Skate Story Evaluation (PS5) | Push Sq.

We have performed many nice skateboarding video games, however none have ever appeared or felt like Skate Story.

This is not about chasing large scores or discovering loopy traces; it is a single-player journey via the underworld, enjoying as a crystalline demon on a mission to avoid wasting himself.

The Satan says he’ll return the demon’s soul if he can swallow the moons of Hell’s many realms, armed with a skateboard and aided by a mysterious rabbit.

It is a foolish setup, particularly paired with a skateboarding sport, nevertheless it’s so artfully finished that it is easy to be swept alongside.

Whereas it tells a linear narrative, most of the sport’s levels are open-ended areas in which you’ll be able to skate freely.

The skating right here is hard; virtually completely primarily based on avenue/flatland tips, that is in some methods a reasonably reasonable interpretation.

Controls really feel fiddly at first, with shoulder buttons mixed with Circle to drag off tips. Feeling comparatively competent on the sport takes time, however that appears intentional; with persistence and apply, you may get higher, similar to the actual sport.

Doing a kickflip right into a grind, then doing a pop shuvit out — that is the extent of skating we’re speaking about, and pulling off your supposed strikes feels very satisfying. Finishing the sport’s many duties — serving to out a personality, progressing the principle quest, tackling an optionally available problem — is nice enjoyable, and new strategies are properly metered out.

The sport’s ending feels extra like 5 endings, so it loses a few of its steam, however broadly, Skate Story is properly paced. Whether or not it is speedy hall sequences that take a look at your reflexes, these open areas, or the various imaginative boss encounters, the sport is all the time introducing new concepts and reminding you ways rattling cool it’s.

The presentation is a big a part of that; the mixture of the trippy visuals, the good music, and the writing — typically poetic, typically ridiculous — contributes massively to an entirely singular expertise. The vibe is downtrodden, moody, and rebellious, and it conveys its distinctive power with easy confidence.

One factor that dragged the entire thing down for us is that, after you roll credit, there is no strategy to return to the hub and discover these open ranges; it’s a must to begin a brand new sport, which restarts your progress. This looks like an oversight, and we hope the sport is up to date to vary that.

There is a pretty apparent level of no return, although, so proper now it appears the optimum strategy to play is to by no means contact the finale, and simply exist on this fashionable, difficult skateboarding title, unlocking new decks and exploring each nook of its oppressive underworld.

Whereas it lasts, that is fairly simply probably the most strikingly distinctive and visually attention-grabbing skating sport you may play, and we won’t assist however respect its relentless effort to go towards the grain.