A few months ago, I first played Devolver Digital’s Baby Steps on PS5 and PC. I adored it, and while I haven’t finished it, it is likely going to be in my favorite games of the year. I was then obsessed with Devolver’s next game, BALL x PIT, and I even covered it on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Would Sam Eng’s Skate Story complete the trifecta? I already enjoyed Sam’s Switch game Zarvot years ago, but I was more hopeful after the Skate Story PC demo.
I wasn’t sure if the full game would hold up, but having now played Skate Story across Switch 2 and also replaying it on Steam Deck, it has more than lived up to what I was hoping for, but it also let me down on a technical level for Switch 2.
Skate Story has you playing as a glass demon who needs to eat the moon, and all you have are your own skills and a skateboard. Through this journey, you will perform tricks, take on bosses, interact with all sorts of colorful NPCs, reminisce about your own life, have a think about the future, and maybe even just have a glass of warm milk before bed. If you tried the demo, it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg for where the story goes towards the end.
You will need to get over any preconceived notions you have about skateboarding games when you play Skate Story. It does not control the same way, and your goals are not the same here. I also recommend looking into the accessibility options if you are struggling, since the combination of the camera angle changes, momentum difference, and general readability in some situations might be a bit too much. Do not let those rob you of getting the whole narrative experience. The only aspect I found a bit clunky about the core skateboarding gameplay was stopping or slowing down, and some collision issues. Thankfully, I thought the general pacing and even the boss encounters were immaculate.
The combination of glass, crystals, and heavy use of chromatic aberration and other post-processing, combined with the game’s unique designs, makes it one of the most striking experiences you can have this year. A lot of deliberate camera changes and particle effects only elevate it more. Skate Story is a game I’d absolutely love to buy an artbook for, but I also hope it gets some unique physical release with a glass or reflective cover version.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting Skate Story to blow me away with its soundtrack after listening to the one track posted by the band Blood Cultures on YouTube. Thankfully, the full score featuring its music and more is immediately one of the best game soundtracks of 2025. Not only are these songs amazing on their own, but their use in-game is fantastic to set the mood throughout.
I wasn’t familiar with Blood Cultures before Skate Story, but I started checking out the band’s older albums after the teaser. I think the Skate Story Volume 1 soundtrack is probably the closest I’ve thought of a band being able to release music that fits the band’s sound and the game perfectly, since HEALTH’s Max Payne 3 and Andrew Hulshult’s Nightmare Reaper soundtrack.
The more I thought about Skate Story after spending a few hours with it on Switch 2, the more I realized it was going to be one of those games where some say “it isn’t going to be for everyone”, and I started seeing it happen when more people played the demo or even when more impressions popped up. No game needs to be for everyone, and Skate Story managed to deliver an unforgettable audiovisual experience that happened to be accompanied by great skateboarding gameplay.
While I haven’t finished the Steam version on Steam Deck, it is a much better experience there than on Nintendo Switch 2 right now. I got used to the fluctuating performance in the game’s performance mode and have played over 10 hours on Switch 2, with most of the time handheld. It isn’t good enough considering it sees quite a visual downgrade from the fidelity mode, especially noticeable in handheld where you lose some effects and the resolution looks lower. The fidelity mode itself also needs to be capped since it just runs uncapped and feels awful right now in version 1.4.0.
Technical issues aside, I’ve always enjoyed playing skateboarding games on portables right from the first OlliOlli on PS Vita to how much time I put into OlliOlli World on Switch and Steam Deck. I appreciate the HD Rumble 2 implementation on Switch 2 and think this version has the potential to become my favorite once the load times can be reduced and the performance mode optimization improved so it actually feels smooth throughout when playing handheld. I didn’t spend much time with it docked, but the little I did play for testing felt similar to handheld in performance mode.
In its current state, Skate Story is an excellent game that I absolutely recommend playing on Steam Deck OLED if you can, since the performance and load times on Nintendo Switch 2 hold it back from being an easy recommendation on Nintendo’s hybrid console. I hope a future update can cap the fidelity mode to 40 frames per second and optimize the performance mode to hit 60 frames per second more often, since it is a bit too variable for my liking right now. As for the game itself, Skate Story is easily one of Devolver’s best published titles in a few years and exactly the kind of game I want to see more of with its sublime aesthetic, brilliant music, and amazing feel.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by Devolver Digital
