Polyroll

About

"Polyroll" is a single-player fantasy platformer game with a good soundtrack and a colorful, bug-themed world. Explore 36 levels filled with unique enemies, hidden gems, and challenging bosses, using your super shell to spin, bounce, and roll through the retro-inspired 2D adventure. The goal is to save your roly poly friends from the evil Kaiser Kiwi, taking about 4-10 hours to beat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews

music9 positive mentions

story2 negative mentions

Polyroll offers a charming retro aesthetic with colorful graphics and tight controls, reminiscent of classic platformers.
The game features creative level design and imaginative boss battles, providing a fun and engaging experience for players.
With a focus on exploration and collectibles, Polyroll encourages replayability and offers a fair challenge without the pressure of lives.

The sound design and music have been criticized as lackluster, detracting from the overall experience.
Some players found the level design to be monotonous and lacking in excitement, particularly towards the end of the game.
The absence of checkpoints and the health system can lead to frustrating moments, especially during boss encounters.

music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
14%
21%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it enjoyable and fitting with the colorful graphics, others feel it lacks the impact and memorability of classic soundtracks, such as those from Sonic games. A few users even opted to mute the game entirely, suggesting that the music does not significantly enhance the overall experience. However, there are mentions of solid tracks and a good soundtrack that complement the gameplay.
- “Definitely not flawless, but it has some really original level and boss concepts, some great music, and pixel art.”
- “The music is pretty enjoyable too, with good tracker-style tunes.”
- “Fun sonic-type game with some of the most beautiful 16-bit pixel art I've ever seen, great soundtrack, level design, fun and innovative boss battles, and tight controls.”
- “The music is a drag, as well.”
- “As a joke, I muted it and pulled up the Sonic 2 OST, and the game suddenly felt a lot more fun to play, which just goes to show you how important good music is.”
- “Polyroll doesn't, of course, beat the music and sound effects in Sonic, and I don't think anyone ever will unless Nintendo has their try at hedgehogs.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay is a blend of classic platforming mechanics, heavily inspired by Sonic, featuring unique elements like ball rolling, spin dashes, and various area-specific gimmicks that enhance level design. While some players find certain mechanics awkward or reminiscent of Sonic, others appreciate the depth and polish of the gameplay, which encourages exploration and offers a satisfying control experience. Overall, the game successfully combines nostalgic influences with its own unique features, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- “More importantly, these levels take good advantage of their respective settings with area-appropriate gameplay gimmicks, like the rolling hills and an icy area having ramps that let you roll off into the air, casino areas seemingly set on top of a gambling theme having playing cards and chips that make platforms and act as obstacles, along with bouncing balls that encourage you, in a sense, to *take your chances*; and various circuitry-oriented gimmicks in the levels set inside of computers.”
- “The main character feels great to control and the level design complements the movement mechanics and encourages exploration.”
- “It's not a simple rip-off, the mechanics and physics of this game are pretty unique and very well polished (I mean, much more than I expected to be honest).”
- “I do think the ball rolling and 'spin dash' mechanics could have been executed a bit better; they felt awkward to use, but maybe I'm too used to how that works in Sonic.”
- “Gameplay is kinda boring to me, but giving it a negative review wouldn't feel okay as the game itself does nothing wrong.”
- “If you didn't like Sonic's gameplay like me, this is not for you.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
11%
22%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the unappealing and randomly chosen color palette, while others praise the vibrant 16-bit style that evokes nostalgia for classic gaming. Despite some aesthetic flaws, many appreciate the overall visual design and its fitting combination with the game's sound, contributing to an enjoyable platforming experience.
- “Great platformer with a couple of Sonic gameplay mechanics, an early 90s laidback and tasteful aesthetic, which also manages to not feel like a copycat at all.”
- “Visuals are amazing.”
- “It's a super fun 2D platformer with tight game feel, great graphics, and a lot of good ideas.”
- “I know this is going to sound harsh, but between the unappealing graphics with colors seemingly chosen at random and the platforming being unengaging, I felt like I was playing some random game from Action 52 on Genesis.”
- “The only thing I can fault Polyroll for is its hideous aesthetic and dry main character, which is apparent in the adverts on the store page.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is generally light-hearted and enjoyable, but some users feel it lacks depth and would appreciate a more developed narrative.
- “I wish there was just a little more story.”
- “The story is not too serious.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the grinding required to collect gold gems for unlocking new areas, with some feeling disinclined to revisit levels for additional grinding. However, the option to restart levels or retain collectibles has been noted as a positive feature that alleviates some of the tedium associated with grinding.
- “Those gold gems unlock portions of the world map... I need 45 to unlock the next section, but I only have 40 and have no desire to go back and do all the grinding to get these gold gems.”
- “You were even generous with being able to restart a level or keep a collectible, so that replaying levels wasn't a tedious grind.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it diminished due to certain design choices, others appreciate enhancements like the removal of level timers and the addition of hidden collectibles, which encourage exploration and replay.
- “The game offers so many different paths and secrets that I find myself coming back to explore every corner.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the random events and challenges that keep me engaged.”
- “This absolutely destroyed the replay value for me.”
- “I'm massively happy to have gotten my hands on Polyroll, which has removed level timers and added three creatively hidden diamonds in each level for replayability.”