Just a few months in the past, I first performed Devolver Digital’s Child Steps on PS5 and PC. I adored it, and whereas I haven’t completed it, it’s probably going to be in my favourite video games of the 12 months. I used to be then obsessive about Devolver’s subsequent sport, BALL x PIT, and I even coated it on each Nintendo Change and Nintendo Change 2. Would Sam Eng’s Skate Story full the trifecta? I already loved Sam’s Change sport Zarvot years in the past, however I used to be extra hopeful after the Skate Story PC demo.
I wasn’t positive if the total sport would maintain up, however having now performed Skate Story throughout Change 2 and in addition replaying it on Steam Deck, it has greater than lived as much as what I hoped for, however it additionally let me down on a technical stage for Change 2.
Skate Story has you taking part in as a glass demon who must eat the moon, and all you may have are your personal abilities and a skateboard. By way of this journey, you’ll carry out methods, tackle bosses, work together with all types of colourful NPCs, reminisce about your personal life, have a take into consideration the long run, and possibly even simply have a glass of heat milk earlier than mattress. If you happen to tried the demo, it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg for the place the story goes in direction of the tip.
You will want to recover from any preconceived notions you may have about skateboarding video games whenever you play Skate Story. It doesn’t management the identical method, and your objectives usually are not the identical right here. I additionally advocate wanting into the accessibility choices in case you are struggling, because the mixture of the digital camera angle adjustments, momentum distinction, and normal readability in some conditions is likely to be a bit an excessive amount of. Don’t let these rob you of getting the entire narrative expertise. The one facet I discovered a bit clunky concerning the core skateboarding gameplay was stopping or slowing down, and a few collision points. Fortunately, I believed the overall pacing and even the boss encounters have been immaculate.
The mix of glass, crystals, and heavy use of chromatic aberration and different post-processing, mixed with the sport’s distinctive designs, makes it one of the placing experiences you may have this 12 months. A number of deliberate digital camera adjustments and particle results solely elevate it extra. Skate Story is a sport I’d completely love to purchase an artbook for, however I additionally hope it will get some distinctive bodily launch with a glass or reflective cowl model.
I’d be mendacity if I stated I wasn’t anticipating Skate Story to blow me away with its soundtrack after listening to the one observe posted by the band Blood Cultures on YouTube. Fortunately, the total rating that includes its music and extra is straight away probably the greatest sport soundtracks of 2025. Not solely are these songs superb on their very own, however their use in-game is implausible to set the temper all through.
I wasn’t accustomed to Blood Cultures earlier than Skate Story, however I began trying out the band’s older albums after the teaser. I believe the Skate Story Quantity 1 soundtrack might be the closest I’ve considered a band having the ability to launch music that matches the band’s sound and the sport completely, since HEALTH’s Max Payne 3 and Andrew Hulshult’s Nightmare Reaper soundtrack.
The extra I considered Skate Story after spending just a few hours with it on Change 2, the extra I noticed it was going to be a kind of video games the place some say “it isn’t going to be for everybody”, and I began seeing it occur when extra folks performed the demo and even when extra impressions popped up. No sport must be for everybody, and Skate Story managed to ship an unforgettable audiovisual expertise that occurred to be accompanied by nice skateboarding gameplay.
Whereas I haven’t completed the Steam model on Steam Deck, it’s a a lot better expertise there than on Nintendo Change 2 proper now. I acquired used to the fluctuating efficiency within the sport’s efficiency mode and have performed over 10 hours on Change 2, with more often than not handheld. It isn’t adequate contemplating it sees fairly a visible downgrade from the constancy mode, particularly noticeable in handheld the place you lose some results and the decision appears to be like decrease. The constancy mode itself additionally must be capped because it simply runs uncapped and feels terrible proper now in model 1.4.0.
Technical points apart, I’ve all the time loved taking part in skateboarding video games on portables proper from the primary OlliOlli on PS Vita to how a lot time I put into OlliOlli World on Change and Steam Deck. I admire the HD Rumble 2 implementation on Change 2 and assume this model has the potential to change into my favourite as soon as the load instances could be diminished and the efficiency mode optimization improved so it truly feels easy all through when taking part in handheld. I didn’t spend a lot time with it docked, however the little I did play for testing felt just like handheld in efficiency mode.
In its present state, Skate Story is a wonderful sport that I completely advocate taking part in on Steam Deck OLED in case you can, because the efficiency and cargo instances on Nintendo Change 2 maintain it again from being a straightforward suggestion on Nintendo’s hybrid console. I hope a future replace can cap the constancy mode to 40 frames per second and optimize the efficiency mode to hit 60 frames per second extra typically, since it’s a bit too variable for my liking proper now. As for the sport itself, Skate Story is well one among Devolver’s greatest printed titles in just a few years and precisely the type of sport I need to see extra of with its chic aesthetic, sensible music, and superb really feel.
Model Examined: Nintendo Change 2Review Copy Supplied by Devolver Digital
