Rooftops & Alleys: The Ultimate Parkour Experience Returns!

Games that emphasize parkour movements, such as Mirror’s Edge and Free Running, are scarcely found nowadays. However, independent developer Michel Losch is determined to reintroduce them. His upcoming project, Rooftops & Alleys, intends to breathe new life into the genre by allowing players to navigate urban environments with grace and unrestricted movement.

Parkour once enjoyed a significant spotlight in popular media. Characters like Jason Bourne and James Bond captivated audiences with their fast-paced foot chases in films, while games such as Assassin’s Creed and Mirror’s Edge allowed players to experience the thrill from the comfort of their homes. However, in more recent times, it seems to have taken a back seat. Rather than serving as the main focus, it is frequently added as an extra feature, hidden within larger productions.

In terms of gaming, Assassin’s Creed or Dying Light are examples that spring to mind as games where movement plays a significant role. However, it’s often more about guiding your character by holding a direction and pressing a button rather than having full control over the movements. It has been quite some time since players have had the freedom and repercussions for their own choices in navigation.

Ultimately aiming to revive the excitement of navigating construction sites and bustling cities, Michel Losch intends to inject a renewed sense of joy into this unique experience. This game, titled Rooftops & Alleys, is designed to recapture that thrill as you swiftly leap from one surface to the next in a race against time. Here’s how it brings back the fun.

What is Rooftops & Alleys?

Essentially, Parkour involves swiftly navigating from one location (Point A) to another (Point B), often by leaping over obstacles like ledges or gaps, sliding down inclines, or using creative techniques. On the other hand, Freerunning is all about infusing style and panache into the journey itself. This includes performing flips, spins, and acrobatic maneuvers to impressively demonstrate one’s skill while traversing a path.

In Rooftops & Alleys, you’ll find an exciting blend of urban landscapes. You’ll dash through these dynamic cityscapes to gain bonus points and beat your friends, all while enjoying the thrill of the chase. It’s not just about reaching the end, but savoring the excitement of the ride along the way.

Certain tasks come with a time constraint, requiring you to swiftly navigate towards a specific location while ensuring you pass through all crucial checkpoints en route. This is essentially an adrenaline-pumping footrace, where your ability and agility are the sole factors determining whether you’ll claim the top prize.

In challenging situations, others might demand impressive maneuvers at tricky spots, pushing you and your team to brainstorm innovative ways to tackle an obstacle. Should we perform a daring flip-over or latch onto it first before flipping away for a higher score multiplier? Just like honing your skills in Tony Hawk’s video games, you’ll need to invest time and effort to excel at these stages too.

In this game, there’s an exciting tag mode where you continuously play hide-and-seek with your friends, using all the cool moves you’ve picked up so far to outmaneuver each other.

What the devs say about it

What were your inspirations?

Regarding the concept, I must admit that I haven’t been engaged in parkour as a professional career. However, watching it in movies has always intrigued me. My fascination with parkour stems largely from video games like Mirror’s Edge, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Skate, and Freerunning on PS2. These games, among many others, have played a significant role in igniting my interest.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been deeply engrossed in parkour. I’ve been absorbing as much video content as possible about it. What I really enjoy is the freedom and creative expression that comes from performing jumps, flips, and tricks in this activity. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about it for me. That’s why I’ve always wanted to create something similar.

As a gamer, I’ve kept this under wraps until now, but I’ve been secretly drawing inspiration from other athletic realms. A fascinating sport I stumbled upon is Death Diving, unrelated to parkour as we know it. To spice up the gameplay, I’ve incorporated some of its death-defying stunts. And let me tell you, diving techniques in general have opened up a whole new world for me, pushing the boundaries of what I call my parkour and freerunning game.

How realistic is it?

Jet Set Radio Future has always stayed with me. In most cases, people lean towards a more realistic gameplay style, but I was aiming for something quick and responsive instead. Due to certain constraints, I couldn’t create a fully momentum or physics-based game, so I drew heavy inspiration from Jet Set and other arcade games in order to achieve that snappy feel.

Regardless if you personally engage in parkour or simply observe it on television, there’s an inherent desire to perform impressive feats. I made an effort to keep my estimated landing distance relatively realistic. I aim to ensure my calculations regarding the distances are approximately accurate.

What do people want from a Parkour game?

Typically, the main issues lie in the absence of control options. It seems that many people yearn for a greater degree of control and self-expression, as I frequently receive comments such as “this is what Assassin’s Creed should be like,” which indicates a strong desire for more control in the game.

However, I find it simpler to provide players with greater autonomy in my designs, as I’m not tasked with giving them weapons or control over vehicles. Instead, I have a wider range of interactive elements at my disposal. There have been suggestions about incorporating a grappling hook feature, but I’ve had to remain resolute in maintaining the current direction.

What’s on the horizon?

The ‘Photo Mode’ feature is arriving soon! I’ve hinted at a few things, but there’s definitely more than meets the eye. There are some entertaining and surprising achievements that might catch you off guard. Additionally, some community members will find themselves subtly featured in the initial build.

So far, during Early Access, I’ve rolled out 30 updates and I intend to carry on with this. Currently, I’m developing post-launch content, and let me tell you, there are some fantastic and thrilling elements in store! Some of these features have been eagerly anticipated, while others will be a delightful surprise. My aim is to keep things engaging.

🎮 Excitedly counting down the days until I dive into the vibrant world of Rooftops & Alleys! Mark your calendars for June 17, 2025 – that’s when this captivating adventure will be available to explore on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, and PC via Steam. Can’t wait to join the action! 🕹️🚀

2025-05-22 06:25