There are few games whose aesthetic has me entranced and intrigued enough to keep an eye on them for multiple years as they are being developed, but Skate Story is one such case. After going so many years being bereft of cool, unique skateboarding games, the idea of a story-driven, atmospheric skating game was one that I found myself desperately yearning for. Skate Story has come and brought with it the weird, wacky side of game development that we have so sorely missed, as well as some strangely evocative themes aided by solid underworld building, pun intended.
Skate Story is set in the underworld. You play the role of the Skater, a tormented soul who has been contracted by the Devil to traverse the various depths of the underworld to consume the seven moons. Doing so will sate the Skater’s hunger and assist in whatever plans the Devil holds. Upon signing the contract and receiving his skateboard, the Skater is enveloped in glass, becoming the Glass Skater. It doesn’t take long for things to go awry for the Glass Skater, as he is almost immediately captured by the underworld’s authorities and put on trial for his crimes against demonkind. This goes to prove that, even in death, you can never escape the torment of bureaucracy.
Thankfully, an entity known as the Philosopher assumes responsibility for the Glass Skater and invariably offers him a solution to continue his quest. It is from here where the game truly opens up and allows the player to start engaging with the world and its skateable landscapes. It’s in these early stages that you learn and understand how weird this game can become. There are demons of various kinds who will tell you a little about their situation, and sometimes it makes twists and turns that you won’t see coming. Imagine there was a person sitting at a bench telling you about how they got fired, only for them to add, “And after that, I committed some war crimes”. The level of nonsense is great as it allows you to connect with some of the characters in the world while also reminding you that this is a silly game about skating and eating moons.
Where I was really taken aback with this game was the moment where it erased all pretence of humour and told me it was time to take it seriously. In a weird way, it reminded me of a Taika Waititi film, like Jojo Rabbit or Boy. If you have seen any of Waititi’s non-Marvel works, you would know that they spend a lot of time being comedically inclined and making heavy use of hyperbole and absurdity to undercut the tone of very real situations. Once the viewer has grown accustomed to everything, the films peel back the curtains and the harsh realities set in, with earnest themes comprising the later stages of the film. Skate Story was reminiscent of that, albeit with a tone that is a lot less serious than something like Jojo Rabbit. Regardless, the game becomes a lot more introspective of itself once you hit these moments, and it’s hard to argue against this direction. Its weirdness shifts from simply being quirky and funny to using its gameplay as an incredibly effective storytelling tool.
While we are on the topic of gameplay, this is an avenue where I found myself surprised with Skate Story. The skateboarding games I grew up with were very much gameplay-oriented games. They didn’t necessarily have to worry about the pacing of a story and how the gameplay would interact with that pacing. Skate Story is unique in this respect as developer Sam Eng has made sure the game’s pacing helps prevent the gameplay from overstaying its welcome. The gameplay is weirdly simple and weighty at the same time. However, this doesn’t stop it from having its moments of sheer brilliance. It’s more that the gameplay feels like one of many integral pieces to a puzzle rather than the sole pillar the game is built upon.
To say that one piece of the game is more vital than the rest usually feels unfair or disingenuous when it comes to describing how a game utilises everything it puts forth. There are few cases where it can be argued that the comment truly applies without it being exceedingly obvious, but Skate Story’s music is as unique and incredible as the game itself. It’s so important to building the atmosphere the game so heavily relies on that without the music, the game would be a shell of itself. The compositional team behind the game, especially the indie pop group Blood Cultures, who features heavily in the game’s soundtrack, has done an outstanding job at matching the game’s vibes. I haven’t had an experience like the one provided by this game and its soundtrack in an incredibly long time, and I would say that playing this game without the music is doing yourself and the game a disservice.
Skate Story’s visuals are as equally bizarre as its elevator pitch. This is not to say they are bad, in fact the game utilises a less-is-more approach to its visual design. Things that need detail are appropriately ornamented, and if something is not particularly important, then its visual design will reflect this. While this approach to visual design risks a stilted set of visuals, Skate Story rides this balance eloquently. Important details are ornamented in a way that still feels appropriate to the environment and the art style, while the more mundane zones still have enough life to them to not just feel like empty space. What’s especially impressive is how this game uses its unique art style to continually convey the different atmospheres of the underworld’s depths that you traverse, as each depth represents a different sin, so to speak.
A huge benefit of using such a simple and concise art style and direction is the fact that it leaves a lot of headroom for technical performance. This is supported by the fact that Skate Story is completely Steam Deck verified, and there were even recommended settings provided to me by Devolver Digital. Feeling this confidence from the developer about running well on Steam Deck ahead of release is always a great sign, and my flawless experience in terms of performance corroborates this. Considering how often games launch, especially on PC, in shoddy states, playing this was such a treat because I could run at incredibly high framerates with no issues. This is not to imply that everything was all hunky-dory, as I did frequently encounter one issue where the audio for a powerslide would not stop playing until I hit a loading zone. Considering the sound of a powerslide is the wheels grinding on the concrete, this was not a nice thing to experience, but beyond that I encountered no other issues of note. I do know that the stickers which you can adorn the underside of your skateboard deck with don’t receive wear and tear in the review build, but this is something that has been addressed ahead of time and should not be in the full release of the game.
- Conclusion
- Few games leave me with impressions as strong as Skate Story. It wonderfully blends its absurdity and comedy with a story that asks you to take a moment to come to terms with it. It never stops trying to be anything more than a skating game, and that holistic approach to its identity and uniqueness leaves it as an incredibly cool experience that I can happily recommend to anyone. Skate Story starts with vibes and rides that all the way through.
- PC
