Skate Story is a skating game with one big twist: You’re made of glass

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Tony Hawk could always recover from a failed 900 in the Pro Skater video games, but real life was much harder – he suffered broken bones, lost teeth, and got concussions. Now, picture what would happen if he were incredibly fragile.

If a trip to the dentist after failing to land a trick sounds bad, in Skate Story, you shatter into thousands of pieces. First revealed in 2022, the novel idea of a skater made of glass was enough to turn heads and keep people thousands transfixed upon every snippet of new information.

After three years in development and several setbacks, the game is now scheduled to launch on December 8th. We talked with the game’s creator, Sam Eng, who explained that while the game has a challenging premise, it’s surprisingly easy to pick up and play.

Skating your way out of hell

So, the game used to be brutal. Seriously, bump into anything and you’d just shatter into a million pieces! It was a cool idea, but honestly, not very enjoyable. We’ve been working on it a lot, though, and now it feels really good. It’s hitting that sweet spot between the realism of Skate and the fun, over-the-top feel of Tony Hawk. It’s easy to pick up and play, but still feels grounded and believable when you’re pulling off tricks.

What makes this game special isn’t just its core idea, but the whole story and world it creates. As Eng explained to a confused Uber driver, it’s similar to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, but you play as a fragile glass skater attempting to eat the moon while navigating through hell. The driver’s simple response? “Oh.”

In Skate Story, you play as a demon stuck in the underworld who makes a deal to escape eternal suffering. The catch? You have to eat the moon! To do this, you’ll pull off amazing skateboarding tricks, link them together in impressive sequences, and try your best to stay on your board.

After trying the demo, I agree with Eng – the game strikes a great balance between the fast-paced, accessible style of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and the realistic feel of Skate. Tricks are easy to initiate with a button press, but mastering them still requires precise timing and positioning to successfully land.

Varying your gameplay earns you a higher score. While some challenges and boss fights encourage aiming for high numbers, you’re also free to relax and explore at your own pace – the game world is open for you to enjoy however you like.

I’m really struck by how different Skate Story looks and feels from other skateboarding games. It’s set in this kind of underworld, and the style is amazing – it’s like a retro-futuristic vibe, imagining the 80s but for today. You’re skating through this totally surreal, dreamlike world, and the music just fits perfectly. Apparently, the developer, Eng, used to listen to the band Blood Cultures while skating home, and that really comes through in the soundtrack – it’s awesome!

I really liked a synthpop band called Blood Cultures. I used to listen to them while skating home at night. I started thinking it would be amazing if they created music for a game, so I just sent them an email – I found their address on Bandcamp.

The team was excited about the game and eager to test it out. They built good relationships with content creators and initially used existing music tracks before we created original ones specifically for the game.

Whether you’re calmly exploring the detailed environments and taking in the game’s world, or experiencing fast-paced, thrilling moments like skating downhill and performing tricks, everything feels seamlessly connected and well-made.

Skate Story will be available digitally on December 8, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Mac computers.

If you enjoyed Skate Story, you might also like our article on Wheel World. And to discover more hidden indie gems, check out our New Game+ series.

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2025-11-27 06:49