Skate Early Access Preview: I’m Gonna Hold Your Hand While I Say This

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The goal of Skate is straightforward: a dynamic online skateboarding playground where you can skate with your buddies, conquer the city, perform awesome stunts, and have fun within the game’s established legacy. As most fans are aware, Skate was enthusiastically brought to life by devoted fans who inundated every Electronic Arts social media platform, and soon they will be free to shred the streets of San Vansterdam. The transformation from pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha gameplay to Early Access undeniably took time, but after exploring San Vansterdam, it’s evident that there is still a lot more ground to cover.

Game Rant recently had a preview of the upcoming game, Skate, before its Early Access release. Despite having a unique charm, it seems the game still needs some time to fully deliver on its potential vision. The core mechanics are well-executed and align with what we expect from the game. However, additional features seem to overreach slightly. This early access phase is meant for such refinements, but there’s as much work to be done in streamlining aspects as there is in enhancing them, to ensure an authentic Skate experience.

Training Wheels

Initially, characters can customize their setup, then move on to the starting tutorial on Isle of Grom. From there, they progress through additional tutorials in San Vansterdam, each one leading to the next. It seems the game offers extensive guidance, allowing players to fully explore San Vansterdam at their leisure. However, this thorough onboarding might feel overly instructive, as if there’s constant guidance even after basic skills are mastered. In the game Skate, I found the tutorials to be quite comprehensive, possibly longer than necessary, and the subsequent freedom comes at a higher initial cost than one might expect.

In simpler terms, the game “Skate” could potentially cut its tutorials in half, yet still feel excessive. This is coupled with a habit of explaining everything too thoroughly. In some games, less guidance can be beneficial, allowing players to explore and figure things out on their own. For instance, additional features like map markers or waypoints don’t necessarily need extensive explanations because initially, they weren’t on my radar in “Skate”. However, constantly being prompted about an AR program I should use and follow to navigate anywhere becomes a distraction. What’s more, this AR program for skaters is a point of pride among the game’s characters, almost excessively so. The most irritating aspect, though, are the excessive justifications for falls (slam justifications).

I wasn’t really considering the reason why slamming doesn’t cause harm in the game.” However, it turns out that there is a reason for this in-game rule, which the developers have provided to allow players to perform these actions without dying. I didn’t need an explanation to ignore my common sense and jump off buildings in the game; the desire to explore and experiment was sufficient. But because the game overemphasized the justification, it has made me think about it every time I slam, which slightly ruins the fun for me.

In essence, the tutorials lead to an engaging narrative about discovering San Vansterdam, gaining recognition, and expanding beyond Hedgemont to Gullcrest, Market Mile, and Brickswich. This expansion offers a variety of urban experiences, diverse terrains, and fresh daily challenges. The dynamic city environment ensures that regular players will always have something new to conquer once they’re released into the game. The social aspects show potential, while the missions may be straightforward in design, they don’t lessen the challenge of mastering the gameplay. It is in this aspect that Skate truly excels. Skate provides a laid-back skate park atmosphere, offering a sense of relaxation, although players must be mindful to ignore distractions to fully appreciate it.

A Taste of Freedom

As a passionate admirer, I’d like to emphasize that the essence and liberty Skate provides are simply thrilling. To put it personally, Skate is a blast! The missions or tutorials aside, the joy of skating around the city, seeking out skate parks, uncovering hidden spots, and delving deeper into the area to perform tricks, is exhilarating. The heart of the gameplay – the exploration, the Flick-It system, all the fundamentals of Skate – sparkle quite brightly. Learning the tricks is enjoyable, and it effectively recreates that cherished Tech Deck feeling. Moreover, the world is a genuine pleasure to traverse and immerse in. The gameplay mechanics of Skate feel fantastic, but the presentation of these mechanics could use some polish.

The game in question doesn’t require additional elements in the long run, but those extra features wouldn’t be as enjoyable if the foundations weren’t solid. Fortunately, that’s not an issue here. Every stunt, every trick performed on a skateboard feels authentic, and the overall gaming experience is exceptional. This game is perfect for quick play sessions or for those who wish to immerse themselves in a genuine sandbox setting.

With “skater vision,” players can easily explore the city of San Vansterdam, discovering new, original locations and setting personal goals. Moreover, the option to add ramps and other elements to the environment guarantees virtually unlimited replayability within the sandbox. In summary, San Vansterdam promises countless hours of entertainment once players are let loose.

Progressing Through San Vansterdam

Players advance and upgrade their characters by finishing tasks and accomplishments, earning them the ability to level up, accumulate in-game currency, and acquire rewards. The game offers a wealth of customization options, allowing players to frequently modify their character using unlocked currency and items gained through leveling up. Expect a variety of clothing items like shirts, pants, hats, socks, glasses, and more for character personalization. Surprisingly, tattoos are absent from the game – no visible or unlockable ones at least, which seems unusual given the skate culture’s association with tattoo culture. However, players can customize their skateboard by choosing decks, grip tape, wheels, and applying three stickers to it.

As an enthusiast, I’ve got to express my concern about the progression system in Skate. Since it’s a free-to-play game, I understand that microtransactions are part of the package. The store offers two types of currencies: one I earn through gameplay and another that seems to be premium.

Store cosmetic boxes can be bought multiple times until you get all the loot, which means repetitively buying a box if you’re after something specific. Now, I could theoretically do this with the currency I earn by leveling up. However, here’s the catch: leveling up requires visiting the store. This arrangement seems to create an unusual loop where the progression and shopping are intertwined, which feels a bit odd.

It seems a bit pushy since there’s no necessity for the level-up notification not to appear while I’m in the city, instead choosing to present itself during gameplay. Sure, I can purchase in-game boxes from the store using my earned currency, but the design of Skate encourages frequent visits to the store, often involuntarily. This implies that if Skate’s microtransactions are tied to this feature, players find themselves drawn to the store even for regular progression.

Skate’s Early Access Journey is Only Beginning

It’s evident that Skate boasts a substantial foundation for its gameplay, with additional features such as skitching being introduced over time, making each season more enriched. The Early Access phase allows fans to offer crucial input on the various systems, which seems fitting given Skate’s development history. This stage represents an appropriate culmination of the game’s progression, enabling fans to shape its future direction. Currently, while Skate shows potential as a solid skating game, it is sometimes overshadowed by excessive explanations and questionable monetization tactics. Streamlining the experience, trimming some excess elements, would significantly improve Skate’s overall appeal.

Personally speaking, as a dedicated fan, I’m brimming with anticipation for additional features that could elevate this game to new heights. It’s no secret that the moment-to-moment gameplay is enticing, but when you step back and survey the bigger picture, there are areas ripe for improvement or even elimination. These adjustments would help bring the promised freedom of its sandbox environment to fruition.

Fortunately, Early Access allows for such changes, making it an exciting period as we approach its release on September 16.

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2025-08-27 19:35