As I evaluate my video footage of this recreation, I, briefly and solely partly, empathize with considered one of its denizens. I sit at my laptop, observing my display screen, and attempt to put phrases onto it to correctly describe find out how to describe it. Thoughts you, I’m presumably not within the Fourth Circle of the Underworld, and I’m pretty sure I’m not an precise pigeon, at the same time as I work at this keyboard with half of its letters clean from overuse. I might be improper on the underworld factor, thoughts. I don’t have anybody as keen to help with getting phrases onto the display screen because the referenced pigeon, nonetheless, so I’m alone there.
This evaluate covers a reasonably brief recreation, if it actually catches your fancy, you may end it in a single day, so I’ll attempt to maintain this pretty brief and hopefully as candy as the sport in query. Any screenshots right here can be from the primary few chapters of the sport to stop spoilers when attainable. That is Skate Story, revealed by Devolver Digital and developed by self-taught recreation developer, Sam Eng. You’re- you’re in for a experience.
Can’t Sleep…
Skate Story begins on a, what ought to most likely be barely worryingly, in rapid retrospect, relatable observe. You begin drained and hungry, and wholly unable to sleep to repair the matter. In a — hopefully, a minimum of — barely much less relatable method, nonetheless, that is straight due to the moon, itself, as its moonlight makes these below its area, demons, on this case, unable to. It then cuts to our participant character, observing stated moon, earlier than making a call. and trying to get tools with a view to make that call possible. The Skater, because the PC will quickly be dubbed, goes to eat the moon, and, as such, they are going to require transportation. Due to this fact, skateboard… after a small matter of a 4 web page contract and a few issues as a part of stated contract.
This launches into the opening tutorial, and the Skater getting a flippin’ cool as hell glass scarf… together with the remainder of their physique. Skate Story retains it pretty easy because the Rabbit — your predominant companion for the sport — leads you in direction of your first goal, and also you get your first have a look at how completely attractive this recreation can and can get.
… Will Not Sleep…
Because the Skater follows the Rabbit, you get a really feel for a way the sport controls, and… how do I put this. It controls the way in which the sport appears to be like, and I can’t actually put it into a way that… is smart to me? It handles and feels in a means that makes complete sense for the setting and idea, and it does so extremely properly. It introduces ideas and the way they work all through the sport in a way that builds solidly, and doesn’t get overwhelming to anybody unfamiliar, comparable to if you happen to had been, say, a demon that’s manufactured from glass now and never wholly assured of their skateboarding skills simply but. The music, offered by the experimental indie pop music collective often called Blood Cultures and Bronx primarily based composer John Fio, is genuinely phenomenal, and matches the — I hate to make use of this time period on account of what looks like overuse — vibe of the sport, in just about each type of state of affairs and site you end up in.
It additionally has cheap penalties for screwing up, contemplating the Skater’s circumstances and the place they’re, and it’s as punishing as you’d anticipate. You additionally, typically, I’m undecided all as a result of I’ve but to fail any of the extra limiting moments of the sport, get as cheap quantity of forgiveness as you may anticipate, as a result of the developer understands the difficulties of shifting at excessive speeds on a skateboard when one is manufactured from an simply breakable materials, and the satisfaction of doing properly with the instruments you study and are given all through such a state of affairs. Or any of the conditions that the Skater finds themselves beginning with, however completely not ending with, the primary skating boss battle in opposition to a moon. Sure, the primary boss battle in opposition to a moon.
…Not Secure To Sleep…
Therein lies the rub with Skate Story. I wish to go into additional element, however it is a similar-but-somewhat-opposite state of affairs as with my evaluate of 1000xRESIST. If I do, nonetheless, issues will get tough to clarify with out spoiling a few of the extra attention-grabbing issues that occur. This can be a drawback I share with Sorry, We’re Closed a recreation by à la mode video games that’s prone to make an seem on my Prime 10 Video games of 2025. That state of affairs resolved itself once I ended up having to select it up months after its launch date and as thus too late to fairly evaluate, nonetheless.
This was launched final week, and I can’t not evaluate it whereas it’s nonetheless comparatively recent, so, I’ll try and maintain this easy. It’s a narrative-based recreation, sure. It’s a skating recreation, sure. It neatly and successfully combines each of those whereas build up the story by the contract that the Skater and the Rabbit deal with and the varied circumstances with a shocking quantity of humor, though it doesn’t… all the time land, admittedly… and intrigue. Consider it as within the mould of a extra experimental and in another way motion centered Suda 51 title, albeit not fairly in that ballpark but. And, as soon as once more, with skating, of all issues.
… However Have To Sleep.
So, we, as soon as once more, discover ourselves at my dilemma from the beginning of this evaluate. How do I clarify this recreation, however with the extra perform with a skosh extra egocentric need added to it. I wish to, and will advocate this recreation, however discover it tough to place into written phrase. This can be a distinctive expertise from an extremely proficient developer and a writer that will get a variety of credit score for a way they’ve affected impartial publishing, however nonetheless not as a lot as they’ve earned by their work all through the years.
The can also be a reasonably tough, however not unfair, recreation with an especially area of interest enchantment. If the idea of “demon that’s skateboarding by the underworlds to eat the moons” didn’t make that abundantly apparent from the get-go. This isn’t the type of factor that can appeal to everybody, particularly with how glass-shatteringly good this yr has been for video video games as an entire. That, very similar to the ethereal however mildly worrying world that this recreation inhabits, makes this a certified sure, albeit not for the explanations of a few of the greater titles this yr. Notably if you happen to get movement illness, I think about? The sport begins with a warning about potential points you might need, look into that earlier than going any additional on your personal security.
For those who see the trailer above, and if this evaluate piques your curiosity even barely, look into it additional. It’s $20 on PSN, and in addition on Ps Plus if you happen to occur to have that service. I can promise you, if you happen to’re the type of person who sees that trailer, has an curiosity in skating video games, or the indie scene usually ? For those who’ve received a curious thoughts and an curiosity in additional underground research? For those who don’t take your self too critically and have- some measure of persistence? Very like the Skater themselves, let me be clear: that is 100% advice, Skate Story is genuinely tremendous cool and a creative marvel, albeit not in the way in which a Clair Obscur is. Distinctive, fascinating, a tad realistically irritating at instances, regardless of the otherworldliness of the world, and a fairly cool time, all issues thought of.
