Skate Story Review – BETTER THAN TONY HAWK?
If Journey and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had a moody, crystalline love-child, Skate Story would be it. Yet, while the vibes are on-point, the actual skateboarding? Well… that’s where the wheels wobble a little.
Skating That Feels Good… Until it Doesn’t
But first, let’s talk about what exactly Skate Story is. Throughout its 6-hour runtime, there are three distinct types of gameplay. The first has you zooming through short and sharp obstacle courses that’d make your early 2000s inner-child as keen as a bean, while the second has our glossy protag busting out tricks and combos to whittle down a boss’s HP, which unfortunately doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Besides the 2-4 minute time limit, most of the big bads don’t pose much of a threat. You pretty much just waltz into their attack range and unload your stylish bag of tricks until they’re kaputski. Nothing more, nothing less.
The third major aspect is… hub areas. They’re not great. You’d think having big, open spaces to skate around in would be the funnest part of the game, but no. Somehow, I enjoyed these sections the least out of everything else. Aside from some pretty standard objectives like finding letters around the map or skating after things on a wild goose chase, it ultimately suffers because the skating just isn’t as exciting, extensive or intuitive as the Tony Hawk series. Trying to ride up a ramp makes our glass guy have an elliptic fit, while getting him to begin grinding is way too precise for its own good. In other words, you’re gonna stack it—a lot.
What’s that now? You wanted to pull off some sweet hand plants and stalls? Yeah, that’s not happening here either, buddy. I will say, the ollie and nollie tricks do look smooth. Combining them with a powerslide, manual and mid-air spins while you careen down a slope is pure hype. However, I just wish the other parts of the game were as compelling as the speed sections. A real shame.
A World Made of Glass, Light & Anxiety
On the presentation side of things, Skate Story has quite a unique art design. Featuring all the hipster chromatic aberration you could ask for, with a psychedelic underworld that honestly looks like a synthwave album cover exploded and formed a religion. Each level is drenched in a neon haze, pulsating lights and minimalist architecture that somehow feels both peaceful and threatening, which is exactly what this game is about. Also, the Greek philosopher-lookin’ dudes are pure comedic gold. Hats off.
Speaking of ideology, this story goes to some dark, dark territory that I was not ready for. One second you’re playing a chill skate game, the next—wham! Creepy 03:00AM thoughts up the wazoo! Never imagined I’d have an existential crisis during a skater game, but here we are! In all seriousness, most of the plot is about our glass guy eating literal moons as he’s contractually obligated by the devil to save his soul. Cool concept, in theory. Though apart from a few quirky characters, nothing of real interest happens 90% of the time.
Luckily, the soundtrack absolutely slaps. The ambient beats, low-fi textures and shimmering synths make you feel like you’re floating through the world rather than actually skating across it. It ties everything together in a way that almost elevates even the more repetitive and frustrating parts of the game, believe it or not.
Decision
When you’re hurtling through Skate Story’s fast-paced courses, it feels incredible; smooth, stylish and almost transcendent. But the moment the game asks you to slow down, explore or solely rely on its trick system, the cracks start to show. Bosses aren’t memorable, hub areas drag and the skating just isn’t intuitive or expressive enough to stick the landing. There’s definitely magic here, though it’s wrapped around mechanics that never fully shine. A vibe showcase first, a skate game second.
By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PS5
Average
Skate Story contains gorgeous art pieces and music, with a decent skateboarding game built inside. Just be ready to fall—constantly.
This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Devolver Digital. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.
