It’s here (in early access)! For the first time since 2010, we have a new game in the Skate franchise. With all the hype around the series’ return, which included a fan-run reboot campaign and thousands of comments on EA YouTube videos for years that just said “Skate 4,” can a sequel hold up to the expectations? The answer, so far, is maybe?
Still a Great Formula 15 Years Later, With a Hitch
Throughout my 15+ hours in Skate so far, there have been a lot of great moments. The gameplay and mechanics felt very true to how I remember Skate 3 feeling all those years ago, as if muscle memory picked up right where I had left off the last time I played a Skate game. The “flick-it” control scheme made me feel right at home. The challenges, while very repetitive at times, came in various difficulties that had me excited to try “just one more run.”
The silly nature of jumping off a high ramp and rag-dolling against a wall is still just as fun as ever. Skate amplifies this even more with the inclusion of the ability to climb. See a building that appears to have a giant ramp down the side of it? Climb it. Being able to traverse the city vertically so easily is one major improvement in the franchise. Gone are the days of trying to hit that sweet spot and trying to land on top of a large structure to set your spawn point. Climbing the walls and buildings like Spider-Man is a welcome addition to the game that I have not gotten tired of yet.
With the good comes the mediocre: the live service aspect of the game. I say mediocre instead of bad because I don’t fully think this takes away from the core Skate experience. As stated before, the gameplay loop and mechanics all feel 100% accurate to what I wanted from a Skate 3 sequel. I just fear that this game being fully online could lead to EA taking this game away in the future. The fear of servers getting shut down one day and losing the city of San Vansterdam, your progress, and any microtransactions purchased forever is scary. That is the cost and danger of investing in any live-service game in 2025.
Missing Components
One of the things I loved most about past Skate games was the campaign, but unfortunately, there is no sign of one here. Working my way up, meeting real-life skaters (all of whom are absent in this new game), and even competing in the X Games were all very memorable experiences in my time with the franchise. While the gameplay feels great, seeing just a bunch of challenges on an open-world map that refresh every so often is just Ok, but I would like some sort of campaign or story to go along with it. The few missions that are currently in the game very much feel like tutorials that a veteran like me doesn’t need. The problem is that’s pretty much the entire game right now. In a world where live-service games come and go so quickly, Skate needs something more to stand out.
Along with missing a campaign, Skate is missing some of the core game modes that made the franchise stand out. You would think, at the very least, they would include the “SKATE” game mode from previous games, but no show here. I am hopeful to see some of the missing game modes, and maybe even some new ones, added to the game in the months to come.
If you’re looking for a fun open world to skate around in solo or with some friends, the early access version of Skate is the game for you. Don’t expect much aside from challenges to play through because, outside of the missions that are there already, there is no structure to the game currently. All that said, as it sits currently, Skate in early access is more than enough to hold me over, and I am excited to see where the future of this game goes.
