Since early game footage, it’s become clear that Sunset Overdrive places a lot of emphasis on traversal. Even in the debut trailer the protagonist was seen swinging from object to object, grinding rails and running off walls. While that may have just been a CGI trailer, its fast-paced, parkour-style nature is something that has translated perfectly into the game.
You could argue that traversal is just as important as the weapons and combat for taking out enemies in Sunset Overdrive. The enemies are smart, and do a lot of damage, so utilizing the protagonist’s agility is the key to success.
Related: Sunset Overdrive Impressions
Although grinding has been given a lot of air time, there are actually several maneuvers that culminate into a fluid and exciting navigation experience in Sunset Overdrive. So what are all these other abilities? Check out the gallery below to find out.
Sunset Overdrive's 8 Traversal Moves
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Air Dash
Used by pressing RB, the Air Dash is a great way to keep momentum going. It quickly shoots you forward, letting you surge through the air around 20 or so feet almost instantly.
There are tons of objects to grind on, and walls to run on throughout the city, but there are still times where you'll need to close the gap, and this move is perfect for that. It'll save you in a pinch when you're just short of a platform or rail, and allow you to reach enemies for melee attacks without giving them time to fire at you. Or, it can be used as a defensive maneuver to dash out of battle, reset, and re-initiate.
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Wall Run
Oh Wall Run, you're so fun.
The Wall Run is one of the coolest ways to get around Sunset City. All it takes is the press of the X button when adjacent to a wall (and not touching the ground) to engage. Once wall running, you can press RB to get a boost of speed. Also, as you near a wall corner, you can tap X again to grab the corner and continue moving on the next face of the wall. Using this, you can run around a building forever and ever if you want to.
Nothing is quite as cool as taking out an enemy while in the middle of a wall run. "Xbox, Record That."
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Bounce
In a sense, Sunset Overdrive is a bit of a platformer. Many of the objects around the game world including awnings, air conditioning units, and cars shoot you into the air when you jump on them. In some situations you might find yourself hopping on a couple objects like a trampoline, picking off enemies with your trusty Dirty Harry. Enemies will eventually try to knock you down, but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of it while they take a moment to observe the destruction you're causing.
Ultimately, playing Sunset Overdrive effectively is all about staying off the ground, and bouncing is one of the most convenient ways to make sure your feet don't touch the ground.
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Smash Jump
Smash Jump is one of the most effective tools in your traversal kit. To perform a Smash Jump, you hold B when falling to do a Smash attack, and then right when you land you press A to jump. This will propel you high into the air, far enough to reach the high rails around the city.
If you chain together the Smash Jump and bouncing off of objects to reset the use of the Smash Jump (you can't spam the attack for balance reasons), you can continually smash groups of enemies. This is particularly effective if your Style Meter is charged up and you have an area of effect related smash AMP equipped. You will devastate OD without needing any ammo.
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Grind (Over or Under)
The Grind is the traversal move you are probably most familiar with. It's the most important skill, and allows you to grind around the city, serving as a form of run since you can't move quickly when on the ground.
Once in a grind, you can increase your speed by pressing RB. You'll want to do this often, as moving faster makes you harder for enemies to track.
You can grind both above rails, or below them (if they have space below them for your character). There's also a way to transfer between doing an Undergrind and an Overgrind or vise versa by pressing X, allowing you to fine tune your positioning as you grind around taking out enemies.
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Water Ski
Yes, there is water in Sunset City, and you can move across it using the Water Ski move. By pressing X before landing in water, your character will slide across the water as if it were glass, but only for a few dozen feet. Before long, the character will lose balance and fall into the water, which you don't want to have happen. So, you'll need to use Water Ski in combination with jump and maybe Air Dash to bridge two objects together.
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Swing
One of the best places to be when fighting OD is on top of the high rails. One way to reach them is to swing off of the many horizontal beams around Sunset City. All you need to do to swing is jump toward a bar, and tap A when near it. This will result in the character swinging on the bar and gaining some height in the process, an easy way to transition from a ground rail to a high rail.
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Super Jump
There is one move that I've found more fun than any other to use: the Super Jump. This is the hardest of the bunch to pull off, but when done properly it feels great and is effective for gaining altitude.
To perform a Super Jump, you need to be doing an Undergrind. Then, transition to an Overgrind by tapping X. As the character moves upward to do an Overgrind, hit A to fling yourself high into the air.
With this move, you can clear bridges and reach vantage points easily. Combined with the Smash Jump, it's a great way to always make sure you're above enemies.
