Spoilers ahead for Inside.
While Playdead’s Inside initially garnered attention for being a spiritual successor to Limbo, the game forged its own identity by offering more complex puzzles, visuals, and storytelling. Said storytelling eventually saw the boy players controlled merging with a giant, rolling mass of bodies called the Huddle, which had been created by scientists within a massive facility. Once inside the Huddle, players crush their captors and roll out of the facility, descending down a hill and into the light before coming to a stop as the credits roll. If Inside players ever wondered what would have happened had the monstrosity continued on its path, Steam’s Rolla has them covered.
Note: There’s also an alternate ending for Inside that sees the boy literally unplugging from the game, seemingly changing his fate and avoiding the Huddle merger.
Obviously, the upcoming Rolla and 2016’s Inside have some clear differences when it comes to genre, but it’s hard not to think back to the latter when looking at the mass players are going to be controlling when the former launches. Despite being a decade old, Inside remains an indie darling that has stuck with many players, so there’s certainly a chance for some overlap between these two titles’ player bases. Still, Rolla’s gameplay is more focused on making the ball of bodies a source of fun as opposed to something to be unsettled by, with Steam players trying to grow larger and wreak as much havoc as possible.
Rolla Features at a Glance
- GROW larger by crushing everything in the way, destroying environments, vehicles, and more.
- DESTROY cities throughout the world, with various levels coming together to offer a globe-trotting adventure.
- POWER-UP the ball of death via various drops that alter gameplay.
- CLIMB online leaderboards for statistics like estimated damage and human casualties.
BREAKING NEWS! Downtown is being terrorised by a rolling mass of pulsing flesh! Eyewitnesses describe the scene as “crunchy arcade destruction where survival blends with score-chasing!”. What is this creature!? What are its motives!? Is it really the villain here!? Back to you in the studio.
Rolla Combines Survival Mechanics with Score-Chasing
Rolla’s Steam page suggests that, much like Inside, the monstrosity players are controlling may not be the game’s true villain. Likely the result of human experimentation, uncovering the story of the rapidly growing, B-movie-inspired flesh ball could prove engaging. Still, at its core, Rolla seems to be about having fun, with the horror caused by the monster’s destruction being treated as a positive. Players will build their score not just through decimating property, but by killing unlucky humans caught in their path, with the latter being treated as a score multiplier.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
Based on the footage and images offered by developer Tyrma Games, Rolla will task players with causing a ton of damage to the surrounding area to complete levels. A timer in the corner of the HUD suggests that players could have to move quickly to clear the stages, though this could simply just be tracking how long it takes to complete the level as opposed to being a countdown timer. While the creature is extremely overpowered and borderline unstoppable, borderline is a key word within this statement. Military groups will fire at the specimen in increased amounts as they deal more and more damage, with tanks and airstrikes eventually brought into play. If players take damage, they’ll shrink, and if they shrink too much, they’ll splatter into a pile of blood.
To fight back against these military attackers, Rolla players will be able to use a series of power-ups to their advantage. A few of these have been showcased in the game’s promotional material, such as a shield that deflects incoming attacks and the ability to launch mini copies of oneself in all directions around the main ball. For anyone who ever got tired of dealing with the meatball special enemies featured in the classic COD Zombies map Shadows of Evil, Rolla essentially allows them to flip the script and control one of those very creatures. Players will be wreaking havoc with a “blood-pumping original soundtrack” that promises an intense synth sound, which is another bonus. The news helicopter camera perspective is also a clever and immersive way to showcase the creature’s rampage.
Rolla Players Can Start Practicing Their Leaderboard Climbs and Collectible Hunts Now
Rolla will have a series of online leaderboards—presumably for destruction, human kills, and completion time—that should give skilled players some proper goals to chase. Fortunately, though Rolla is set to release in the busy September 2026 month (September 30, specifically), players can download the game’s demo to start practicing now. The Steam demo should also give them a clear idea of whether the game is for them, and it could help them memorize the locations of the collectibles in a few of the levels.
Fans of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise will surely remember collecting the hidden S-K-A-T-E letters within the game’s parks, and Rolla offers a similar mechanic within its levels to encourage exploration and replays. The game will also have some level-specific challenges that keep completionists on their toes. With these added features, Rolla could prove to be deeper than many would expect. At the same time, its simplicity should appeal to casual players, with the core concept of crushing everything in one’s path as a giant ball being a timeless gameplay loop. If the performance and resolution issues mentioned by some who have played the demo can be addressed, this game could be rolling its way to a successful launch very soon.
