Roller Champions, released May 25, 2022 by the company Ubisoft, is an action-packed player versus player video game played on a computer. Roller Champions is one of the most enjoyable competitive games, and It’s quite possibly one of the best games of 2022. 

The Rules

In Roller Champions, the game goes like this- in each game, lasting around ten minutes, there are three players on each side- an orange and a blue team. The goal is to take the ball and pass it through the four checkpoints, and if one can do that, the opportunity to score opens, and the chance opens to make a goal. One can also go through the checkpoints again for more points, gaining in number each time a team makes it all the way around the arena without being intercepted by the other team. The rules of this sport can be compared to Roller Derby, as the characters are on roller skates, while also sharing common rules. One can tackle their opponent to intercept the ball, or to keep the opposing team from intercepting the ball. Overall, there’s a lot of teamwork required in this game to get consistent wins. So, now that the rules are known, let’s get into the gameplay itself.

Gameplay
The gameplay in Roller Champions is a large part of what makes the game challenging. It’s mainly a skill-based game. A big part of the gameplay is fast reflexes, good hand-eye coordination and aim, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. However, even as a beginner, one can still make a goal or two with the help of their teammates.

Audio

Another thing that takes Roller Champions above and beyond is the audio. Throughout the game, there’s an eccentric announcer marking when a ball has been intercepted, when a goal is scored, and when a major ‘traffic jam’ occurs, which is when multiple players are taken down with one tackle. These are all announced using funny quips that not only make the sport more realistic, but also key you into what’s going on in the game if something happens when you aren’t looking. Another audio cue that helps make the game more realistic is the roaring crowds, a fun addition that makes it feel like one’s character really is being watched by a full stadium of thousands of people. 

Character customization

One critique that can be made about Roller Champions, however, is their character customization. Many players like to have a wide variety of clothing and hair options to choose from right from the start. Roller Champions, however, makes all of their accessories either as level up rewards or lock them behind a paywall. It is to be noted that they do have a wide variety of body shapes and skin tones, though, so while one might not be able to have their character in unique clothing and hair when they first start playing, they will be able to have diverse options for their character’s body type, skin tone, and face shape. 

Community

What is really noticeable about Roller Champions, though, is the community and voice chat within the game. In many player versus player games that have voice chat enabled, some players can tend to be rude to their teammates, sometimes even making sexist and racist remarks. Thankfully, this isn’t something often present in Roller Champions. The majority of the players are kind, respectful, and above all, good sports, win or loose. This is a rarity to find in a game like Roller Champions, and the positivity in the community can inspire one to play it more often. 

Author’s note-

Roller Champions only has an average player count of 5-10,000 players, which makes Roller Champions a much smaller game. For example, another free player versus player game, Fall Guys, has an average of around 150-200,000 players. I hope that this might inspire more people to try out the game, as overall, despite my critiques, Roller Champions is one of the most fun competitive games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.