SkateBIRD Reviews
The birds and the way you can customize them to your heart’s content is really cute and the design of the skating grounds which make normal everyday objects feel so huge is a really great idea that is executed well but sadly because of bad camera design and kind of sluggish controls, the core skating gameplay is not as fun as it should be.
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A whimsical bird-focused take on skateboarding seemed delightful, but in execution, frustration dominated my playtime, whether it was struggling to find missions or battling with the loose controls. Charm is the saving grace that led to me having short-lived enjoyment. Overall, SkateBird is way more reminiscent of the janky but sometimes enjoyable games that came out in the wake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater's success than the original product itself.
SkateBIRD is a wonderful skateboarding game that plays familiar to THPS, but is as much its own game to separate the two.
If you've ever desired to roleplay as a variety of avian creatures with a tendency to pull off sick tricks on four-wheeled boards, then SkateBIRD is basically your only option. This cute indie game successfully delivers a goofy skateboarding experience most of the time, but annoying and plain inconsistent movement as well as some boring level design prevent SkateBIRD from being great.
SkateBIRD is a creative addition to a genre lacking in variety, and its fun concept has clearly been realised with a lot of love. However, despite its potential, the best parts of the concept are underused, with neither the miniature skaters nor the addition of wings bringing much to excite. While the core gameplay is functional, the play feel is not fluid and the level design and laborious structure are always working against the fun. To top it off, the rudimentary graphics are needlessly hazy. More of a turkey than a pretty boy, then, unfortunately.
Despite its amusing concept and charming vibes, Skatebird can't get far when it actually gets on the board.
Skatebird's rough skating mechanics are offset by its charming internet-age humor.
In the end, Skatebird is a charming but flawed game. The cute characters and strong environments are coupled with a camera system that acts haywire anytime you're near an object. The forgiving respawn system becomes brutal when you return to a spot where you're near an object that is difficult to navigate around. The sometimes-dodgy collision detection can make some quests go on longer than they should. It's still a game worth checking out, but here's hoping that some patches can elevate it into something special.
Is it on the level of a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2? Or a Skate 3? Alas, no, but SkateBIRD successfully stands out from the crowd with a unique premise, lashings of charm and solid mechanics. It’s not perfect by any means, and can often be a pretty frustrating experience, but with a plethora of menu options with which to simplify and improve that experience, it’s a game that should appeal to anyone who likes their games on four wheels and a deck.
Skatebird had potential, and I hate to drag it down, but I simply did not have an enjoyable experience with it.
I’m not going to say “buyer beware” in regards to the Switch version of Skatebird. By all means, if you have younger gamers or Switch is your primary gaming device, then playing Skatebird on Switch will probably be just fine for you. However, if you have the option, go with the PC version of the game, especially considering that the game is coming to Xbox Game Pass next month. Even though many of its tropes are a bit played out within the genre, Skatebird is a game that knows it’s silly, and embraces it in a way that makes it fun to play (on PC).
It’s just overall not that well executed. The physics and gameplay are not where they should be. The levels are just okay. The goals are rarely entertaining. But you’re here for the birds, right? There are definitely skateboarding birds, I can guarantee they are in SkateBIRD. I’m not even being sarcastic, the birds are absolutely great. Just try to focus on that and nothing else.
A decent skateboarding game with an entertaining theme and quirk. The physics and visuals imperfections hold it back for sure, but there's still enough there to have a good few hours of fun.
SkateBIRD offers a similar skating game to some classics, but with a twist that can make it fun for people who don’t particularly follow the sport and its athletes. Plus, it’s just cute to see a bird with a Mohawk on a skateboard.
Through a great soundtrack and entertaining story beats, SkateBIRD proves that you don’t need to always look to the skies for a game to leave a lasting impression.
SkateBIRD offers cute birds and chill vibes in a neat package, but inconsistent and, at times, frustrating mechanics, as well as a lack of polish, makes it difficult to really enjoy the strong audiovisual elements it brings to the table.
Skatebird is the kind of game that the world can never have enough of -- complex but accessible gameplay, unique gimmicks, and a clear sense of style. While there are a few kinks that need to be ironed out or settings that can be modified, they're largely outweighed by the unabashedly silly and enjoyable experience of playing the game. Skatebird is the perfect low-stakes, high-reward game to dive into right now, and hopefully other players will soon agree.
Skatebird is a cute and original arcade skating game supported by great music, but the skating itself is crude, the objectives are boring, and the camera is a regular hassle.
SkateBIRD offers a similar experience to other skating games out there. Even if it doesn’t compete technically with the likes of EA’s Skate or challenges the skill needed for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, I still found it fun to play. SkateBIRD won’t replace your preferred skating game, but I think it’s a good, relaxing experience to try out. Plus, you get to play with birds, and what isn’t there to love about that?
Admittedly, my expectations for this game were somewhat low. So long as there were birds on boards, what else could I ask for? And yet, SkateBIRD manages to capture a little of that pure boarding mana, scuffs and all. The controls may skew wide and weird at times, but isn’t it only appropriate? How else would it feel to make a tiny bird steer a skateboard around its owner’s room? I don’t love the initially limited music selection, but I do appreciate going on the hunt for more tracks. Beyond the controls, the customization, and the music, there’s a solid core of skating here. You can easily fall into a calming loop of practice and progress. While it’s not perfect, SkateBIRD’s cute premise and its reliable mechanics make for a pretty fun ride.