I remember Olympia Rising hitting Kickstarter in early 2014 asking for $10,000 and achieving an extra $2,300 on top of that. I definitely liked what I saw, and I’m happy to have gotten a chance to play the game on Wii U. Come read our Olympia Rising review for this fun game!

 

Thanks to them going over the main amount needed to make the game, one stretch goal was met that would allow them to include two new extra spells in the game. Olympia Rising is one of those games that you’re not sure about until you actually play it, and hopefully, this review shows you why this is a game you should definitely add to your Wii U collection. This one is a challenging 2D platformer with polished 8/16-bit old-school graphics. Players who grew up playing this type of games back in the late 80’s and early 90’s will definitely appreciate the game’s look and sounds.

Olympia Rising tells the story of Iola who died in the fields of Asphodel – unfortunately, her soul was sent to the underworld. Iola’s only chance to survive is to escape. Iola was sent to the underworld at the worst of times since every hundred years ‘The Purge’ occurs – this is when the acid pits start rising and killing all the residents of the Underworld. Lola sets off to escape and hopes to reach Mount Olympus before its’ too late. The game is easy to pick up but incredibly difficult to master. Are you up to the challenge?

The game’s mechanics are simple. To pass each gate, you must collect enough Obolous coins which are scattered around each of the levels. You can also earn coins by defeating enemies which comes in handy, and when you reach a gate and have pleased Charon with enough coins, you’ll be able to pass.

 

Olympia Rising is your standard platformer which is full of enemies and death traps that could end your unlife in a blink. You have three lives, and once you lose your last life you will also lose all your Obolus coins and have to restart the current level. The levels alternate, so that you can have a short breather in between levels – some will be timed while others will be abit more relaxed.

Olympia Rising is full of Greek Mythology right down to the enemies which include bats, harpies, gorgons and some epic bosses like Cyclops and Cerberus. Iola’s abilities allow her to double jump, wall climb, and she can even fly once she collects boosts to fill her flying meter. Iola’s weapon is a handy sword.

The game is fun and very challenging game, since jumping all over the place as you collect coins, avoid hazards and defeat enemies requires you to always be in the zone.The game can feel a bit frustrating for less experienced players, so your skills will definitely be tested by this one!

Olympia Rising offers full Off-TV support for when you have to take your gaming away from the TV, and the graphics look just as great on the Wii U GamePad’s screen as they do on the big screen. I played half of the time on the Wii U GamePad and had a blast doing this Olympia Rising review. I’ll be going back to it so that I can finally finish it because it’s very addictive!

[review pros=”Polished old-school graphics.
Solid gameplay.” cons=”Can be a bit frustrating for some.” score=86]

Disclaimer
This review is based on Wii U a EU copy of Olympia Rising provided by PlayEveryWare Games.