First Look: SkateBIRD (Nintendo Switch)
1It's a bird, with a skateboard - it's a SkateBIRD!
And, apparently, Birds of a feather shred together...while doing a little cleaning up around the house and helping out their "big friend."
SkateBIRD takes obvious inspiration from skating games before it with its own, wholly unique identity. Between being able to flap your wings and slightly hover/land gently, and the innate ability to 'screm', it's a perfect blend of what I imagine it's like being a bird...who is also coordinated enough to balance on a skateboard. Luckily, pushing for momentum is unnecessary, and likely impossible.
That said, SkateBIRD is a bit like a bird's nest - messy, but made with love. Throughout the game, there are so many instances in which you can tell they took ideas, stories, and even pictures from their fans and implemented them in game. And I love this - it shows the developers are dedicated, listen, and wanted to bring the best experience they can. However, in it's current form the nest is still under construction.
Suffering from frustrating camera angles and not-so-ideal frame-rate, SkateBIRD is awesome in theory, but left me feeling a bit peckish in its delivery. As I've continued to play, certain aspects can be dealt with and enjoyed, even getting used to the physics and fluttering around aimlessly; it can be somewhat charming. But for the rest, such as the camera, clipping through objects, lack of true grind animations, and an abrupt..er...technique when it comes to lip tricks, there is definitely some left to be desired.
The bottom line is, if you are looking for the next Tony Hawk experience, it won't be here. But, if you are looking for a wholesome yet slightly gimmicky experience about skateboarding as a bird, there is enough to enjoy here. My one hope is that we see some QoL updates in the future. As most we likely agree, we want to love this game, it's just not quite at that level yet.
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Developer's Website: https://www.glassbottomgames.com
Publisher's Website: https://www.glassbottomgames.com
Nintendo Game Website: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/skatebird-switch/
Game Details:
Release Date: September 16, 2021
Players: 1 player
Genre: Sports, Racing, Simulation
Publisher: Glass Bottom Games
Developer: Glass Bottom Games
Game File Size: 3.1 GB
Supported Languages: Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Chinese, English
ESRB Rating: T
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