Skate games have always been something I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid and even tried to take up skating myself. Only getting the basics down like kickflips, 50-50 grinds, and sometimes pulling off varial flips, I decided to stick to the video game adaptations. I always find myself hanging out for the next new Skateboarding game.

‘Session: Skate Sim’ developed by crea-ture Studios Inc., inspired by the golden age of street skating of the ’90s, lets you experience true skateboarding and its culture with no scoring system. It’s just you, your spot, and your imagination.

This game has a lot to offer. With the dual stick controls, each one representing one of your feet, you’ll need to learn how to control them and transfer weight. This new control style is very new to me and it can definitely be a challenge to get a hang of at the beginning but very rewarding once you do. Luckily, for people who are a fan of EA’s ‘Skate’ controls, there is an experimental “Legacy” mode. It’s not perfect but will allow you to explore more of what else the game has to offer while still doing the tricks you love. Unfortunately, if you prefer ‘Tony Hawks: Pro Skater’ arcade-like controls this might not be the game for you, as there currently isn’t an option for a similar control scheme.

It is packed with tonnes of options and experimental features to explore aiding you in playing the way you want. Experimental features including new tricks leading to more fun ways to play the game like caspers, primos, and grabs. Party games such as local pass the controls modes, and animations/crowd options are also included. They don’t work flawlessly at this time but are fun to turn on and give a go.

Then we have our other options like changing the way your character moves via gravity, speed, pop height, and loads more, which really helped me find a happy medium between super realistic and arcadey enough for me to let loose and have fun.

Customization is very important in a game like this. Style is key, especially in the skate scene. By completing challenges, you earn money to spend in skate shops allowing you to deck your character out in the large array of branded items from your favourite skate brands. After getting a new fit for your character, hit the streets, find your spot and get creative with a new line, but remember if no one films it, did it really happen? Good thing there’s a pretty decent replay editor, with a bunch of filters, camera views, and other options to get the shot you want, and then share them with your friends.

The world this game offers looks great, using iconic spots from NYC and Philly, and much more to explore around these cities to find your own unique spots. What I really like about this game is the freedom to explore the streets, find new spots and just have a nice chill session. That being said, sometimes, the world and character don’t clash too well, with some of the character animations looking a little whack. For example, a weird rag doll with not much character movement when stacking, and smaller things like hitting a curb with my board causing my toes to point towards the sky looking like I snapped my ankles, all while still skating along as if nothing happened. Overtime, I do believe and hope they will hash out the little things to make it the skate sim everyone will want.

Audio is important for skating games to make them feel as realistic as possible and the team behind this game has hit the nail with crisp popping, slick grinding, and wheel rolling sounds. Nothing like hearing your wheels hit each brick as you ride along a brick-paved pathway or the grinding sound of a rail. All this is accompanied by a variety of music from Rap and Hip-Hop to Rock, it all really sets the mood.

At the moment, as fun as the game can be, it still feels like the game could do with a bit more polish. They seem to be working at a slowish pace, as I have been on and off the game over the last couple of years and haven’t seen a whole lot change over that time. Session: Skate Sim is set to launch on September 22, 2022 on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Written by: MrVibeAU