Pushing. Pushing. Push, push, push, jump –
All four wheels reconnect with the glowing pavement in a crash of tough plastic and crunching wood.
Push, push, push, push, jump, kick —
Another blow, a quick scream.
Push, push, push, ju —
A shattering crash. The world turns upside down in an explosion of shimmering black and iridescent pink. I let out a small laugh, adjusting the controller in my hands and leaning forward. Reset.
Pushing.
In a super-cooled demo space at Summer Game Fest, Skate history creator Sam Eng drew a picture of a burning skateboard on a business card while I played his game, occasionally looking up to giggle at my crashes and answer my questions. He described Skate history as an attempt to capture the feeling he often has while skateboarding, invincible one moment and completely vulnerable the next. Fragile, like glass.
Skate history absolutely crystallized that feeling. You play as the Glass Skater, a demon made of translucent pain, and your goal is to skate to the moon, eat it, and escape this hell. The game takes place in a series of surreal playgrounds in the Underworld, offering long speed bumps, winding paths lined with deadly red shards, and open areas dotted with concrete ramps, gaps, and waxed ledges. The devil and his minions are your enemies and their only weakness is your sweet tricks.
Skate history is coming to PC and I played the demo with a standard Xbox controller: Press Y to jump on the board, A to gain speed, X to powerslide and B to ollie. Holding A pushes the glass skater forward in a steady rhythm, holding B makes a higher ollie, and combining the trigger and armor buttons with a jump does the trick. I pushed hard on ollies, kickflips (left trigger + B), and grinds (near ledge + B), but I also did a few moves that incorporated those inputs plus nudging the right analog stick, swapping positions.
As I made my way through the Underworld, I encountered various floating stone heads—some friendly, some malevolent—and collected items to unlock new areas to progress by slamming my board into the ground to solve small puzzles. There was a shop with custom decks and parts for sale and wide open spaces to practice tricks. The demo’s final boss fight, against a giant stone philosopher’s head, no less, provided me with a concrete arena to perform tricks and deal damage with my exceptional skateboarding skills.
I crave a few uninterrupted hours with the game, ideally at home and after a few edibles, so I can perfect its mechanics, unlock upgrades, and learn new moves. I crashed a dozen times in my 45-minute demo, often in the same spot multiple times and always with a glorious, jarring explosion—but the resets were quick and not overly punishing. The crash always hit harder once I found a state of flow, held A to push and smoothly jumped over neon spikes embedded in the shiny black tarmac, taking a risk and landing a kickflip, reaching top speed, feeling completely free. And then I would cut a piece of concrete and the ride was over, suddenly and rudely. in Skate history, pavement-high ledges are just as dangerous as red-lit obstacles, and the game demands a constant buzz of situational awareness. I’d bet it looks a lot like a skateboard in real life.
Skate history evokes a limbo-like haze through its mechanical rhythm, VHS-filtered visuals and constant, low flash on the skater’s glass wheels rolling on the concrete of the Underworld. Strategy becomes impossible and the only option is to feel your way through the brutal, pearly landscapes. The game’s soundtrack is provided by New York artist Blood Cultures and is a soothing, lo-fi vibe fest, like OlliOlli’s music, but with a warped edge. It feels like a perfect fit.
Skate history it encourages you to peak early, just so you can chase that feeling for the rest of the game. It’s an incredibly addictive cycle, with a place to pay off or fail in every push.
The underworld is much larger than the part I explored Skate history‘c Demo at Summer Game Fest. The full game has more than 70 tricks to learn, new gear to acquire, and a leveling system to unlock. Skate history feels like a game that will easily consume hours upon hours of my time. At least as easy as eating the moon.
Skate history is due out this year (not 2023 as suggested by the trailer above) on Steam, developed by Sam Eng and published by Devolver Digital.
See all the news from Summer Game Fest 2024 right here!
