Coming off the disappointing lifespan of its previous new IP,
Hyper Scape, Ubisoft Montreal leaves the battle royale genre behind in favor of sports ball. To its credit, fusing roller derby with traditional goal-scoring is a template without many copycats. The more you learn about
Roller Champions, the more you appreciate its primary and ancillary inspirations. Even with its nuanced formula and no-cost barrier to entry, is it worth your time? The current answer isn’t so cut ‘n dry.
The core concept is your customized character wants to be a "Roller Champion." There's no other backstory beyond a zero-to-hero template that doesn't need any glamourous cutscenes. Aside from purchasable wheels (akin to Fallout's bottle caps), the crucial currency you're accumulating is more fans.
The rules of the game are simple: 3 vs 3 competitive ball-scoring within an elongated circular rink. In order to get points on the board, your team must maintain possession of the ball while passing through all four gates set on the map (displayed via UI). Once that's done, the goal, affixed to the wall roughly 15 feet off the ground, opens up for you to score. In order to win, you either have to score 5 points or more points than your opponents by the end (7 minutes standard, 3 potential minutes overtime). Overtime is essentially a last gasp of the lower-scoring team if they have possession after the regulation clock winds down. Should you try completing more full laps, the goal count increases:
• 1 lap equals 1 point
• 2 laps equal 3 points
• 3 laps equal 5 points
Should the opposing team halt you and take possession of the ball at any time, the goal recloses and it's back to square one for both sides. Naturally, the dynamics of team play change when you're on defense. Given the similarities to roller derby, tackling opponents to knock the ball loose is a common tactic; likewise, stealing a pass or blocking the goal are other valid maneuvers. It's all about finding creative ways to disrupt an offensive push and reclaim possession.
From this modest description alone, the gears in your head are likely turning. The importance of player spacing and rough-housing defenders to give the ball-carrier breathing room is crucial for completing a lap. It's also important to note that gates have to be unlocked sequentially (1, 2, 3, and 4 in counter-clockwise order) to count as a full lap. Sometimes a longer route can be beneficial to elude a potential pile-up. The demand to act & react fluidly to a specific situation makes both sides feel incredibly involving.
As interesting as this ruleset appears, Champions wouldn't get far without its mechanics. On offense or defense, momentum is the integral factor. It's not only about pushing down on the left stick to instantly sprint 50 kilometers per hour; since each rink has ramped transparent walls and uneven ground, jumping high off the ground and letting gravity do the work with well-timed squats (known as "pumps") can be more productive than your leg muscles. There's also the option of grabbing onto a teammate and launching yourself forward. Managing speed through these various options (and more) won't be understood instantly, but it'll eventually click into place.
That same kind of attitude follows for your other moves: tackling, juking, diving, passing, shooting, braking, rollerblade-walking, and so on. The "easy to play, difficult to master" adage readily applies here. After the first few times you've been knocked to the ground, maybe got some blood in your mouth, you'll begin to understand the risk/reward dynamics on both sides of the ball. Maybe you're more of a harasser than a scorer, so disrupting defenders may be your best role. If you're not the best at accelerating, being the provisional goalkeeper could be your saving grace.
Champions' sterling quality is how much unique expression can be discovered from such a low barrier to entry. The ruleset and concept are quite simple, but the fluid discoveries about speed, spacing, defense, and so on map on incredibly well. The one mechanical quibble I have is how quickly acceleration from pumping can be lost, but the other rollerblading rules naturally map on. Just like how Rocket League's dynamics are taken to a wholly different level after intuiting boost and aerial control, Champions opens up when you find creative schemes on offense and defense.
If this title could be limited to its baseline "roller derby ball" conceit, I'd say it's a fresh sports idea with solid potential. The issue is that so many supplementary elements, especially during its launch, detract from such deserved praise.
When on the rink, presentation is a modest success. All animations and actions are clearly expressed, although the UI can be a bit obstructive. Audio design effectively communicates all of the basics: glowing-dodgeball physics, speeding around corners, meaty tackles, etc. Matches would probably feel a bit more intense were it not for the obnoxious announcer shtick though. Extraneous details off the court are incredibly sub-par by Ubisoft’s typical standards. The paucity of distinguishable builds (gender, skin color, size, etc.) and good cosmetics for the discount Fortnite character models is disappointing, as is the wild inconsistency of its pop-heavy soundtrack.
"Paucity" also succinctly describes the limited map count. There are aesthetic differences between Acapulco, Mexico, and Chichen Itza, but the track template remains virtually the same. You'd think more would be done to diversify each place too. Imagine supplementary obstacles like a shifting floor, or sporadic hazards, while also worrying about defenders on your tail. Beyond those scant venues between quick, ranked, or custom matches, there's one Acapulco-themed skate park to improve your skills with up to 5 other players. The variegated splotches of yellow and pink across grey concrete is a nice touch, but it's a rather basic training area. There’s also a time-sensitive 'Special Event' option, but the one Ubisoft recently released was just a simple 2v2 mode in a smaller rink.
It would be fair to reiterate that
Champions is a free-to-play title. Free or no, I'm also not the biggest stickler for content value anyways (
Bleeding Edge for example); in fact, I try to emphasize the quality I can get out
of limited quantity. It's through that prism that it still feels a bit lacking. There's a missing "it factor", along with its seemingly rushed release, that keeps me from sinking a post-workday evening into it.
Complimenting that diminished excitement is the execrable monetary structure. As you'd expect, there's a marketplace to purchase cosmetics with wheels and a dual-tiered, 30-level battle pass. To its credit, the $5 premium pass price or $10 for the premium pass plus 10 levels is fair. It has a decent amount of rewards while still expecting you to play the game. The storefront for individual items is another story. Who in the hell thought charging $15-$20 for a costume or a goal animation was a good idea? Granted, Rainbow Six: Siege has elite skins within that overly-high price range, but there are little extras beyond the costume itself; plus, it helps to have a modest amount of good material that can be earned without spending a dime. With Champions, there's a wild disparity between modest and avaricious pricing models.
The feeling it was pushed out the door is most readily felt in the game's launch functionality. I lost track of how often my party was unable to find a match because it falsely claimed one of us was in another match. Even after each of us reset the game and put up with the protracted loading screens (especially by Xbox Series X standards), sometimes it still gave the same message. That's not also counting the few times I’ve been auto-booted while searching for matches. I don't want to catastrophize the extent, especially since Champions runs fine when in the arena, but it reached a threshold that affects my overall outlook.
Without a doubt, Roller Champions has an accessible and interesting core. There's something satisfying about its derby-style structure and the nuanced tactics that entails. Its rollerblading mechanics are very approachable, yet there's also a deceptive skill ceiling too. But, like skating through a small sand mound, the momentum is lost by the repetition and under-polished features. Even by current free-to-play standards, Ubisoft Montreal mishandled its launch window. These frustrating faults injure my newcomer enthusiasm, but I'd still give a tentative recommendation if you're looking for a fresh sports title - especially at the low cost of free.
Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee's obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, and TechRaptor! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.
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