This review contains spoilers
A killer love letter to the original JSR games, putting everything you think you remember about them into one package.
The execution here was definitely more about recreating the JSR experience, rather than significantly evolving or expanding on it, and I think the developers pretty much nailed it in that regard. Plus, despite their similarities, the devs definitely made something more than just an "imitation" here. However, if you go into this looking for those core JSR concepts to be scaled dramatically to their fullest potential, you'll probably be wondering why they couldn't go a bit further in some places.
A fairly limited soundtrack, and just solid levels definitely left a little to be desired. There was no area that I felt like I could skate all day without getting a bit bored, each plagued with a few small spots that felt inconvenient or too barren to skate - but like I said, still pretty solid. Also, as much as I loved the majority of the soundtrack, there were a few misses on it for my taste, and given the small size I found myself listening to those particular songs way more often than I'd have liked.
Other than that, Team Reptile undeniably knocked it out of the park with the core gameplay, aesthetics and character designs, and Hideki Naganuma unsurprisingly dropped nothing but certified slappers with his tracks. All this paired with banger typefaces and a fantastic logo-design provides one of the hardest contemporary styled games I've ever seen.
I found every character likable and interesting, and while the outfits definitely had the potential to be more than just recolours, I liked everyone's fit enough that it wasn't really a bother.
Every song, character and environment meshed perfectly with the game's personality, and every artist on this project crushed it with the graffiti pieces. I never felt let down visually, and got exactly what I was looking for every moment I was cruising around New Amsterdam. But those wavy liquid topographic like patterns in the UI? That was an unexpected cherry on top I couldn't get enough of. Graffiti mechanic was fun and executed perfectly. Whether I was tagging something random, or using one of my favourite patterns, every design was super dope.
Story was simple but very enjoyable. I wasn't expecting that much from the story so I was pretty surprised with how amped and invested I was by the end, rooting for just about everyone. Plus, each dream sequence was super fun and I was always looking forward to the next one.
All in all - I love the game. While more could have been done with such a brilliant foundation, I respect Team Reptile for showing restraint and delivering a faithful experience that gave me no less than I was hoping for... besides the ability to in-line skate backwards.
Favourite track: condensed milk
Favourite level: brink terminal
Favourite character: Felix
Favourite equipment: In-line skates
Favourite rival crew: DOT EXE
Favourite tag: BIGSHINYBOMB or BOMB BEATS
Soundtrack: 4/5
Sound design: 3/5
UX/UI: 5/5
Level design: 4/5
Character design: 5/5
Story: 4/5
My bias finds it a 5 star but my objective score is more like a 4. One of the most fun games I've played.
Shoutout smitt for hooking me up wit da game
The execution here was definitely more about recreating the JSR experience, rather than significantly evolving or expanding on it, and I think the developers pretty much nailed it in that regard. Plus, despite their similarities, the devs definitely made something more than just an "imitation" here. However, if you go into this looking for those core JSR concepts to be scaled dramatically to their fullest potential, you'll probably be wondering why they couldn't go a bit further in some places.
A fairly limited soundtrack, and just solid levels definitely left a little to be desired. There was no area that I felt like I could skate all day without getting a bit bored, each plagued with a few small spots that felt inconvenient or too barren to skate - but like I said, still pretty solid. Also, as much as I loved the majority of the soundtrack, there were a few misses on it for my taste, and given the small size I found myself listening to those particular songs way more often than I'd have liked.
Other than that, Team Reptile undeniably knocked it out of the park with the core gameplay, aesthetics and character designs, and Hideki Naganuma unsurprisingly dropped nothing but certified slappers with his tracks. All this paired with banger typefaces and a fantastic logo-design provides one of the hardest contemporary styled games I've ever seen.
I found every character likable and interesting, and while the outfits definitely had the potential to be more than just recolours, I liked everyone's fit enough that it wasn't really a bother.
Every song, character and environment meshed perfectly with the game's personality, and every artist on this project crushed it with the graffiti pieces. I never felt let down visually, and got exactly what I was looking for every moment I was cruising around New Amsterdam. But those wavy liquid topographic like patterns in the UI? That was an unexpected cherry on top I couldn't get enough of. Graffiti mechanic was fun and executed perfectly. Whether I was tagging something random, or using one of my favourite patterns, every design was super dope.
Story was simple but very enjoyable. I wasn't expecting that much from the story so I was pretty surprised with how amped and invested I was by the end, rooting for just about everyone. Plus, each dream sequence was super fun and I was always looking forward to the next one.
All in all - I love the game. While more could have been done with such a brilliant foundation, I respect Team Reptile for showing restraint and delivering a faithful experience that gave me no less than I was hoping for... besides the ability to in-line skate backwards.
Favourite track: condensed milk
Favourite level: brink terminal
Favourite character: Felix
Favourite equipment: In-line skates
Favourite rival crew: DOT EXE
Favourite tag: BIGSHINYBOMB or BOMB BEATS
Soundtrack: 4/5
Sound design: 3/5
UX/UI: 5/5
Level design: 4/5
Character design: 5/5
Story: 4/5
My bias finds it a 5 star but my objective score is more like a 4. One of the most fun games I've played.
Shoutout smitt for hooking me up wit da game