Let’s face it — the skateboarding genre has been completely neglected over the past ten years. The last decent game in the category was Skate 3, which released all the way back in 2010. The gaming landscape has changed a lot since then, and now there’s a new kid on the block hoping to revitalize the dying genre. That game is Skater XL, and it’s by far the most exciting skateboarding title we’ve seen in an awfully long time. We had the chance to get a sneak peek of the new game, giving us access to the brand new Downtown LA map and an in-depth look at how the game works.
Made By Skaters, Built For Everyone
The team behind Skater XL has decades worth of experience in the skateboard industry. That experience shines through in the authentic gameplay, which is heavily based on physics. In fact, it’s the first game in the genre that handles tricks in this way. Previously, most games tied their animations to specific button presses — for example, if you press X+A while in the air you might perform a kickflip. That’s not the case in Skater XL.
Instead, the board is mapped to the left and right analog sticks and responds accordingly. Swipe the right analog stick, and your right foot will spin the back of the board. Pull down on both analog sticks and both your feet will leave the board, popping an ollie. It’s a deceptively simple system, and the team at Easy Day Studios is quick to point out how much this moves the genre forward — even the beloved Skate games didn’t rely this heavily on physics.
While folks who skateboard in the real world will love the accuracy of this system, armchair skaters will love how intuitive it is. Gone are the days of memorizing button combinations to pull off a trick. In Skater XL, just think about what you want the board to do and replicate it with the analog sticks. It’s such a simple concept, but one that empowers the player to an incredible degree.
Let Your Creativity Run Wild
During the live demo, we were given an extensive look at the new Downtown Los Angeles map. It’s not a true one-to-one replica of the area — iconic skate locations such as the Staples Center, One California Plaza, and the Downtown LA carwash are all present, albeit with some slight tweaks — but it does an excellent job of balancing realism with playability. Easy Day Studios wanted to make sure that players had the chance to string multiple tricks together, something that can be hard to come by in reality. So they’ve moved benches around, added railings as necessary, and done whatever was needed to make for an engaging session. During our hour-long demo there was no shortage of stuff to throw the board at, and it’s clear that lots of time and effort went into making this map a place to let your imagination run wild.
Although the world was painstakingly crafted, it’s also devoid of any life. No pedestrians or cars clog the roads, making LA feel a bit sterile. This is one of the trade-offs the team had to make — do they include traffic and impede the player’s ability to put together impressive lines, or do they keep the streets open, allowing players more room for tricks? It’s a difficult choice to make, but keeping the world free from distractions seems like the right move — there’s nothing worse than kickflipping down a staircase, only to be struck a cyclist.
Oh My Mod…
While Skater XL looked impressive on its own and is shaping up to be the adrenaline shot the dying genre needed, that’s not all players can sink their teeth into. Easy Day Studios has made the game ridiculously easy to mod. Currently, the title is available in early access on Steam and has already built up a modding community of more than 50,000 players. There are mods that introduce a first-person view to the game, mods that add multiplayer, and mods that add new decks and gear for your skater. Hell, there’s even a knock-off Thrasher magazine that’s 192 pages long and features modded products, fake ads, and articles about the best skate teams in Skater XL. Easy Day Studios fully embraces this modding culture and says that, although they have a vision of what they want the game to become, they see it as a “collaboration…with these other groups and people out there.” Skater XL is just the beginning.
Sure, it’s a shaping up to be a great skateboarding game — but it’s more than that. It’s the robust skating engine that people have been dying for. It’s been a long drought for fans of the genre, and Skater XL is doing everything it can to give back to the community. Skaters are a notoriously creative breed. Customizing decks, setting up lines, and collaborating with others are all highlights of real-world skating. Now, those same people finally have a virtual outlet for all their ideas, and they aren’t letting it go to waste.
A New Reign
As exciting as Skater XL is, there are still a few points that give us pause. The first is that — like all physics-based games — there are bound to be some wonky collision issues. During our viewing of the game, we noticed a couple of odd clipping problems with both the board and the player’s feet. However, it’s still an early access title — things like this are bound to happen. There’s also no multiplayer mode, all skaters handle the same despite their real-world proficiencies, and their character models leave a bit to be desired. That being said, these are all nit-picky complaints and nothing that’s a dealbreaker for an otherwise stellar looking game.
Most people who are interested in Skater XL probably grew up with the Tony Hawk games before graduating to the Skate series. Even in its current form, fans of both will find much to enjoy in Skater XL. While it’s certainly cut from the same cloth as Skate 3, its elaborate use of physics to power the action is an incredible step forward for the genre, and we can’t wait to see what the modding community can build with this massive sandbox.
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