The “yummy” moon hangs overhead and my Skate Story hero is starving. The Skater is a demon wandering the lonely levels of the underworld with a gnawing hunger when a strange thought occurs to him: why not just take a bite of the bright, shiny thing to satisfy himself? It’s not like there’s anything else to do down here.
After making a four-way pact to get a skateboard to use to achieve his goals, the skater turns into glass. Any impact against a hard object, no matter how small, will cause damage to his fragile form from that point on. Wherever he falls, there are shimmering shards scattered across the ground, a much nicer substitute for blood that remains until you successfully ollie, kickflip or shuvit your way through. But that’s not all. Skate Story Demo Showcasing fluid gameplay mechanics and stylish, engaging level design, the game’s philosophical framework proves that it’s a truly unique experience that must be held up to the light for every facet to shine.
Moontime Daydream
The elevator pitch for Skate Story doesn’t do the game justice. It’s more than a skate game set in the underworld, or a mission to eat the moon – which, as I learn in the game’s opening sequences, is the subject of most demons’ greatest fears. After playing the first chapter of Skate Story in the hour-long demo, I realize it’s actually a game about life, death, and the soul-soothing effects of skateboarding.
Not being a skater myself, I didn’t expect to be particularly good at it in a video game. My familiarity with the Tony Hawk series extends about as far as the punk rock soundtrack, but as for the controls in Skate Story, I find them thankfully intuitive. There’s a peaceful calm as you roll through the introductory sequences, dodging walls and other obstacles lest you lightly touch them with your board and shatter into a million pieces. It feels a bit like Burnout 2, or for those who remember the days when Facebook games were everything, Crazy Taxi. Despite my fears, I’m swept along by the crystalline skater on a journey through his innermost psyche, accompanied by driving psycho-synth beats that become increasingly hypnotic.
This whole psyche thing is the thematic core of Skate Story, although it doesn’t become clear until shortly after the introduction. My goal is to eat the moon? I mean, literally eat that literally Moon? Yes and no. Skate Story is all about metaphors, from what the moon symbolizes to what the other beings around the skater symbolize within themselves.
As the skater weaves through mystical portals with the help of a bright white rabbit – hello, Alice in Wonderland nod – he encounters some skeptics, represented by floating eyeball symbols. These watchful eyes are appalled by the skater’s chosen mode of transport and castigate him for violating the rules of their realm. “That’s not allowed,” one of them whines. “That’s illegal!” “It’s so loud! Something has to be done about it!”
It’s immediately clear to me that this has to be a crude dig at the real neighborhood watchmen who police skateboarding, viewing it as a form of vandalism and antisocial behavior in their otherwise perfect cul-de-sacs. This theme of injustice towards skaters and their denigration in the eyes of society (get it?) seems to be another prevailing sentiment, although after only 48 minutes of the demo, it’s hard to tell how apt the allusions are.
promenade
Despite my fears, I am swept along by the crystal-clear skater on a journey through his innermost psyche.
Skate Story isn’t just about racing through the underworld on a rickety deck, as that deck also doubles as a weapon. Performing tricks will hurt enemies, as I experience twice during the demo when facing both the Moon and the Philosopher.
Damage is related to the momentum of your board. Tricks off or on an incline deal extra damage, as does executing the iconic kickflip with perfect timing, while doing a trick too often reduces damage. I quickly get the hang of the required button combinations at my disposal: pressing the left bumper and B button on my Xbox controller causes the skater to unleash a shuvit, while the right bumper and B button unleash the devastating kickflip. I’m sure this is just a taste of what the full game will unlock, but it’s a welcome taste that offers plenty of innovative potential.
After completing the tutorial, I’m sent to the Lyceum. This limbo-like place is the realm of the Philosopher, a wise and seemingly omniscient presence who rules a part of the universe where souls can wander and reflect for all eternity. The Philosopher implores the Skater to abandon his futile mission and stay in his sprawling garden of contemplation for a while, perhaps forever. In short, he can choose inaction, finding solace in the what-ifs and comparative security of the status quo, or he can defy the odds stacked against him. Obviously, he chooses the latter.
I could wax lyrical about the sheer power of this game, especially as a solo project from skater developer Sam Eng, but I don’t want to give too much away. all the surprises. But if you crave an otherworldly action experience that forces you into moments of breathtaking self-reflection and true awe, then Skate Story is the way to go.
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