#SKATEBIRD ALPHA BETA GAMER PRO#

I was about as non-zen as I could be while playing Skatebird on Switch – a stark difference in comparison to our preview of the game. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but with the typewriter and graphical issues, along with the unresponsive controls (which I mostly attribute to the terribly designed Joy-Con controllers), it just wasn’t an enjoyable experience.

Unfortunately, the entire Switch experience gave me a sour taste in my mouth and had me ready to hurl my handheld device out my second story window and onto the street below where perhaps a skateboarder would ollie directly onto the device, shattering it into a million pieces. I initially began my review by playing the game on the Nintendo Switch, since it seemed to be the platform of choice that was shown off during various gaming showcases in the build-up to its release.

With that said, I need to disclose that I’m approaching this review a bit differently than other reviews, as I reviewed Skatebird on two different platforms at basically the same time. While playing, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a really, REALLY well-done remaster of 1998’s Rugrats: Search for Reptar levels mixed with 2000’s Grind Session (I promise this is a compliment). Don’t expect to be blown away if you’re already a hardened veteran of the genre. In that sense, the game is a great entry point for those just starting to cut their teeth on the skateboarding genre. You do, however, have a double jump ability and a slower descent back to the ground after catching big air. If you’ve played any games in the THPS series, you will be immediately familiar with Skatebird’s single button flip tricks, grabs, rotations, stalls, and grinds. Each level has a different theme, such as a bedroom and an office, where Birb will kick flip and tail grab its way over ramps, rails, and big air jumps made out of everyday objects like leftover pizza boxes and straws.Ĭontrols are about as straightforward as you can get. Related: Xbox Game Pass Adding 13 Games, Including SkateBird, Aragami 2, And SableIn terms of its overall gameplay, Skatebird puts you in the skate shoes (talons?) of Birb – a house bird who skates throughout sandbox-like levels while taking on missions and collecting hidden objects. That is, depending on which platform you play the game on. And for the most part, it’s a welcome addition to skating’s gaming catalog. However, considering that at that time, we were just entering a revitalized era of skateboarding video games with titles such as Session, Skater XL, THPS 1 + 2, and the announcement of the next Skate game, it only made sense that Skatebird’s humorous spin on the extreme sport would come about in some form or another.

#SKATEBIRD ALPHA BETA GAMER PRO#

Sure, the idea of a skateboarding bird wasn’t quite as appealing as playing as the Hawkman himself (a desire that actually became a reality later in the year with the surprise release of the remastered Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2). While the rest of the games shown off during the Wholesome Direct had me excited, it was Skatebird that piqued my interest. Despite its original announcement in 2018, followed by a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign in 2019, I was first made aware of Skatebird during last year’s Wholesome Direct 2020, when I watched a spunky, fat, little bird cruising around on its skateboard and grinding rails like, well, Tony Hawk.

Skatebird alpha beta gamer