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Olympia Rising

Mandatory coin collecting destroys a game’s flow more than you think.
Olympia Rising Game Cover
63%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, grinding
64% User Score Based on 66 reviews
Critic Score 60%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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Olympia Rising Game Cover

About

Olympia Rising is a single player platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Paleozoic and was released on July 22, 2015. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

In Olympia Rising, you play as Iola, a heroine who has been resurrected and must fight her way out of the Underworld. With side-scrolling action, you'll battle against mythical creatures, solve puzzles, and acquire new abilities to progress. The game features stunning hand-drawn visuals and a soaring soundtrack, immersing you in a rich and atmospheric world.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
Olympia Rising screenshot
+3
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64%
Audience ScoreBased on 66 reviews
gameplay11 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and fluid animations, creating an engaging visual experience.
  • The combo mechanic is enjoyable, allowing players to chain kills for extra jumps and coins, adding a fun layer to the gameplay.
  • The game is relatively short and fast-paced, making it easy to pick up and play without feeling grindy.
  • Controls are often described as awkward and unresponsive, with issues like slippery movement and inability to rebind keys.
  • The mandatory coin collection mechanic can disrupt the flow of gameplay, leading to frustration when players die and lose their collected coins.
  • The game lacks essential features like a save system, achievements, and options to exit, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by fluid mechanics and responsive controls, offering a fast-paced experience that is enjoyable, though some players find the level design overly punishing and the gameplay loop somewhat shallow. While the combo and flying mechanics add depth, the lack of control options and a broken password system detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many reviewers appreciate the nostalgic feel and aesthetic, deeming the gameplay solid for its price point.

    • “The mechanics and controls are great, making for a very fluid exploration of a creative world with lots of jumping, clinging, and slashing.”
    • “The levels are fun to explore using the air combo mechanic, and the enemies and boss battles bleed old-school awesomeness!”
    • “The core of the game in terms of the action gameplay for a 5 dollar game is solid: the flying mechanics and change up between fast/slow gameplay brings back feelings of the old NES games of days past.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, the controls feel very responsive, yet the level design ends up rather punishing for no good reason.”
    • “I wanted to like this game, but it left me frustrated in the bad kind of way, and most of my problems are with the core game mechanics.”
    • “The password system is totally broken, so you can't continue your gameplay unless you either start over every time from level 1 or finish the game in one sitting, which is really tedious.”
  • graphics
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming retro art style, vibrant pixel design, and fluid animations, effectively capturing a mythological theme. While the aesthetic is considered superb and engaging, some reviewers noted imperfections in gameplay that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals stand out in the pixel platformer genre, contributing positively to the game's appeal.

    • “The pixel graphic design and animation are awesome!”
    • “Beautiful retro art style!”
    • “Each world has a theme of its own, and they are all superbly rendered in pixel graphics and fluid animations.”
    • “It isn’t particularly novel in any sense, but most of the things it sets out to do are done well – the trophy going to the graphics and animations, with evident detail in the scenarios and varied creatures.”
    • “Even though pixel platformers are a dime a dozen, the styles of the pixel artwork for enemies and your character work very well.”
    • “The characters, story and visuals contribute to the positives, but more care needed to be taken with controls and hit points to make the game less frustrating.”
  • music
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its retro aesthetic and nice art, while others find it outdated, repetitive, and forgettable. Although the soundtrack is described as serviceable, it lacks the memorable quality of classic retro games, leading some players to turn it off in favor of their own music. Overall, while the music complements the game's visuals, it does not stand out as a highlight.

    • “Nice art and old school music.”
    • “The music is nice enough, in a retro way.”
    • “Level design, sound, and music are really great.”
    • “The soundtrack feels rather outdated and uninspired.”
    • “Unlike some of the soundtrack gems from old retro games, this isn't memorable or interesting at all.”
    • “I also found the music to not really fit; it's pretty forgettable and minimal most of the time.”
  • story
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the engaging narrative and character development, while others found it unclear or unimportant compared to the gameplay. Despite this, there are hints of a deeper story revealed through end-game drawings, suggesting that attentive players may uncover more meaning. Overall, while the story adds to the game's charm, it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “If you beat the game, make sure to pay attention to the drawings at the end, as they reveal a lot of the hidden story.”
    • “Super tight controls, excellent level design, charming graphics, and an engaging story!”
    • “The characters, story, and visuals contribute to the positives, but more care needs to be taken with controls and hit points to make the game less frustrating.”
    • “I like the main character, but I didn't really understand what the story was about.”
    • “There was a story, but I didn't care at all; the gameplay is fast-paced and fun.”
    • “The characters, story, and visuals contribute to the positives, but more care needs to be taken with the controls and hit points to make the game less frustrating.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, particularly due to the tediousness of having to retrace steps to collect items after dying. While some note that the game isn't overly grindy, the broken password system exacerbates the issue, forcing players to restart from the beginning or complete the game in one sitting, which many find tedious and boring.

    • “You won't get bored playing it because it isn't grindy.”
    • “Why is it that when I'm at the end of the level and die, I have to run back and collect every coin needed again? It's tedious and boring.”
    • “The password system is totally broken, so you can't continue your gameplay unless you either start over from level 1 or finish the game in one sitting, which is really tedious.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is limited, primarily appealing to speedrun enthusiasts, while average players may find little incentive to revisit it after the initial playthrough. With a short completion time of 2-3 hours and no scoring system or hidden secrets, the overall replay value is deemed lacking.

    • “The replayability past the first playthrough is decent if you're into speedruns, but for the average player, you most likely won't want to touch this game ever again in your life, if you can even make it to the end.”
    • “If anything, I'd say that the game is just lacking in any replay value and will take maybe 2-3 hours to finish; sadly, without any type of scoring system, there's really no push to replay levels to best a score or any real secrets to find.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is tied to the player's sense of achievement and progression, as successfully executing combos by defeating enemies without touching the ground or walls enhances the gameplay experience and rewards players with additional coins. This mechanic fosters a feeling of mastery and satisfaction, contributing to the overall emotional engagement with the game.

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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Olympia Rising is a platformer game with fantasy theme.

Olympia Rising is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows, Wii U and others.

Olympia Rising was released on July 22, 2015.

Olympia Rising was developed by Paleozoic.

Olympia Rising has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Olympia Rising is a single player game.

Similar games include Outland, AGGELOS, Owlboy, Primal Light, Chronicles of Teddy and others.