OlliOlli for PS Vita Drops in on January 21st

We’ve finally finished OlliOlli, and what’s even better, we now have a release date: January 21st!

As you may know, this our first PS Vita game, so it’s been a big challenge for us – a challenge that’s been well worth it (and we hope you’ll think so, too). We originally planned to launch before the holiday, but due to some technical issues we had to push back. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who patiently supported us throughout 2013, including fans, press, and all the crew at PlayStation – especially Shahid and Spencer.

Now that we’re on the path to releasing OlliOlli into the wild, it seems pertinent to give you the final details about all four modes and the game’s Trophies (in case you didn’t see them when they accidentally leaked last month)!

Career Mode: 50 deviously handcrafted levels split between Amateur and Pro. The further you progress, the more accuracy and timing you’ll need to reach the adoring crowd at the end of each run.

Each level has five challenges, including Combo and Score attacks, and is linked to its own global leaderboard. Think you can get that number one spot? Better get practicing…

Spots Mode: every time you get to the end of a level you unlock the corresponding spot. Spots are also individually linked to their own online leaderboards, the difference being they require you to perform one stupendously large combo to reach the end! It’s going to be a case of working out the best possible combination of tricks and grinds that you can fit into the spot’s limited obstacles in order to get the best score. Sam, our lead QA, got 157k on Spot 1. See if you can beat that!

Daily Grind: this mode really heightens the competition, along with a massive risk. Each day, everyone in the world gets the same spot to pull an amazing combo on. You can practice that spot as many times as you like, but you only get ONE GO to set your score. Slam on your face, or mess up the landing, and there are no second chances! So you better make sure you’re fully focused before playing it for real.

Check OlliOlli’s Creative Director John Ribbins demonstrating this with “hilarious consequences.

RAD Mode: RAD mode alludes to the initial concept demo, and only allows Perfect Landings and Perfect Grinds. Basically when we first made OlliOlli, this was how it played (it’s really punishing). We had to tone things down a little to make the game more approachable, but for the hardcore pixel skaters out there, this is the ultimate challenge.

We’re not sayin’ how RAD mode is unlocked, but let’s just say you’re going to have to prove you know what you’re doing!

So that leaves Trophies: one Gold, three Silver, and eight Bronze. You can see the full list here. My personal favorite is “Explorer” — we made five little hidden spots throughout the game and hid golden skateboards in them. Not only will you get a Trophy for finding all the spots, they’re also a sneaky way to extend your combo and get a better score. We’ve made the last Gold a bit hardcore, so high fives to the first person that can get all the Trophies!

Finally, the price. We’ll be letting you know on launch day.

Thanks for reading, and check out the full trailer!