ROLLA's monstrous Katamari-like demo

ROLLA, a new action game where players control a mobile mass of flesh to destroy cities, has released a demo on Steam. The full game is scheduled for release on September 30th.

The game draws clear inspiration from the Katamari Damacy series but adopts a more explicitly violent and monstrous tone. Instead of rolling up objects to create stars, the player's flesh ball aims to wreak havoc, completing challenges like destroying radio towers, killing humans, and causing millions in property damage.

Gameplay and Progression

As the flesh ball rolls through urban environments, it grows in size by causing destruction. The growth is incremental, similar to the core mechanic of Katamari. However, the player can also shrink. This occurs not through accidental collisions, but from aggressive resistance by police and military forces who shoot and fire rockets to diminish the entity.

Survival depends on skillful rolling to avoid or withstand this counter-attack. The demo suggests the creature's size may be capped per level, though the reporter from Rock Paper Shotgun noted they did not manage to demolish an entire city during their playtest.

Power-ups and Abilities

Temporary power-ups can be collected during gameplay. These include shields that repel or absorb bullets and the ability to shoot lightning. The reporter expressed a desire for more variety in these abilities to keep level runs feeling fresh, though not necessarily in a roguelike format.

A point of comparison was made with Katamari Damacy's unique control scheme, which emphasizes tactile rolling. The report questioned if ROLLA could benefit from a similar approach but acknowledged it might create friction with the game's other design elements.

Release Details and Availability

The Steam demo is available now, allowing players to try the game before its full launch. The final release date is set for September 30th on the same platform. The report characterizes the game as having a distinct B-movie aesthetic, which contributes to its charm despite questions about long-term variety and control feel.

The reviewer concluded they were charmed by the experience and its B-movie vibes, but noted a need to spend more time with the full version for a definitive assessment.