Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game for PlayStation 5

The good stuff

Man, the timing on jumps and landings is actually satisfying. You don’t just mash buttons and glide through. There’s weight to each move. I remember doing a backflip off a ledge into a narrow alleyway and barely clearing the edge - my heart jumped, but so did my score. That kind of moment happens often. The maps are tight and layered, especially the rooftop routes with rails and ramps. And the Session Maker with the pigeon? Kinda weird at first, but once you get used to placing checkpoints and obstacles, it’s surprisingly creative. It’s like building your own mini obstacle course in under five minutes. Also, the weather changes and time of day shift dynamically - I ran a time trial at dusk and it totally changed how I approached the route. Feels alive, not just a backdrop.

The not-so-good

It’s still early access, so there are rough edges. Some animations glitch when landing from long jumps, and the AI for the pigeon isn’t always reliable. Sometimes it drops a checkpoint right in the middle of a wall. Also, the character customization is… minimal. Just a few outfits and hair colors. Not a dealbreaker, but if you’re into deep personalization, you’ll want more. And yeah, it’s only on Xbox One right now - no PS5 version despite the name. Might be confusing for some. If you’re expecting full polish or tons of content, this isn’t it yet. But it’s close.

Bottom line

If you liked the flow of games like Mirror’s Edge or even the parkour bits in Watch Dogs 2, Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game for Xbox-one is worth a download. It’s not perfect, but it’s got soul. It’s free to try, and the core loop is solid enough to keep you coming back. Go ahead - give it a shot. You might end up spending way longer than you planned just nailing that one trick move.