Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game is an ambitious attempt to translate the thrill of freerunning into a fluid, open-ended virtual playground. It’s not the first game to tackle parkour, but it does aim to go further than most by offering not just parkour-inspired movement, but a creative toolkit of tricks, challenges, and social multiplayer features that make the experience feel more like the sport than a typical game would. On PlayStation 5, it runs well and offers a solid base for a gameplay experience built around momentum and mastery.
The core gameplay succeeds best when it focuses on fluid movement. Whether you’re vaulting, wall-running, flipping or chaining tricks across rooftops, there’s a tangible satisfaction in building flow. The game makes smart use of intuitive controls that let players link together impressive sequences with practice, although it can take a while before things start to click and feel truly natural. There’s also an ever-present sense of challenge that makes each successful combo or line feel earned – particularly when you dive into the trick score system, which rewards experimentation as much as precision.
The level design helps sell the illusion of urban traversal, with verticality and hidden pathways making exploration feel organic. Environments vary in theme and complexity, and while not all of them are equally inspired visually, they’re built with enough variety to support multiple play styles. Some elements, like the pigeon-based route planning and teleportation system, add welcome convenience and flavor, even if they feel a bit whimsical at times. The ability to drop session markers and experiment freely reinforces the game’s focus on creativity rather than scripted objectives.
Multiplayer content gives Rooftops & Alleys a social dimension that sets it apart. Modes like tag, trick battles, and capture the flag offer quick bursts of competitive fun, although their appeal will depend heavily on having friends or an active player base to engage with. That said, the asynchronous side of things – such as chasing leaderboard times or trick challenges – offers multiplayer value even for solo players. The trick scoring system is detailed, but could use better onboarding for newcomers unfamiliar with parkour terminology or mechanics.
Visually, the game straddles a line between realism and style. The lighting and weather effects add variety to sessions, and the animations are generally smooth, especially when tricks are executed cleanly. However, the character models and environments can look a bit plain in places, and some areas lack the polish of bigger-budget titles. On the audio side, the original soundtrack suits the laid-back vibe of free-roaming nicely, while trick sounds and landings offer just enough punch to ground each move.
There are still areas where the game could evolve further. The lack of narrative or broader context (a la Mirror’s Edge) might limit the appeal for players who prefer a more structured experience, and while the physics system is generally solid, it sometimes struggles in confined spaces or on sloped surfaces. Minor bugs and occasional camera quirks also occasionally intrude on the sense of flow, especially in tight platforming sections.
Even so, Rooftops & Alleys manages to carve out its own niche in a space that often feels underexplored. It’s clearly a passion project, and it shows – not through glossy production values, but in how it embraces freedom, experimentation, and community. If you’re looking for something different that captures the joy of movement and rewards persistence, it’s worth dropping into this rooftop world.
Score: 7.2/10
Press Play Media 