Skate Story: Forget Reality, We're Grinding Through Hell to Eat the Moon (And It's Glorious)
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Forget everything you thought you knew about skateboarding games, because *Skate Story* throws you into Hell as a glass demon tasked with eating the moon, and somehow, it's a wildly original and captivating ride. It's a surreal masterpiece that fuses robust skate mechanics with a bonkers, psychedelic world, proving that sometimes, chaos is the most beautiful spell.
Right, so you reckon you've seen every flavour of skateboarding game out there, eh? From the majestic grinds of a perfectly executed line to the utter pits of *The Simpsons Skateboarding* (shudder) or the torturous *Tony Hawk: Ride*. And don't even get me started on this year's *Skate*, which, let's be fair, is more a microtransaction hellscape than a game. But what if I told you there's a new contender that takes the idea of 'hell' not as a metaphor for corporate greed, but as its literal, psychedelic, and utterly captivating playground?
Enter *Skate Story*. Now, I've been tinkering with this story all morning, flipping through the details like a wizard trying to decipher an ancient, glitching spellbook, and bloody hell, it's wilder than it first appeared. This isn't just a trip to skateboarding hell; it's a deep dive into pain itself, but in the most bizarrely delightful way possible. And mate, that's actually the whole point of this extremely peculiar journey through perdition on a piece of 7-ply.
This dive into *Skate Story*'s bizarre world was sparked by a cracking review from Luke Reilly over at IGN South Africa, so massive thanks to him for paving the way through this particular corner of the digital underworld. Luke's take on Sam Eng's creation is as insightful as it is entertaining, and it's given me plenty to chew on.
Now, describing *Skate Story*'s plot without sounding like you've just chugged a potion that slightly misfired is a feat in itself. You, dear player, are a demon made entirely of glass and pain. Yeah, you heard me. Glass. And you're marooned in Hell, or 'The Underworld' as it's more politely called. The Devil's here, obviously, and you know this because – wait for it – you have his pants. From the Devil himself comes a deal: freedom, but only if you can flip, grind, and manual your way to the freakin' moon and *eat it*. For some reason. Are you still with me? Because I'm not entirely sure I am, but I absolutely love the sheer, unadulterated chaos of it all. And before you ask, yes, there's a frog barista. And a subway train with legs. Honestly, it sounds like an AI was fed every Lynchian film script and a *Tony Hawk* instruction manual, then told to 'make a game'. And it works.
Confession time: this isn't usually my jam. My brain typically craves the straightforward narratives – big blokes causing problems, assassins with a grudge, or pictures of fighter planes on the cover. More David Leitch than David Lynch, if you catch my drift. But like a particularly potent, albeit slightly disorienting, teleportation spell, *Skate Story* largely won over the original reviewer, and by extension, me. There were definitely moments where the sheer density of the weirdness threatened to numb the senses, but ultimately, the commitment to this surrealistic vision is something truly admirable. It's not just weird for weird's sake; it feels like a cohesive, if utterly bonkers, artistic statement.
The story unfolds through text, allowing you to absorb its eccentricities at your own pace. While the original article did muse on whether a booming baritone narration (think *The Stanley Parable* or *Bastion*) might have given it a bit more gravity, *Skate Story* holds its own thanks to a finely honed soundtrack. Curated by New Jersey band Blood Cultures, the music is an experimental electro-pop blend that shifts and evolves with the changing landscapes and pace of the game. Again, this isn't usually my sonic spellbook, but it's apparently extremely evocative and catchy, complementing The Underworld's abstract environments and eternal night backdrop to a T. It's the kind of subtle yet powerful world-building that makes you wonder what other indie devs could achieve with such a clear artistic vision.
And visually? Don't let the grainy, low-fi aesthetic fool you. This isn't just pixel art for nostalgia's sake. *Skate Story* is one of the most eye-catching and imaginative games in recent memory. Its psychedelic vision of a neon underworld blends jagged forests of spikes with broken slabs of ancient architecture, twisted blocks reminiscent of New York City, and carpets of stars. Watching this wild, fragmented world refract through your sneaker-clad demon made entirely of glass? That's not just a cool visual; it's a clever observation on the fragility of reality itself, or perhaps, the player character's precarious journey. It's like gazing into a digital kaleidoscope that someone accidentally dropped into a black hole – utterly captivating.
**Pain in the Glass, Pleasure in the Controls?**
Now, for the mechanics. The controls aren't immediately intuitive, which, let's be honest, is often a red flag in gaming. Many of us are wired for the analogue stick flicking of *Skate* or the dual-stick ballet of *Session*. *Skate Story* throws that muscle memory out the window, asking you to relearn basic movements like you're trying to cast a brand new, intricate spell. It's more in line with a *Tony Hawk* game, but imagine someone remapped all the buttons for a dare. Basic tricks are a combination of shoulder/trigger plus a face button, with grinds happening when you land just right. Progressively more complex tricks are doled out over the game's roughly six-hour duration, a smart pacing choice that keeps things feeling fresh rather than overwhelming you upfront.
There was a moderate learning curve, as the reviewer noted, archiving decades of *THPS* muscle memory. But it didn't take long to come to grips with this new system. Crucially, everything feels incredibly grounded and weighty. Tricks look fantastic in motion, enhanced by a low-slung camera that tumbles to the ground like a physical object each time your fragile demon shatters into bits. The powerslides feel superb, and the slow-motion enders for successful runs are a genuinely rewarding touch. When it comes to vibes, *Skate Story* lands the trick perfectly.
Interestingly, there's a timing mechanism for tricks, illustrated by an on-screen doodle, with a sweet spot for max altitude. However, the reviewer admitted largely ignoring it on default settings, as the game never truly demanded fastidious timing to progress. You could, apparently, largely spam your way through frantic segments. This might sound a bit trivial to those seeking a stiffer challenge, but for someone like me, who appreciates a bit of accessible chaos, it suggests a game that wants you to enjoy the ride rather than master every single nuance – a choice that definitely suits its surreal nature.
**Tony Hawk's Underworld & The Art of the Hill Bomb**
Boss battles in *Skate Story* are handled in an intriguing way: you build up combos and 'stomp' them down within a marked zone. While you *can* button-mash your way through, being more deliberate with trick selection and timing yields better combos and faster damage. It’s a good balance, offering a path for both casual and dedicated players.
There are also a number of small, trippy sandbox-style levels to cruise around, complete with various objectives. But here's where my gentle skepticism surfaces a bit. Some of these tasks, like gathering floating letters, sounded like a charming nod to ancestral skating games, but then they were just... hovering at ground level. It turns what could've been a fun challenge into a somewhat mundane fetch quest across the map and back. Even in Hell, it seems, some game design tropes are inescapable. You'd think a demon made of glass could, I don't know, *phase* through dimensions to get them, but alas.
However, the absolute standout for the reviewer, and what instantly grabbed my attention, were the speed segments. These 'haunted hill bombs' demand you hustle from your spawn point to an ethereal exit door. The music amps up, creating a genuinely thrilling sense of urgency. The fast-paced, trial-and-error nature of these sections, where your fragile demon smashes to shards only to instantly get another crack, sounds absolutely brilliant. It's the kind of 'optimistically chaotic' design that lets you embrace failure as part of the fun, constantly pushing you forward. A real pang of regret was felt when these runs ended, and honestly, who wouldn't want a few more of those?
**The Verdict: A Wild Ride Through Perdition**
Learning to skate can feel like hell, and *Skate Story* leans into that metaphor with a vengeance, taking us to what's probably the weirdest vision of the underworld you'll ever see outside of a belly full of Guatemalan Insanity Peppers. By fusing a solid foundation of satisfyingly grounded skate tricks with a bizarre, abstract world bathed in neon and starlight, *Skate Story* truly is a wild trip.
While the original review did gently question its replayability, the somewhat limited nature of some objectives, and the occasional loss of focus during text-based conversations, there's no denying its impact. This isn't just another skating game; it's an experience. It’s one of the most distinctive skateboarding games of the decade, a testament to what happens when an indie developer dares to accidentally blow a hole through reality and build a game in the infinite possibilities beyond. Go on, give it a whirl. Your glass demon self will thank you.
Tags: Skateboarding, Indie Game, Surreal, Action, Adventure
Original article: IGN South Africa