It was most prevalent when attempting to navigate some of the game’s tighter spaces, or when trying to turn my character around. Once you commit to a direction, changing your trajectory is tricky, as one extra degree of tilt is all that’s needed to ruin your combo.Īdding to the frustration is Skatebird’s camera, which often violently shook as I played. Despite controlling a creature as tiny and light as a bird, I felt more like I was steering a boat. Movement, a foundational pillar of most skateboarding games, is not Skatebird’s strong suit. But the more I played Skatebird, the harder it was for me to appreciate all that it does right. I was charmed by its cute story, and I also thought its levels were wonderfully inventive. As someone who likes birds quite a bit, I loved getting to design my own winged animal to catch air with. Skatebird’s biggest draw is its premise and style. Why Should I Care? Image Credit: Glass Bottom Games The controls, objectives, and core mechanics are all near identical to those found in the Pro Skater series, so folks familiar with the birdman’s games should feel right at home here. These regularly ordinary locations are littered with household items like staplers, soup bowls, and desk chairs that may seem minuscule to us, but make for some pretty sick, shreddable obstacles for a small creature.Ĭomplementing this adorable premise is gameplay that draws heavily from that of the Tony Hawk games, specifically the early Pro Skater entries. This wholesome tale leads the bird through various “skate parks,” which are actually spaces such as a bedroom or an office space that, relative to a tiny little bird, are the size of a full-fledged skate park. Well, it’s because it’s trying to rekindle its workaholic owner’s passion for skateboarding. “Why is the bird skateboarding?” you might wonder. What Is It? Image Credit: Glass Bottom GamesĪs one could likely surmise, Skatebird stars a skateboarding bird. Rough physics, janky controls, and unrewarding moment-to-moment gameplay are the clips in Skatebird’s wings that prevent it from ever taking flight. Regrettably, Skatebird doesn’t quite stick the landing as well as its genre peers have. Its silly premise, creative settings, and adorable characters set the stage for it to be an abstract twist on the skateboarding video game genre - a group of games that seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment thanks to titles like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, Skater XL, and EA’s upcoming continuation in the Skate franchise.
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