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 yr. I used to be then obsessive about Devolver’s subsequent sport, BALL x PIT, and I even lined 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 certain 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 degree for Change 2.
Skate Story has you enjoying as a glass demon who must eat the moon, and all you could have are your individual abilities and a skateboard. Via this journey, you’ll carry out methods, tackle bosses, work together with all types of colourful NPCs, reminisce about your individual life, have a take into consideration the long run, and perhaps even simply have a glass of heat milk earlier than mattress. For those who tried the demo, it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg for the place the story goes in the direction of the top.
You will want to recover from any preconceived notions you could have about skateboarding video games while you play Skate Story. It doesn’t management the identical approach, and your objectives usually are not the identical right here. I additionally advocate trying into the accessibility choices if you’re struggling, for the reason that mixture of the digital camera angle modifications, momentum distinction, and basic 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 side I discovered a bit clunky concerning the core skateboarding gameplay was stopping or slowing down, and a few collision points. Fortunately, I assumed the overall pacing and even the boss encounters have been immaculate.
The mixture 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 vital hanging experiences you may have this yr. Plenty of deliberate digital camera modifications 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 monitor posted by the band Blood Cultures on YouTube. Fortunately, the total rating that includes its music and extra is straight away top-of-the-line sport soundtracks of 2025. Not solely are these songs wonderful 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 testing 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 a couple of hours with it on Change 2, the extra I noticed it was going to be a type 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 bought 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 seems to be 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 enjoying 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 respect the HD Rumble 2 implementation on Change 2 and suppose this model has the potential to change into my favourite as soon as the load instances could be decreased and the efficiency mode optimization improved so it truly feels clean all through when enjoying handheld. I didn’t spend a lot time with it docked, however the little I did play for testing felt much like handheld in efficiency mode.
In its present state, Skate Story is a wonderful sport that I completely advocate enjoying on Steam Deck OLED in the event you can, for the reason that efficiency and cargo instances on Nintendo Change 2 maintain it again from being a simple advice 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 considered one of Devolver’s greatest revealed titles in a couple of years and precisely the form of sport I need to see extra of with its chic aesthetic, good music, and wonderful really feel.
Model Examined: Nintendo Change 2
Evaluation Copy Supplied by Devolver Digital
