Momentum Is Key In Ubisoft's Roller Champions

When creating a game, the developers need to build up a lot of momentum to keep the project going at a reasonable pace. For Roller Champions, however, Ubisoft isn't just concerned with the momentum of the developers, but of the players in the actual game.

Today's blueprint focuses on that aspect of the game, and if you come away from it feeling like you've read a dev diary for Rocket League, you wouldn't be too far off the mark. The sports game is set in an arena with high walls, where figuring out your angle of attack is crucial, as well as planning your defense to take your opponent's future position into account. Creative Director Gauthier Malou actually compared it to pinball, where "understanding the momentum of the ball and the effect of gravity plays a huge role."

Speaking of defense, Ubisoft has built in a defensive move, the uppercut, to help defenders intercept their opponent's shots. You can also disrupt an opponent's momentum with the "stagger" move, a slam attack that slows the opponent and forces them to start over to build up speed again. It's not a knockdown, because Ubisoft wanted a "reward for the defense without removing the offensive player's ability to get involved again." I guess we won't be needing that Chumbawamba song, then.