By Alex Sorrells / The Jambar
To say skate. was highly anticipated would be an understatement. Five years of development after an already 10-year hiatus has brought a well-rounded game with a structurally sound plotline that guides the player through the city of San Van.
The game, even in its early stages, has a bright future as features keep players coming back for more. Trick animations appear lifelike, but the number of tricks is limited, with developers planning to release more through regular updates.
In the fourth installment of the Skate. series, the player is a skateboarder in a newly resurrected skating utopia, which recently pushed out a greedy corporation that ruined the skateboarding industry.
In this playthrough, the player supports the “RIP initiative,” building up notoriety to restore skating culture in the fictional metropolis.
The Skate. series has held up alongside other notable titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas, which are 13 and 14 years old, respectively. The third installment of the Skate. series, being 15 years old, still holds its weight in gold. The replayability matches that of the games mentioned previously.
As the latest installment, skate. has the blueprints to stand the test of time. Although the game is in early release — and too early to predict what the finished product will look like — what is currently available is spectacular.
It may be a nostalgia factor fueling the appeal, or the lengthy amount of time between games, but this new installment holds to original skate values — throw a character around and do cool tricks.
With many similarities to the previous game, it also comes with many differences. One such difference is the narrator, a robot that follows the players around and guides them through the game. This is in contrast to Skate. 3’s Coach Frank, voiced by Jason Lee, star of “My Name is Earl” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” Along with these accomplishments, Lee also boasts a highly decorated skating career, having been inducted into the Skateboard Hall of Fame in 2019.
Vee, the robot replacement, isn’t so bad. There are several people online that would say otherwise, though. No matter the narrator, the game teaches the players every step of the way, until the story is finished. Missions teach players how to perform basic, moderate and advanced tricks. They also reveal parts of the map where impressive tricks can be performed. Challenges come in three different difficulties — amateur, semi-pro and pro.
Taking 24 in-game hours to complete, there is no rush to complete missions. More features and missions will be added in the future with updates. With that being said, the available ones are enormous. There are over 50 missions that refresh daily, leaving the player satisfied as each challenge varies.
After the main story is over, the skating is never finished. The map provides players with hundreds of areas to skate. The vast map includes a sandbox mode that allows players to create custom skate parks.
Multiplayer adds a fun aspect, allowing players to complete missions with others or skate around the map. The soundtrack sets the vibe of the game perfectly, showcasing small artists from a wide array of genres.
As mentioned before, this is an early release before the full game releases early next year. It is too early to make a definitive statement about its quality, but what is available showcases the promise that this edition holds. With just the right amount of glitches and bugs — and as the game reminds players — it’s free. This anticipated game can be considered highly recommended.