Review for Skater XL. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 19/12/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/07/2020 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 28/07/2020 The version for Xbox One came out on 28/07/2020
At glance, Skater XL can be associated with the historic Skate series. In fact, the two titles dedicated to skateboarding have many elements in common: the camera near the foot, from below and the rag doll at the limit of ridicule when you fall, just to name two. But then because it's not called Skate?
Let us explain it to you.
Everything starts with the legs
Skater XL, as you can imagine, it has no plot. It puts us in the shoes of a skater and after a fairly substantial tutorial throws us in action. What makes Skater XL wonderful (for better or for worse) is definitely the control system. Why? The reason is obvious: it will be necessary use both analogs to move our avatar, left stick for left foot and right stick for right foot. Based on how the two move, all possible and imaginable evolutions will be possible, even by chaining them. We must not take them as mere analogs, but as real legs.
This idea, very simple at the base, becomes complicated pad in hand, you have to really commit and learn all the movements so as not to drop our poor skater. Obviously everything becomes much more intuitive if you have been on a skateboard in real life but if you have never had this experience, everything becomes much more complicated to act for "muscle memory".
What is truly impressive about this movement system is the freedom it gives. Yes, it practically is You can perform any kind of trick, from the simplest nollies and ollies to decidedly more complicated evolutions. To help get carried away with the movement with the analog sticks, the developers of Easy Day Studios wanted to meet the player, displaying the pad with the two colored sticks differently, so as to allow you to remember what moves what.
Furthermore, for those who have never even played such a title it will be very difficult to understand what needs to be done, and it could also be frustrating to always fall. But if you don't give up, Skater XL it becomes really nice. What perhaps risks boring, however, it is the lack of something else.
Graphically… empty
We explain ourselves better: from a graphic point of view it does not excel, the physics is good (despite the absurd peaks when falling off the skateboard) and the control system is all in all simple, but that's it. Apart from moving the two analogs, nothing else is done. There is no way to create your own courses, you just have to get on the skate and have fun. This is strange, perhaps because of the title of the game: Skater XL since when you think of “XL” something very big comes to mind.
Even the maps they are few:
- Easy Day High School
- Downtown Los Angeles
- California Skatepark
- West LA Courthouse
- The Big Ramp
and three alternatives created by the community of players.
What could kill the urge to play is the lack of detail. We are not referring to the movement, but more to everything else. At first glance it almost gives the impression of playing a title still in Beta or Early Access, at least from a graphic point of view. All the avatars available look alike for good or bad, so the choice in the end falls into a simpler "man or woman".
It is also true that with the camera perpetually behind no one notices the face of our character, but it is also true that in much larger titles than this there is a minimum of customization. Agreements could be made with fashion houses in order to have “street” clothes, for example. But what can be most disturbing is the absence of details in the rooms, which are often too empty. Of course, you need space to move around on a skate, but in this case there is too much of it, especially in the “initial” maps.
We have reached the most interesting moment for the wallet: is it worth buying the Skater XL? Yes, but only if you are a real fan of skateboarding. If you are just curious to try it, it is better to aim for something else. The price is quite affordable, but in case you want to buy it to get some Skate-vibes, then it is better to wait until there is a little discount. While in the case of growing up on bread and skateboarding, the purchase is to be done with your eyes closed, even for defects. What platforms is it available for? PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
► Skater XL is a Simulation-Sport-indie game developed and published by Easy Day Studios for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 19/12/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/07/2020 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 28/07/2020 The version for Xbox One came out on 28/07/2020
