‘Skate City’ Review (Nintendo Switch)
I’m sure there are many gamers out there who, like me, have only ever played the Tony Hawk’s games when it comes to skating games. Yes, there have been some since and there were ones before but it was the one that everyone played. And as it is yet to appear on the Nintendo Switch (by the end of the year is the latest word) there is space for another skating game. Step forward, Skate City.
I will get this out the way first. Although there are similarities, this is a different game to anything on the Tony Hawk’s franchise. But this is no bad thing. You do get points for each trick you do and it obviously involves your character skating but that’s about it with the resemblance.
Skate City takes place in three cities – Los Angeles, Oslo and Barcelona – with each city having different sets of challenges for the player to master and complete. These challenges range from doing a basic trick, not getting caught by the police, getting high scores in a set time and much more. It doesn’t vary too much in each city but that’s not an issue. You do have to complete sets of three challenges to earn the next three and each city is unlocked after you reach a certain number of points.
The difficulty setting feels just about right. For someone like myself who is an experienced gamer but not actually that great at games, this means that the game is enjoyable and challenging but far from impossible. You can earn one, two or three stars in each challenge so there’s plenty of replay value in the game also.
Skate City has a whole style of its own and one that I very much enjoyed. The music plays a big part in this with its lo-fi beats, a genre of music I have been listening to frequently lately. For those unfamiliar with the music, its a relaxed and chilled sound which fits perfectly with the game. Tony Hawk’s might be all action and fast-paced, with music to match and the same goes for Skate City. This is a perfect game to play in shortish bursts while relaxing at home or on the move. That said, it’s hugely addictive so don’t be surprised if you find yourself playing for an hour or more in one sitting.
The art style is as aesthetically pleasing as the music and sets it apart from any similar games.
There’s plenty to enjoy about Skate City and although it’s not a huge game at its fairly low price it does make good value for money. Put enough time into it and there’s lots of customizing and added extras to keep you playing again and again. Relaxing and skating might not obviously go hand in hand to many people but that’s exactly what you get with Skate City and it fills a nice gap in the market before Tony Hawks arrives on the Switch.
