Published and developed by indy studio Glass Bottom Games, ‘SkateBIRD’ is a skateboarding simulation game similar to the Tony Hawk series, except with players taking control of a literal bird riding a skateboard the size of a Tech Deck instead of a pro skater.

The game’s plot tells the story of a small pet bird, who is sad that its owner no longer skates or spends as much time at home due to their new job which they loathe. The bird decides to start skateboarding in hopes of cheering up the owner and reigniting their passion.

Beginning the game, players will be able to customise their bird from various species (which even includes kookaburras and cockatoos for Australian players), different parts of their outfits, and their boards, with more options becoming available as players progress through the game. After players are happy with their unique board-riding chick, it’s time to skate.

The first thing players will notice is that the main controls are similar to the Tony Hawk games. Being able to perform an ollie with X, which even lets you double jump in a way, was the main way to start a trick. The triangle button lets you grind rails, which then brings up the balance mini-game, and the circle button gives you the option to hold onto the board and chain tricks to keep the combo going.

There’s even a cheeky little option to press L1 to “scream,” which is a little chirp that adds to the combo, and it can be used in between tricks if you are trying to get from one point or the other without losing your combo.

Various classic skate tricks from kickflips, air tricks, grinds, handplants, and more can all be performed. Of course, full-sized skate parks and the streets maybe a little too big for the tiny bird on a board, instead, the bird uses the household as their skate park and performing tricks on pencils, cups, office supplies, pizza boxes, and more, plus even bent ‘Thrasher’ magazines that create the half pipes and quarter pipes in each stage. All this creates something fresh and unique for a skateboarding game.

Much like any other skateboarding game, game progression is achieved by completing various tasks that can be found throughout each stage. Whether it’s performing certain tricks and combos or collecting various items scattered around, players’ skills will surely be put to the test.

Unfortunately ‘SkateBIRD’ isn’t without its flaws as there are various glitches that will occur and greatly impact the gameplay by interrupting the tricks and combos players being attempted. The game’s biggest issue is most definitely its camera, as it seems to lose track and move all over the place on various occasions, forcing players to lose focus. There are several clipping issues which are mostly visual bugs, but the ones that force the camera in and out when you skate under an object can throw you off your game.

For the PS5 version, there are options to adjust the field of vision, which can help in some ways, but finding the sweet spot can be difficult as this can cause the clipping I mentioned above. There are extra ways to adjust the “balancing difficulty” to make you stick to the board more often, and having the ability to fine-tune the “breaking dead zones” or “steering looseness” gives the player a great way to make it their own, there just wasn’t a lot of places to really try them out.

The game’s presentation clearly takes inspiration from the Tony Hawk games with its urban street aesthetics and laid-back hip-hop music but set in an everyday household. This surprisingly works really well with SkateBIRD’s theme and seeing your unique customised bird performing tricks like a pro skater is quite adorable. On the PS5 version, you even get a little bird chirp from the speaker on the controller when I would wipe out.

‘SkateBIRD’ is an enjoyable alternative to Tony Hawk and other skateboarding games, even if it’s lacking in content by comparison. The glitches and horrendous camera angles do have a big negative effect on the overall game, though let’s face it, a lot of the Tony Hawk games are just as bad. Playing as a small bird in a cute outfit while performing tricks on household items is just enough to make this indy title stand out and just be a fun game in its own right. Perhaps this could be the start of a new line of skateboarding video games.

Written by: Shane Fletcher