How combos work in Rollerdrome – Combo coins, combo meter, and more

Rollerdrome is a skating game at heart, so hallmark mechanics of the genre, such as chaining combos, are present in its gameplay. However, to better lend itself to the game’s third-person shooter focus, developing and continuing these combos relies more heavily on gunplay than just chaining simple tricks together. This guide will explain the functions and benefits of keeping a combo going in Rollerdrome.

Starting and keeping a combo

Unlike those of other skating games, combos in Rollerdrome aren’t started by performing successful tricks. Instead, dealing damage to enemies will begin a combo, and sustaining this damage output over a short period of time will continue the combo. Damage dealt will slightly boost the combo meter while killing enemies will fully refill it.

The major caveat to keeping a combo going is ammo consumption and reloading. New rounds are only reloaded into your active weapon upon successfully pulling off tricks, though doing so won’t boost your combo. Because of this, chaining enough damage on enemies to sustain the combo requires brief and timely tricks interspersed between shootouts, such that effectively juggling the two actions around each other becomes a balancing act.

Purpose of keeping a combo

Every enemy killed in quick succession will add one level to the combo. Every new combo level will increase the multiplier placed on the points you earn during a run, with perfect or near-perfect combos most easily earning high scores. While you may not be numbers-driven enough to find satisfaction in earning a high score, becoming skilled at preserving combos is incentivized in completion.

Related: Rollerdrome full achievements and trophies list

Every arena comes with a list of 10 achievement-based challenges for you to tackle, each varying in difficulty and goal. Challenges pertaining to reaching certain high scores and combo level thresholds appear in virtually every arena, and they become virtually unreachable without hefty point multipliers and a sixth sense for kill timing. Remember that completing all challenges is required to earn platform achievements and reach perfect game completion.

Saving combos with Combo coins

Combo coins are collectibles that can be found scattered around an arena, often found above ramps, along grind rails, or in positions of other complex tricks. These coins can be used to instantly revive a combo whose meter is about to run out, filling the meter back to full with each coin used.

While these combo coins can be incredibly useful in a pinch, they’re in minimal supply, as only five coins spawn in each arena. One coin is consumed every time a combo is restored, meaning that they should ideally be used sparingly. To conserve combo coins, it’s wise to temporarily spare weaker enemies such as grunts, coming back to finish them off if your combo meter is about to run out.