STORROR Parkour Pro Review (PC)

London’s Isle of Dogs’ rich cultural heritage combined with a modern concrete jungle of towering apartment blocks, clustered suburban dwellings, and glass domes with a stubborn fixation of mountable architectural elements is, in layman’s terms, a parkour enthusiast’s utopia. It’s a setting that’s befitting of a game that centers its entire existence upon the axis of the sport, and a location that, while shockingly glum even on the sunniest of days, has that special ingredient that makes other asphalt kingdoms look like underdogs — literally. It’s so fitting, in fact, that STORROR Parkour Pro takes full advantage of its concrete corridors to deliver one of the most authentic sports games in recent memory—a game that cohesively transfers all of the island’s structural bones to a jam-packed virtual sandbox that allows its runners not only the opportunity to learn the craft, but to fulfill their cravings of adventure and exploration.

Given that parkour-centric games aren’t massively popular amongst gamers or action sports enthusiasts, it almost seems as though Parkour Pro was prone to fail before attempting to vault the initial hurdle. Aside from, say, Mirror’s Edge or a typical action-parkour hybrid—the latter being more lenient to the action aspect over the parkour, in most cases—there hasn’t been a dramatic upsurge in demand for the sport. That is, of course, unless you count external properties like Assassin’s Creed, Dying Light, or even Shadow of Mordor, for that matter. And that’s a shame, truly, as the community could definitely use a few more torchbearers in the field. I suppose, then, that’s why Hole in the Sleeve Game Studios opted to take matters into its own hands.

New Kid on the Block

STORROR Parkour Pro has a story, but it’s a bit lackluster and cliche, so we needn’t traipse too far into it, to be honest. For the sake of filling each and every nook and cranny, though, I will say this: it’s more or less a tale about a ragtag squad aiming to thwart the hierarchy and bring down the establishment that’s fighting tooth and nail to demolish their hometown aboard London’s Isle of Dogs. With all of that evolving around your actions, you essentially have one simple job to do to keep the bulldozers at bay: onboard tasks, whether it be a timed event, online challenge, race, or local street competition, and carve your way to the apex. And then stylishly leap from it for another glimmer of street cred — obviously.

Thankfully, Isle of Dogs has a solid amount of things for you to do, including but not necessarily limited to one of two things: competing, and stylizing. As the world here is technically your oyster, you have the ability to traverse and unpack it at your own pace. And that’s one of the most important aspects of the game: the freedom that it brings to you on a silver platter. Sure, its story is, well — it’s meh. But, it does supplement its lack of narration with a archipelago of challenges for you to overcome alongside your own personal parkour-based goals. And honestly, there’s just enough of these challenges for you to complete, which means that, while you’re unlikely to bend at the knee for any emotional dialogue or Hollywood-esque moments, you are likely to enjoy the simpler things, like seeing London from a new perspective, for example.

To Compete Is to Provide

Parkour Pro includes the option to run, dash, vault, climb, and jump with your friends in a multiplayer mode, which is, of course, a notable addition in itself. With thanks to the game’s natural inclusion of an online leaderboard and a slew of events to participate in, you can, should you be willing, put your skills to the test in a series of dynamic challenges and skill-based competitions. It’s tough ground, and sure enough, it does require some uphill effort to decode the moves and bypass the input delay. And yet, in my case, I often found that the longer I subjected myself to the pressure of learning the ropes, the more I started to feel comfortable with the solo feats and curveballs on the outside of the checkered flags and lavish perks.

I guess, in ways, you could compare Parkour Pro to the likes of SKATE. I say this because, while the game does offer you the chance to embark on a series of quests and other competitive battles, at no point are you ever forced to follow the breadcrumb trail. Like SKATE, the real journey begins with you, and it ends not when the credits begin to roll, but when you darn well say it ends. There is a basket of challenges to complete, true, but that isn’t what it’s all about; it’s about escaping from reality for a couple of hours to unearth London and scout out its best spots for the sake of devising a new adventure. It may not always go smoothly, but that’s half the fun — and I know that firsthand, believe me.

The Feeling of Flying

To answer that all-important question of whether or not Parkour Pro emulates the sport in a positive light — yes, it does. It emulates it well, not just because it includes the usual trademark moves and leisurely embellishments, but because it incorporates motion capture technology that shadows real-world parkour athletes and a refined physics-based control system that feels inviting, intuitive, and satisfying to execute. And with so many structural elements to work with—buildings, cranes, trains, and bridges, to list just a few—you could quite easily lose dozens of hours to the simple act of running without a destination.

It doesn’t come as too much of a surprise here, but the simple truth is, STORROR Parkour Pro can be an absolute headache to learn. It’s the sort of game that you could quite easily pick up and roll with without any prior experience — but one that is more likely to reward you for going out of your way to master the UI. And believe me when I say that there are a lot of moves to take on, so while the prelude may seem like a doddle, the actual meat of the game is a nightmare — but in the best way possible. Persist, though, and you might just find that the sky’s the limit.

Verdict

STORROR Parkour Pro is the breath of fresh air that we’ve been hounding creators for for years. It’s a game that should’ve been made a long, long time ago, and one that, presumably, a lot of individuals would’ve liked to have had a lot sooner, given the significant lack of torchbearers in the field of the chosen sport. And I’m grateful just for that, because at the end of the day, someone had to fly the flag for parkour, and I’m just glad that the folks over at Hole in the Sleeve Game Studios did it with style and grace. Here’s hoping, then, that with a few more updates and fixes, Parkour Pro will propel itself into something much, much greater.