Preview: Skate. is a good game - but it separates itself from the franchise

Skate., EA Games' newest project, has finally reached the public via early access - everyone can try the game since September 16th! The community has been closely analyzing it, as it's a new venture from the company that developed the renowned Skate 3 15 years ago. While not a sequel, this title brings a wide range of features from Skate 3.

UmGamer played Skate. during its early access to produce this First Impressions content. Check it out!

Performance and graphics issues will be addressed! Therefore, below are the specifications of the PC used for this review:

Processor: Ryzen 5 3600

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4

Storage: NVMe SSD

Many have been calling Skate 4 a supposed sequel to EA's legendary franchise, but that's not the case—Skate. takes a different approach. It can be frustrating; fans of the series who haven't seen anything new in a decade and a half deserve a true sequel to Skate 3, but Skate. offers another experience. The problem is that the company's marketing primarily targeted this audience, who may have been disappointed upon entering San Vansterdam, the city where the game is set.

While expecting a sequel, some in the community had higher expectations for more realistic graphics and a career or story mode, as in its predecessor. However, aiming to reach a larger market share, EA developed something different.

Skate. It's a free-to-play production, and as a service, there's no story to be discovered - the main focus is on completing challenges in the open world with your friends while progressing through the game, unlocking new maps and cosmetics.

The gameplay structure in Skate. may not be the best; the lack of a story mode is noticeable, and aimlessly playing, completing random missions to accumulate as much currency and experience as possible to receive new cosmetics, doesn't sound all that interesting.

As you can see on the map below, there are several types of missions (orange icons), and they refresh daily—this helps keep the audience engaged in the game for longer, but I don't feel it's enough.

However, the gameplay itself is excellent and worth checking out. Starting with the return of Flick-It, a system exclusive to the Skate series, where you perform tricks with the right analog stick, further enhancing your immersion. Speaking of tricks, the foot animations for them have never been so realistic.

The excellent gameplay even extends to the sound effects. From the soundtrack, with incredible music that matches the environment, to subtle details like how, when you pick up the skateboard after it's in motion, you can still hear the squeak of the wheels for a few seconds.

The sounds of the skateboard hitting the ground or other objects are also highly polished.

Improvements are missing

Still, some minor gameplay aspects could, and should, be improved. The "push" movement, which involves leveraging the skateboard's speed with your foot, is inconsistent—the board starts moving very slowly, but sometimes reaches very fast peaks; there's no middle ground to facilitate locomotion.

This is perhaps the point that most highlights EA's desire to attract a new community to its new project. Some Skate 3 veterans criticized the choice of more cartoonish character styles, hoping for more realistic graphics.

You can upgrade your character with new pieces; some basics are given when you reach a new level, others are sold in the store, using a paid currency.

I don't see a problem with the store offering paid cosmetics, especially considering that Skate. is free-to-play—and the company would need to use this method to make money. As long as it doesn't become a Pay-to-Win system, which hasn't happened so far.

The community's biggest objection to the store is the free currency, given as a reward for challenges. With it, it’ll only be possible to buy loot boxes. The gaming community has repeatedly debated the issues with this system, which has already been banned in several countries, especially in games with a lower age rating.

Another issue is the brands; only a few, like Thrasher and Vans from the many in Skate 3, are present here. Most of their cosmetics are part of paid sets, and the few items available with regular currency—like the classic Vans Old School—must be found in the box.

Skate., for the machine configuration mentioned at the beginning of the article, is well optimized—no FPS drops even when playing on Ultra graphics. However, some issues arose during my gameplay.

On its launch day, I experienced several server errors and disconnections, which made me wait for hours until I could finally log into San Vansterdam. We understand that this was a peak period—but it's frustrating.

Other than that, I'll just point out the physics, which isn't yet in perfect shape. We're encountering unusual movements and falls when colliding with city objects. Overall, Skate. will give you a good experience in this topic.

Skate. Isn't Skate 4! This title will be a good option for those looking for an open playground to enjoy with friends, each with their own unique character. The lack of a story, combined with the microtransactions and loot boxes, will frustrate the series' most avid players, but if you enjoy the Flick-It features, adding new objects and ramps, and editing your own replays, use them to pass the time in the city.

It's a good game, as long as you understand and enjoy the new approach. I don't see it as a game you'll spend many hours playing every day, but it's interesting for completing some missions during your free time during the week. Since it's free, it's worth trying!

I hope you enjoyed this article; I'm available if you have any questions or suggestions.