Skate Bird is such a novelty of an idea that it honestly felt like it couldn't fail. Birds are cute, skateboarding is hecking fun, the soundtrack is reminiscent to some '90s bands that you'd likely hear in a Tony Hawk game. Sadly tho, this game is no Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and perhaps because of such point comparison; Skate Bird simply doesn't live through it's gimmicks to give us a fun quirky bird skating game.
The biggest problem with this game is the controls, and one that perhaps is the thing that holds it back more than anything else. With Tony Hawk's Proskater, the ability to do tricks, gain momentum, and figure out how to get from point A to B felt nuanced, and something to master. With Skate Bird, getting from point A to B feels wonky like a rollercoaster that is out of control, while handling like a shopping cart that is slightly wobbly. Basically the game takes a lot of getting used to, and with the campaign lasting roughly 7-10 hrs pending on how much you do, and if you know where you're going can be extremely off putting when you are 2 hrs. deep and still are just hoping you stay on the board when you move 2 feet to the left. Combine these rough controls to move around with a somewhat half baked point scoring system, and it really leaves a lot to be desired. Ya, it has a lot of the same tricks you would see in a skating game, and yes, you can indeed get more air time, but this often leds to problems with the way maps are designed.
Not a lot of maps in Skate Bird, but perhaps the most infuriating thing about them is more so the quality of some of them. A lot of levels just do not have the same space you need to pull off tricks or gain momentum. They are either too cramped or too spacious to really make use of them as skate parks. While there is a fun novelty of each level effectively being made of various "household items", these same items don't make for a fun skating level. There is a bunch of random bumps everywhere, areas that are too far spread apart to really connect tricks throughout the level, and sometimes even too small to really make use of your additional jump that helps separate this game from other Skating games. So you add in all these factors together with controls that are hard to get used to, and a rather long yet short campaign means that a lot of people just don't finish your game out of frustration.
Charming is really the only word I can give this game tho. In the end of the day, I can say I did have fun with Skate Bird, but next to none of it was from gameplay. The funny way the birds talk, the cute outfits you can wear, and the aesthetic it has going for it all make up for a really charming game, but next to nothing as something fun when it just takes too long to feel decent at it.
The biggest problem with this game is the controls, and one that perhaps is the thing that holds it back more than anything else. With Tony Hawk's Proskater, the ability to do tricks, gain momentum, and figure out how to get from point A to B felt nuanced, and something to master. With Skate Bird, getting from point A to B feels wonky like a rollercoaster that is out of control, while handling like a shopping cart that is slightly wobbly. Basically the game takes a lot of getting used to, and with the campaign lasting roughly 7-10 hrs pending on how much you do, and if you know where you're going can be extremely off putting when you are 2 hrs. deep and still are just hoping you stay on the board when you move 2 feet to the left. Combine these rough controls to move around with a somewhat half baked point scoring system, and it really leaves a lot to be desired. Ya, it has a lot of the same tricks you would see in a skating game, and yes, you can indeed get more air time, but this often leds to problems with the way maps are designed.
Not a lot of maps in Skate Bird, but perhaps the most infuriating thing about them is more so the quality of some of them. A lot of levels just do not have the same space you need to pull off tricks or gain momentum. They are either too cramped or too spacious to really make use of them as skate parks. While there is a fun novelty of each level effectively being made of various "household items", these same items don't make for a fun skating level. There is a bunch of random bumps everywhere, areas that are too far spread apart to really connect tricks throughout the level, and sometimes even too small to really make use of your additional jump that helps separate this game from other Skating games. So you add in all these factors together with controls that are hard to get used to, and a rather long yet short campaign means that a lot of people just don't finish your game out of frustration.
Charming is really the only word I can give this game tho. In the end of the day, I can say I did have fun with Skate Bird, but next to none of it was from gameplay. The funny way the birds talk, the cute outfits you can wear, and the aesthetic it has going for it all make up for a really charming game, but next to nothing as something fun when it just takes too long to feel decent at it.