As you might have guessed, Skate Story is a game about skateboarding. Specifically, it’s a game where you skateboard as a glass devil. And yes, it’s just as great as you imagine.
Created by developer Sam Eng (featuring music from the band Blood Cultures and published by the iconic Devolver Digital), this version has been in development for some time. It was worth the wait. Skate Story doesn’t just have to be fun to play, it stitches together a great soundtrack, jagged visuals, and an emotional story.
The result is something like a modern masterpiece.
pure force
You (because this game takes pains to remind you, and you’ll never forget) are demons made of glass and pain. Armed with nothing but a skateboard, sneakers, and a bunch of nasty tricks, you descend into the depths of the underworld. You will devour the moon.
Of course, it’s difficult to skateboard as such a delicate and colorful figure. Hell is not an easy place to navigate, and with every kickflip or twisty turn you risk shattering your body with deadly spikes or just plain inconvenient walls. Still, when you are so close to doom, you can’t help but pick up speed and steer toward it. Each risk you take definitely feels worth it.
Shatter happens easily, but so does repair. It’s so fast that you can barely tell it’s broken. I’ll be back on the board soon. Controlling your skateboard and performing tricks is easy and so simple that all you have to think about is the here and now. your movements. your timing. Some stages give you little time to think, but you don’t have to. All you need is skates. It’s a game of pure momentum and never-ending flow, and it feels great. Smooth. Polished to match the shiny body.
Credit: Devolver Digital
The game not only walks the fine line between praising and punishing the player, it effortlessly crosses the line. I have never been so easily recovered or so content when I have been shattered into a billion pieces.
Eating on the moon is almost as difficult as eating on Earth, even if you feel like you’re in a never-ending state of flow (or should we say flow skating). After passing through each layer of hell, you can join people in the central area, from where you can start your pursuit of sky sparkles, chat with characters, customize your skateboard, and more.
Each layer is a new environment with its own challenges. With limited time on the long and dangerous tracks, you’ll have to maintain a fine line between speed and caution as you ski through difficult jumps and corkscrew turns without falling apart too often. Combo Chain Challenges require you to complete a list of tricks or earn enough points by a certain time. Even the boss fights are true boss fights in a way rarely seen in skating games, where you deal damage to moonlit enemies by completing impressive combos.
These new areas, new gauntlets, and new tricks you learn as you progress deeper keep the game feeling fresh and new until the end. It could use a little more variety, but everything is built around solid, fast-moving skateboarding gameplay that feels fun to play at every moment.
Credit: Devolver Digital
the beauty of a broken world
One of the characters in this game is always talking about “atmosphere and honesty?” They were right to do so. Vibe-y truly represents the Skate Story aesthetic.
The visuals are definitely incredibly textured. Rough. It’s all rough edges and chunky models, flipping (with a kick) between overwhelmingly flashy color palettes and subdued color palettes tainted by brightness debris.
The sights weigh down the game’s atmosphere, making it feel as filthy and jagged as it looks. The sound lifts it and soars.
If the music starts at the perfect time as you hop on your skateboard, it’ll feel like you’re taking a breath, and you might find yourself trying to hold your breath for the entire song.
The soundtrack, created by genre-defying band Blood Cultures, elevates the game by distilling and sampling the sounds of New York to bring it to life. Sam Eng was excited to have them work on this piece, and as soon as he heard them, he knew why.
Credit: Devolver Digital
Light and airy, yet grounded in a solid industrial beat, the song may seem like an odd contrast to Skate Story’s visuals. But the moment you take dangerously fast corners to this soundtrack and pop those shoebits over brutal spike pits, you realize how perfectly they work together.
Similar satisfaction comes from other parts of the sound design. All the little clatters, clicks and grinds of a real skateboard are here. Hard landings and combo finishers are given the weight they deserve. It’s almost as intuitive and tactile as a real skateboard.
Well-tuned gameplay isn’t the only reason why this game plays smoothly despite its dark tone and setting. It’s also the perfect blend of visual and auditory.
Credit: Devolver Digital
Stick to the devil
I’m not sure if this would be a real skateboarding game without being able to customize your board at least a little bit. And luckily for you, this is a real skateboarding game.
As you progress through the layers of hell, you’ll be able to unlock a series of skateboard designs. Intricate drawings of the monster, the first letter from Frankenstein, the game’s audio track, and more. We also have a large collection of tracks (the metal bits that attach the wheels to the board), wheels, and stickers with quirky and cool designs. Red moon with “Do not eat” written on it, anyone? Perhaps a hot dog or a mug of milk would be faster.
You can also arrange the stickers, so I’m always torn between the desire to add silly new stickers and the reluctance to hide my wonderful sardine board.
This is one of those games where the love and passion that goes into it shines through, and skateboard design and customization is where that veil is especially thin.
Credit: Devolver Digital
The range of stickers and skateboard customization is fun, yes. But it also forces you to change it midway through. You see, grinding and flipping your way through the underworld will put a lot of strain on your board, and soon your favorite new design will start to look pretty beat up and scratched.
They didn’t have to do that. I’m kind of mad that they did that because I liked the board that I broke. But in a way I’m glad. These very small but very fascinating details are part of what makes this game feel like a special and original experience.
This customization is not the only moment of joy. The underworld is a place full of secrets, inhabited by people with their own stories, all of which you can discover. There’s a lot of unexpected things here, and I was shocked to find things I’d missed on my first playthrough.
However, not all games are so well maintained. There are a few moments where the roughness seems to be more than just a visual and aural effect, and some characters feel a bit thin instead of the rounded and convincing allies they were intended to be. Fortunately, these moments are few and far enough apart that they don’t detract from the overall experience.
Credit: Devolver Digital
Putting a “story” into your skate story
So you might be wondering why this game’s title emphasizes “story.” And of course, if the story is really important enough to include in the title.
Yeah. Yes, that’s right.
Skate Story tells the story of a demon who pulls off a great combo that freezes Beat and eats the entire moon. But it also means destroying and rebuilding yourself over and over again. It’s about eternity and finding an end to what you thought was missing. It’s about being free, even if it means destroying yourself.
It’s also about trying to be an artist when you think you might hate making art, and sometimes you struggle physically or mentally to do so.
The story is strange and not particularly simple. It’s one of those things that gives you some answers and some obvious themes but hides others behind it and leaves you to figure it out on your own.
That’s interesting. It’s heartwarming. It’s something I’ll be digesting alongside the moon for a while.
Credit: Devolver Digital
final thoughts
Every little part of the skate story comes together so perfectly, so beautifully. It’s beautiful to look at, play, and listen to, and will satisfy all your senses. It was fun but calming so I enjoyed every moment.
Skate stories can be a little messy at times. It’s not perfect, but it’s raw, bloody, and above all, deeply honest. I love it. And I think you will too.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Satisfying gameplay, great music and visual combination, moving story
Important point: Minor polishing issues.
Developer: Sam Eng
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: Windows PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, macOS
Available: Currently
The review was conducted on a Windows PC using the release code provided by the publisher.
A featured header image is also provided by the publisher.
