire. Clearing a screen with a single slam is incredibly rewarding, resulting in a ‘home run’ congratulations screen and a score bonus. I’m inclined to believe that all 112 stages can be cleared with a single slam, although you may need a bit of luck and experimentation. A winning tactic is to attack the highest enemy first, carefully making your way to the top of a stage and letting a slammed ball swiftly cascade downwards. You may need to prepare though, with a handful of stages having blocks that can be shoved or broken to create a clear path for balls to whizz down.
Arcade Mode ditches the three star ranking system in favour for online score chasing, with the score resetting to zero after continuing. As continues are infinite – you’re spurred on by the enthusiastic commentator to keep trying, in fact – you can still see the majority of the game in this mode. There’s also a Chaos Mode with online leaderboards that presents a pre-selected pool of 20 stages, set to change every ten days. The Tour Mode meanwhile is intended to be replayed, leaping around the map to beat scores and find hidden stages. Some levels have translucent breakable TV screens that’ll open more locations, and you’ll need to find them all to reach the ‘true’ final boss. Achieving 100% completion is a tricky task, calling for three star ratings across the board. You’ll definitely have your work cut out.
Each stage ends with a boss battle, along with a trickier vertically scrolling platforming stage to beat prior, complete with a bonus for avoiding enemies. Bosses take the form of mechanical contraptions and are well thought out and reasonably challenging, with later examples having attack patterns to learn such as a construction vehicle that lunges forward. Accidentally riding a ball into a boss can be fatal, so you’ll need to be very careful when it comes to choosing to slam or ride, especially when up against larger bosses that take up a proportion of the screen.
The polished presentation seals the deal here. It’s a confidently delivered package, with plenty of flair and unexpected flourishes. While the main characters are smaller than we’ve come to expect, the pixel art is well drawn and colourful, and the music is upbeat while suiting the 16-bit aesthetic. A couple of glitches crept in (Slam and Roll has been in early access on PC since May) but these weren’t fatal; on one early stage I fell through a solid floor and vanished only to randomly re-appear, and I also observed an enemy clipping through one of the pushable blocks. More detrimental are the examples of vexing level design, with later stages having inescapable pits. Thankfully, examples are few.
If you consider the likes of Snow Bros, Parasol Stars, and Bubble Bobble as classics you can’t go far wrong with Slam and Roll. It showcases a very good understanding of what makes these games so compelling and moreish, and it won’t have you yelling “You cannot be serious!” every time you die – deaths feel just and fair. It borrows from the best yet is nuanced and varied enough to boast its own identity too.
KaleidoGames’ Slam and Roll is out Nov 14th on PC, Xbox and Switch.