Naturally, this incurs the wrath of the chief philosopher and the wandering eyes who, despite being just eyes, can’t tolerate your racket. Don’t worry, though – after an ephemeral rabbit guides you to two Thinkpieces and you pass evaluation, the moon is rightfully yours for the snacking, except that’s the beginning rather than the end.

I swear I’m not crazy.

In fact, this is a blow-by-blow account of the first 20 minutes or so of Skate Story by Sam Eng. Long in development, delayed multiple times, and finally available for PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, it’s a game about skateboarding. The bee at the florist? The fluffy creature in the Bagelworld who gives you warm milk (and oddly appears later in a completely different role)? The skeleton fleeing with shears in its mouth? They’re all distractions – the real friends really are the skateboarding we performed along the way.

"As delirious as it feels at times, however, the art direction is sublime, an appropriately uneasy balance between aesthetically pleasing and aesthetically appropriate. Contrast this to its first trailer all those years ago, and it’s mind-boggling to see the leaps that Skate Story has taken."

It certainly isn’t the skeleton that remembers Summer, the real Summer, before it disintegrates into dust. Or the other that sinks its teeth into a heart (not really – it’s just happily hanging off a street lamp) to make up for the lack of one in its chest before also disintegrating. Or the train propelled by millipede-like legs that we need – what else – a MilliCard to ride to face the blood-red moon (which went down easier thanks to the milk). At least the twin moons came to me, projecting scuttling blue scorpions that were seemingly content to vibe on this impromptu dance floor.

If this is all sounding a little too surreal, I absolutely promise you that the visuals and music will not cure that. Skate Story has this color bleed effect (which can be turned off in the settings), which combines with the per-object motion blur and screen space reflections to make environments feel that much more dream-like. If the random stop signs, hurdles, pavements, and glass needles weren’t already doing that for you. As delirious as it feels at times, however, the art direction is sublime, an appropriately uneasy balance between aesthetically pleasing and aesthetically appropriate. Contrast this to its first trailer all those years ago, and it’s mind-boggling to see the leaps that Skate Story has taken. Be warned, though – the amount of flashing lights can be a bit much, and it can occasionally be difficult to make out some paths due to background clutter.

The incredible soundtrack by Blood Cultures (with John Flo also contributing some tracks) is also a notable anchor – it’s easy to get wrapped up in its flow, as the skateboarding becomes more meditative. When it’s not leaning back on chill instrumentals, there’s an eclectic mix of psychedelic pop and chillwave. I know it’s probably going to be impossible given the release timing, but this absolutely deserves a nomination for soundtrack of the year.

Even the sound effects are on point. Your skateboard slamming against the pavement is so satisfying and realistic, further enhanced by the sound of breaking glass. Different surfaces produce unique sounds, as you’ll quickly learn when skateboarding on brick floors. There are some places where effects are missing – the laundromat, for instance – but if anything, they enhance the overall weirdness of the situation.

"You have to build up a combo and slam within proximity of your foes to deal damage. A risk vs. reward mechanic where building up that combo in a single stretch to insta-wipe a boss would have been nice, especially given the time limit in these sections."

As an experience, Skate Story is something unlike anything else out there, but what about the gameplay? Despite how much of a fever dream this all is, the skateboarding is quite robust. You start with the most basic of tricks – an Ollie and a Kickflip before quickly progressing towards the Heelflip. Of course, you can pull off this and much more pretty much immediately, whether it’s Manuals and Reverts or Frontside 180s and grinds. A small timing meter appears whenever performing a trick – perfectly time an Ollie, for instance, and you’ll pop up higher.

However, this isn’t quite like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, where you complete objectives within a single sandbox-like level, discovering secrets, spelling SKATE and whatnot. Several segments play out more like a linear platformer, as you barrel down paths, warping from one to the next through portals while avoiding obstacles like fire or turning on a dime to avoid slamming into glass needle bushes. To be clear, it’s a dream to control – the responsiveness while performing tricks is great, and it all feels natural, though successfully nailing grinds can take some getting used to. There’s also some iffy collisions, where it felt like I should have hit a lamp post, but phased right through.

Running through these sections, there is a distinct feeling of discovering the best paths for racking up the highest scores. Since continuously repeating the same tricks will cause the combo to deplete faster, you’re encouraged to experiment. If anything, consider them practice when navigating the actual hub-like intermissions between these linear sections with Moonspots that require performing tricks or additional objectives that require mastering different tricks.

The combos only really matter during boss battles, for the most part. You have to build up a combo and slam within proximity of your foes to deal damage. A risk vs. reward mechanic where building up that combo in a single stretch to insta-wipe a boss would have been nice, especially given the time limit in these sections. However, I didn’t see any difference between slamming after a 2000-score combo versus a 15,000 combo, which is kind of disappointing.

"You wouldn’t think a trash bag could serve as a complex labyrinth of perpetual blazes or that the path to Bagelworld could be so treacherous, but if you take the leap, these and many other wondrous sights await."

So while there is a satisfying gameplay system to master, it’s not really one that’s in the pursuit of big scores, unless you count accruing Souls and spending them on skate decks, stickers, wheels, and whatnot. The journey is what matters more than anything else, and even if the narrative is all over the place in that respect, there is an undercurrent of celebration for skateboarding as a whole. Philosophical musings – does a trick make a sound if no one is around to hear it? – can sound corny. Oddly and appropriately, however, it fits with the overall atmosphere that Skate Story is going for. Somehow.

As far as side quests and activities go, they’re a little too simple in some respects, simply defaulting to “Get and deliver an item.” The main “quest” steps, as they were, involve mastering aspects like grinding and come across as more entertaining. However, the streamlining can feel a little excessive when trying to really explore and take in the various levels.

All that said, Skate Story is worth checking out if you want a skateboarding experience with an excellent trick system and responsive controls, but also incredibly out there with its narrative and atmosphere. You wouldn’t think a trash bag could serve as a complex labyrinth of perpetual blazes or that the path to Bagelworld could be so treacherous, but if you take the leap, these and many other wondrous sights await.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Critically acclaimed Skate Story by Sam Eng is also available on the service, and from December 16th, you can also access Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Released after years of delays, the action RPG follows Gran/Djeeta as they venture to the Zegagrande Skydom and deal with a dangerous cult.

Other notable additions include Planet Coaster 2 and LEGO Horizon Adventures on PS5, the latter also recently added to PlayStation Plus Essential. Cat Quest 3 is playable on PS5 and PS4 alongside not one but two Paw Patrol titles – Grand Prix and World.

As for Premium subscribers, they receive exclusive access to Soulcalibur 3 on both platforms. Based on the PS2 version, it includes quick save, custom video filters, rewind, and more.

PlayStation Blog also shared some new details about the otherworldly adventure, starting with the controls. Holding Square unleashes a power slide, while holding down Circle performs an Ollie. Pretty simple, right? However, as you experiment with the L1 and L2 buttons, you can perform Front Pops, Heelflips and Pop Shuvits.

There are over 70 tricks to unlock, and you’ll need some serious variety to defeat the game’s bosses, which require building your combo meter and stomping with Square at the right moment. Timed jumps nets more points, which equates to more damage, but be careful – one wrong move and the meter’s wiped.

Beyond battling bosses, you’ll also complete various missions and fulfill requests for various underworld denizens (like destroying a “smelly monolith” for a talking trash bag). Rabbie the ghost rabbit will serve as your guide, and there’s a hub where you can spend soul currency to customize your deck.

Skate Story launches on December 8th. Check out some gameplay of a battle against the Moon here.

Set in the Underworld, players control a “glass and pain” demon on a mission to devour the moons. The best way to do that, apparently, is by grinding and kickflipping through its various trippy environments, though one wrong move sees your frame shattered into pieces. Interestingly, one moment involves sitting down with a moon, debating over why you have to have it.

You’ll learn new tricks (with over 70 in total), partake in trials and even run into other denizens of the Underworld. The gift shop offers multiple ways to customize your skate deck, including stickers and wheels.

For those keen to go hands-on with Skate Story before release, there’s a new PC demo available. Stay tuned for more details before its release and check out a moon battle here.

New details are also available courtesy of the PlayStation Blog, including how combat and boss battles work. As showcased in the trailer, fighting the Moon (the very object that the Skater needs) requires dealing damage with tricks. Dishing out enough damage during the song’s duration is key, so mixing up your tricks and maintaining speed will ensure that.

Other notable characters that appear include a frog with memory issues, a “jittery” subway train, and more. There are 70+ tricks to learn (obtained through mysterious obelisks), gear to equip and trials that level up the Skater for the journey ahead.

Skate Story is also coming to PC. Stay tuned for more details and a release date in the coming months.

There’s Skate Story, a surreal, trippy skateboarder that was first announced in 2022 and was originally due out last year, before being pushed to 2024 in last year’s aforementioned delay showcase. Another prominent one that many have had their eye on is Baby Steps, a physics-based walking simulator from the makers of Ape Out, QWOP, and Getting Over It. Finally, Free Lives’ roguelike beat ’em up Stick it to the Stickman has also been delayed. 

Given that we’re at the very tail end of the year, these delays don’t necessarily come as a surprise. Specific release dates haven’t yet been revealed for any of the three games. Hopefully, they will be able to meet their newly announced launch windows, but you can never really count against delays where game development is concerned. 

It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch – check out the last gameplay trailer here. Other titles that will be releasing next year include Pepper Grinder, a 2D side-scrolling platformer for Nintendo Switch and PC, and Skate Story, a surreal skating title for PC.

Anger Foot, still very much about shooting and kicking things as angrily as possible, and Stick it to the Stickman, a physics brawler with stickmen, are also skipping 2023. Both titles will be coming to PC. None of the above titles have release windows outside the “2024” period, so stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.

Cult of the Lamb was released in August for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC and sold one million copies in a week. Though it had a limited-time Blood Moon Festival event for Halloween, Massive Monster could have significant new content in the works. Terra Nil is a city-builder from Free Lives of Broforce fame and focuses on ecological restoration. It’s slated for release in Q1 2023 on PC and may receive a release date at the Holiday Special.

The same goes for by Sam Eng’s Skate Story, a surreal skating sim releasing next year on PC. It focuses on a demon made of “glass and pain” who seeks freedom by skating to and swallowing the Moon. There are 70 tricks to perform and souls that require your assistance throughout the journey. Stay tuned for more details on the titles this Thursday.

In Skate Story, you’re a demon but not just any demon. You’re made of “glass and pain.” The only route to freedom is by making a deal with the Devil, who tells you to skate to the Moon and swallow it. A simple task, though potentially shattering into a million pieces with each botched trick can be a problem.

Despite its far-out set-up and plot, this is still a skateboarding game. There are over 70 tricks to perform, skate trials to complete, new gear to earn and various troubled souls to help out. With nine layers to explore and a smooth soundtrack by Blood Cultures and John Fio, Skate Story may be worth keeping an eye on.