Skate Story

You could make the argument that indie is the only area of the video game world where true creativity and artistic expression still exists. Sure there are unique and fresh ideas that come to other parts of the game sector, but indie is pretty much the only place where you will find games like the latest project from developer Sam Eng.

Simply put, Skate Story is a bizarre concoction, a peculiar experience that takes a premise as simple as skateboarding gameplay that we've seen used in a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remake and a Skate reboot this year alone, and matches it up with an odd and metaphorically-heavy narrative. It's the sort of project where you can move around the different levels landing epic combos and chaining together impressive tricks all while simultaneously being completely lost and confused by what the main story is trying to tell you. It'd be like watching a Marvel movie directed by Salvador Dali.

Now that in and of itself has positives and negatives. For one, the actual gameplay, especially when it's allowed to be the body that drives the game forward, is rather brilliant. For an indie title developed mostly by a single person we're treated to a pretty fantastic slate of skateboarding mechanics. It's nothing nearly as complex as the established AAA titans, but you can easily master and land a bunch of unique and varied tricks by simply pressing buttons in the correct order like a fighting game combo (meaning no messing around with weird analogue stick positions), grind in a multitude of ways, powerslide, climb on and off your board, and easily glide around the world in quite a fulfilling manner. When you get to fly down steep hills to a thumping soundtrack or have to string together combos for a high score, it's a very well put together experience that you can divulge a lot of fun from.

But then things slow down and it leans more into the metaphorical narrative once more. The basic premise is that to escape the Underworld, you sign a deal with the Devil that states if you eat the moon, you will be free. To get to the cosmic body, you are granted an almost ethereal skateboard and turned into a being of glass and pain, a vessel able to contain the moon once consumed. However, as the story advances you learn that you've been tricked in a multitude of ways, including how there is not one moon but seven, and that the Devil doesn't even intend to let you leave if you complete the feat... It all means that as you work through each chapter, different narrative twists and turns are introduced, some that refer to Alice in Wonderland, like chasing a rabbit (that turns out to be a rat actually, which is confusing, yes) through portals (rabbit holes), and others that align with the nine circles of hell from Dante's Inferno. It's a lot to take in at times and it can feel like staring at a surreal painting in a museum and attempting to figure out the premise behind it, except with the caveat that this isn't a painting that is open to expression but rather a video game that has a clear and advancing narrative.

Beyond the story that some will connect with and adore and will leave others bewildered, we find a structured setup that sees each chapter basically put together in the same manner. You begin by working through a few portals in intense skateboarding action and then land in a more open environment where you need to complete a few minor and odd tasks to progress further. This is the part of the game that is more open to player freedom, as you can spend as much time in these parts as you like, popping tricks and racking up soul points that are effectively a currency to be spent on cosmetics solely if you want to. You never have to acquire a singular cosmetic if you don't want to, but the option is there. Anyway, you tick off these bizarre side tasks, like helping a pigeon who has writer's block by collecting letters in the area to spell out words like "Cheese" so you can borrow its laptop to print off a form to be able sleep and get a 1984-like overseeing department off your back (I know, so freaking weird), and eventually you can progress to the final portion of the chapter that usually comes in the form of a boss fight.

The boss fights are visual spectacles but they aren't really very complexly-put together ideas. Essentially, you need to "defeat" the moons (and more...) by notching up score and points through tricks and combos, and then banking them typically in the light cast from these bosses to damage them. It's not an immense affair as often these encounters are over in five or so minutes, but they are some of the more memorable parts of the wider game. The setup of each chapter does bring gameplay variety, even if pacing is perhaps a little less balanced due to the open portions and the questing typically being very, very slow. Oh, and again, incredibly peculiar.

All of this aside, the other parts of Skate Story that stand out are without question the art style and the soundtrack. The art is fittingly strange and perhaps a little difficult to wrap your head around at times, even if it's unique and memorable and feels very on-brand for this project. Then we have the soundtrack that has been created by New York artist Blood Cultures, and this is perhaps my favourite part of Skate Story, as it presents a varied and thrilling soundtrack that offers music in all manner of themes and categories that perfectly accompany the part of the gameplay you're immersed in. It's special and stays with you, with the audio-visual element of Skate Story delivering an expressive and creative collaboration that you wouldn't find beyond the indie space.

But this is just the thing about this game, as while there are parts that impress, features that you will embrace and enjoy, there are also other elements that you will come away from frankly bewildered. It's an odd balance, an end-product that in the days after wrapping it up I still cannot quite wrap my head around in places. But this does mean it's memorable and unique, so if you enjoy indies that push the boundaries of creative expression, Skate Story has a lot going for it. Likewise, if you appreciate more direct and less complicated video games, it might be best to give this one a pass. I'll leave you with that.