Every so often, you come across a game that feels like the singular vision of one person, a personal memoir digitally translated into an interactive medium with a desire to express and entertain. Playing through Skate Story reminded me why I wanted to write about games in the first place and what this medium is capable of compared to film, music, and literature.
If it isn’t obvious by my rambly intro on the artistic merits of video games, Skate Story managed to impress, inspire, and entertain me in ways that only video games with a clear creative voice are capable of. Here are my thoughts on this unforgettable journey of a Skater made of glass, traveling through the Underworld and shattering over and over to eat moons.
Delicious Moons and Pigeon Writers
In Skate Story, you play as a demon made of glass and pain who also happens to be a massive fan of the art of skateboarding. Your purpose in the Underworld is to devour the many colorful moons that keep the night alive in these depths. The why and how are not important, and while those ideas are touched upon as you play through its campaign, a certain level of ambiguity is maintained to ensure that the focus remains on the characters and themes.
It is a dreamy game set in a world with its own rules, ideas, and systems in place. These reflect our own world in one way or another, but I am glad that Skate Story does not rely on heavy-handed metaphors to entice intrigue. The glass Skater shatters into tiny pieces, only to reform and skate over its remains, highlighting its eternal struggle and resilience in an endless night to consume the moons that serve as a constant presence.
There is downtime during each chapter, and that is where you meet the other inhabitants of the Underworld, demons like you who are finding their purpose, often running businesses and services that give each depth of this realm a sense of self. The characters are usually fun little beings with their own individual quests, like a pigeon using a laptop to write or a penguin running a jewelry shop. They are often very funny, whether through their design or their writing.
Despite the circumstances, Skate Story does not shy away from populating its world with quirky characters and humor to keep things light when needed. It handles themes of regret, shame, authority, and most of all failure with the respect and care they deserve, and does not shy away from using its aesthetics and style to create disturbing and riveting imagery.
Skating Through the Underworld
Progression in Skate Story is divided into individual chapters, each with a clear beginning and end. These chapters serve as grounds for skating through linear portals with obstacles or smaller open areas where you meet NPCs, take on side quests, and complete various skating challenges. If you come from games like Tony Hawk or Skate, it will take some getting used to the controls because, unlike in Tony Hawk, you don’t need to hit manual to continue a combo.
Instead, the focus is on timing, as each trick usually ends with the need to perform an Ollie. For example, a kickflip must end with an Ollie. Make no mistake, Skate Story is not carried solely by its stellar presentation; it has a very competent skating system beneath its glassy exterior. Each trick is beautifully animated, and there is a large variety of moves that you can learn and combine for big combos, which can then be used to damage bosses.
The game does not expect you to be the best skater in the Underworld. You can finish the game by learning and performing simple combos, but you can also become the best skater if you want. The skating system has plenty of depth, letting you play at your own pace. I am not great at this game yet, but I want to get better, and that desire is only possible because I know that the game is capable of much more on a mechanical level. Either way, you can get through to all the “Story” bits of the game with minimal understanding of the depth it offers.
Oh, and yes, you can customize your Skateboard with stickers, boards, wheels, and trucks. There are plenty of neat designs from other Devolver Digital published titles as well.
Looks That Kill and Skaters That Break
It would be criminal not to gush over the incredible presentation of Skate Story, and I am struggling to find words to explain how beautiful it is all the time. It is an absolutely breathtaking experience that justifies every single post-processing effect used to elevate its world. Each depth of the Underworld has a unique look, and the game does an incredible job of conveying a sense of scale when it needs to. The bosses, or Moons, are enchanting, massive, and often terrifying with their deep colors, blinding light, and gorgeous arenas.
The way your Skater’s body shatters into a million pieces, the rawness of the grinding, the thumping of each stomp, and the way scenes transition seamlessly during gameplay all contribute to the experience. The sense of speed conveyed through color bleed, the camera, and FOV is truly majestic. It sounds like a dream, and every single effect feels as if it fits into the world with ease. My compressed screenshots can’t do it justice.
The same can be said for the excellent OST from Blood Cultures, which does a fantastic job of elevating every somber and frantic moment with grandiose synths, deep vocals, and catchy tunes.
Verdict
Skate Story is a spellbinding work of art that enchants with its impossibly beautiful world, jaw-dropping visuals, and high-stakes story, all while handling mature themes with care and sincerity. Beneath its glassy exterior lies a robust and deep skating system that will push enthusiasts to perform sick combos, but it does not expect you to master it on your first try, either. It is a journey through the Underworld well worth taking and a deeply personal experience unique to the interactive medium of video games.
- Incredible presentation that never stops impressing.
- Robust skating system with plenty of depth for skating enthusiasts to explore.
- Superb pacing with appropriate downtime sections.
- Responsive controls and exciting boss fights.
Published: Dec 8, 2025 12:00 pm