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Skate Story Review: A Surreal Skateboarding Adventure With a Learning Curve

A glass-bodied demon, a Moon-eating contract and skating that drives both traversal and boss fights make Skate Story an unusual adventure, though its combo system has a learning curve.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Skate Story is a story-led skateboarding adventure about a glass-bodied demon skating through the Underworld to devour the Moon. Its tricks, grinds and combo system power both movement and boss encounters, while a striking visual style and Blood Cultures-led soundtrack give the journey a distinct identity. PC Gamer’s Lincoln Carpenter scored it 87/100, praising its skating, sound and style while noting that the combo mechanics take time to understand.

What is Skate Story?

Developed by Sam Eng and published by Devolver Digital, Skate Story casts you as a demon made of glass and pain. Bound by a deal with the Devil, you must skate across nine layers of the Underworld and swallow the Moon. It is a single-player adventure rather than a straightforward skateboarding sports simulation: skating is how you travel, progress and face the world’s challenges.

The game launched on December 8, 2025. Its official listings cover PS5 and Steam for Windows and macOS. The developer announced Steam Deck Verified status before launch. Check the current store listings for price, regional availability, subscription access and compatibility details, which can change.

How does the skating feel?

The core loop is built around ollies, kickflips, grinds and connecting tricks into combos. Momentum, timing, weight and the variety of your line matter; the goal is not just to land a trick, but to carry movement through a course and build a sequence. The PlayStation listing advertises more than 70 tricks, alongside freeform skate spots, trials, gear and progression.

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#1 Best Overall
My Childhood Skate Story Game Simulator
  • My Childhood Skate Story Game Simulator is a nostalgic skateboarding experience that brings back the freedom, excitement, and imagination of growing up on a board. In My Childhood Skate Story Game Simulator, you relive a personal journey where every ride feels like a memory in the making. Explore familiar streets, practice tricks, and enjoy simple moments that capture the spirit of youth.

PC Gamer reviewer Lincoln Carpenter said the trick combinations demand attention to timing and tempo. He also described initially struggling with the scoring system: combo points diminish gradually rather than vanishing all at once. That distinction matters if you expect a more familiar score-chasing rhythm, but it is one reviewer’s account, not a guarantee of how every player will respond.

How do tricks connect to the story and boss fights?

Skating is more than a way to get from one surreal landscape to another. Sam Eng’s PlayStation Blog description explains that boss encounters reward varied tricks performed at speed: combos build damage, while repeating tricks or slowing down makes them less effective. The same emphasis on rhythm and line variety that shapes ordinary skating therefore carries into combat.

Rank #2
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Your board can be customized with decks, trucks, wheels and stickers. The developer also described visual wear on the deck that reflects how you skate. These are in-game customization and presentation features; you do not need a physical skateboard to play.

What are the visuals and soundtrack like?

The presentation leans into the premise with a surreal descent through the Underworld and a glass-bodied skater whose appearance responds to the game’s lighting. On PS5, the official listing specifies DualSense vibration, and Eng’s developer post describes controller light effects that reflect the skater’s glass body and the surrounding illumination.

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Blood Cultures created the original soundtrack, with additional tracks by John Fio. Eng described it as a 12-track original soundtrack. Carpenter praised the music and visual style in PC Gamer, calling the game one of the best-sounding and most stylish he had played recently; he also noted how the audiovisual presentation reinforces boss sequences. Those are his critical judgments, not measured technical findings.

What did critics say?

PC Gamer’s Lincoln Carpenter published an 87/100 review on December 8, 2025. He praised the skating feel, presentation and soundtrack, while flagging a learning curve in the combo system. His review setup listed Windows 11, an Intel i7-14700K, RTX 4070 and 32 GB of RAM, so the score and observations should be read as one critic’s review rather than a consensus rating.

Rank #4
Junior Storyteller, Conversation Card Game for Kids 4-8, Speech Therapy Toy
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Steam also displays selected review excerpts, including a 5/5 Eurogamer quotation and a 10/10 Shacknews quotation. Those are excerpts chosen for the store page, not an independently calculated aggregate score.

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Is there a physical edition or a real skateboard?

The official sources establish digital listings on Steam and PlayStation, but do not establish a physical game edition or a physical soundtrack release. Steam lists Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 & 2 as digital content. The developer did announce a full-size Skate Story skateboard as merchandise, along with a Rabbit T-shirt; that board is real-world merchandise, not required game equipment. The announcement does not confirm current stock or availability through any particular retailer.

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Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 2
Mattel Games Kerplunk Disney and Pixar Toy Story 5 Kids & Family Game
Mattel Games Kerplunk Disney and Pixar Toy Story 5 Kids & Family Game
When all the Buzz Lightyears have tumbled down, the player with the fewest wins!; Clouds on the sticks let colorblind players easily identify which stick to pull.
$16.99
SaleBestseller No. 5
Best Value
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Skate 3 - Xbox 360
  • Learn the ins and outs of skating with the all-new Skate School where you can practice your skills on the sticks. Customize your experience with new on-screen guides including a manual meter and Flickit trick analyzer
  • Multiplayer allows you to progress through the career campaign with others or slay them in head-to-head competitive battles. Keep tabs on teammates and rivals with Skate Feed, the all-new game and web social network
  • Say hello to darkslides, underflips, and the all-new skate mecca, Port Carverton - featuring unique districts, plazas, skateparks and endless lines, this is the true skater's paradise
  • Form teams to become a skate industry mogul. From completing online challenges to creating skate parks, to having your graphics downloaded, almost everything skaters do in the game counts towards their progression
  • Skate Reel and Skate Graphics are back, and the all-new Skate Park is an open canvas for players to create their dream plaza or mega-ramp park. Once created, players can share their masterpieces with the world from their console

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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