Review – Skate Story – Gamerview

Under the opaque glow of the moons scattered throughout the universe, the silent asphalt vibrates gently against the gentle glide of the wheels of a skateboard hungry to devour the aforementioned celestial bodies. is a fantastic narrative about a demon made of glass and pain, cursed to ride a skateboard while devouring the moons of the different levels of the underworld. It is a narrative of its creator’s experience and growth, which has now taken shape.

Developed by Sam Eng, Skate Story is a psychedelic adventure where the player will have to prove himself as a skateboarder capable of impressing the entire underworld, including the Devil himself. This one, even though it’s made of glass and pain, is much more than just that. It is a journey about discovering yourself, the world around you, different people and perspectives on life.

A fantastic story to say the least

According to Sam Eng, Skate Story’s narrative is semi-autobiographical, a psychedelic version of events that occurred throughout his life. The author presents himself as the glassy skateboarder, who ends up signing a contract with the devil by accepting a fantastic shape that appears during his wanderings through the underworld, promising him an unforgettable meal.

Initially, everything seems normal as the skateboarder cuts through portals and different areas of the underworld, doing maneuvers, “grinding” on handrails and curbs without stopping. But, just like in real life, the fun of some is uncomfortable for others. So our skateboarder is put in front of a floating-eyed jury, convicted, and sent to a neutral area.

The so-called Skater’s Dream serves as a kind of base for the player, where it is possible to train, see the moons consumed in an aquarium and even interact with different and fantastic characters. An example is the rabbit who guides us during the beginning of the game and is part of the more introspective intervals. Returning to the underworld through a hole in the ground, Skate Story’s first challenge is to prove to the so-called philosopher the value of skateboarding.

Skate Story then settles us with what was agreed upon when we accepted the skateboard and the contract that came with it. The skateboarder became a cursed creature, condemned to travel through all levels of the underworld and consume its moons, the first crime for which he was tried in the plot. Each level introduces and focuses on a new style of maneuvering, as well as telling new stories and feelings that are reflected through the colors of the moons, their soundtrack and location.

Glass, pain and speed

The game creates allegories for Sam Eng, his stories and the people he encountered in life and in these places portrayed by the layers of the underworld. There are even some recurring characters, like the statue that always asks us for favors, the giant red skeleton that suffers from love and the little frog attendant who is always working in different layers of the underworld.

Furthermore, I believe that each moon in Skate Story portrays the emotional moments of each era, or brings together different events from the author’s life under these colorful spectrums to tell the story of the Vitreous Skater. Each Moon ends up serving as a kind of final boss that puts the skater’s soul at stake with a timer; If it is zero, the protagonist dies. Differently, common scenarios do not have a time limit to complete or explore.

In addition to the recurring characters, there are always characters from each world. Examples of this are the sentient trash bag in the subway and the talking towel in the laundry room. These unique characters generally represent main missions, while the recurring ones are secondary missions, like the giant skeleton that, whenever found in a world, presents us with a different shape.

There are also some shadows scattered throughout the world of Skate Story, representing everyday passersby, people who pass us day after day on the sidewalks, crowds that often become shadows in our lives. They serve only as an echo, a fleeting memory that fills the space, but does not interfere or interact with us.

How to survive on a board

As it is a skateboarding game, it is obvious that maneuvers and handrails are part of the central mechanics of the gameplay. The game is preferably played with a controller, as more advanced maneuvers usually require a combination of a few buttons. However, they are completely possible to do using the keyboard.

Each level of Underworld focuses on a type of trick or style of riding, which makes it easy for the player to evolve from a novice skateboarder to a skilled trick demon. We start with simple maneuvers like ollie, kickflips, heelflips, etc. Then we learned grinds, nollies and variants, all gradually. However, all of this will be used later in battles against the moons. The skateboard customization system is very simple, but complete, allowing you to change shapes, wheels, trucks and apply stickers to the board.

The first big battle in Skate Story is against the Red Moon, which shoots lightning at the skater and opens trails of fire across the track. The player must perform sequences of maneuvers while standing under its glow and then, when he has a significant amount of points, add them to the moon’s life bar.

From the second moon onwards, the story is different. Just defeating her by extinguishing her life bar is no longer the only requirement. Some require different phases, such as chasing her through a corridor with obstacles or being able to perform sequences of maneuvers in a specific order to win. The skateboarder will also have to face the forces of hell that wish to hinder his progress, bringing in “police” units called ZOMI and even the Department of Death!

Skate Story’s visual style is a case in point, being extremely fantastic and dreamlike. It’s like a dream vision of what hell and the underworld would be like. Nothing like the vision of Dante Alighieri or the Catholic Church, but rather a mix of Hades and Hel, a colder vision that follows the protagonist’s aesthetic in a mix of crystals, glass and concrete.

The gameplay is satisfactory, with very responsive controls and a good feeling of weight when landing maneuvers. The handrail system is also very well thought out, using weight and direction. It’s different from the one seen in but it’s very reminiscent of the one seen in and , games I’ve already analyzed in the past as well.

Skate Story doesn’t have a heavy soundtrack, but it doesn’t have anything light either. In fact, the game features tracks from the band Blood Cultures, with Indie Pop Experimental and Psychedelic Pop tracks. The songs, combined with the sound of skateboard wheels on the asphalt, bring back pleasant memories for those who used to skate or still skate.

The structure of the game is very solid, easily one of the best indies of the genre, being for me even more fun than the return of the Skate” franchise and superior in every aspect to the extremely inferior Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Skate Story is an excellent response to the latter, showing that high investment does not mean a return on quality or a product that reflects the expectations of the target audience.

Waking from a hungry dream

Skate Story reminded me of my falls, just as the protagonist falls and has his glass body cracked. Many times, these pieces will never come together again. Is this bad? No, this is part of life. Something that Skate Story demonstrates in the Glass Skater’s journey through hell and its layers of fury, despair, melancholy, contempt and deceit. The skateboarder’s feast of moons is a metaphor for what everyone loves to do and ends up putting aside over time.

If you like games with fantastic stories, reflective moments and good gameplay that challenges you to try new things, or you simply have a passion for skateboarding, then Skate Story is undoubtedly the choice for you!