The Skate reboot has shown off a bunch of new deadly ragdoll footage, directly from early playtests of the game. The Skate reboot was a title that gamers sought after for many years, and hopefully it's not too long before players can finally get their hands on it.
The hype continues to build around the Skate reboot, with fans keen to see a return to the franchise which has been dormant since Skate 3 in 2010. Still, gamers are remaining cautious, after rumors of loot boxes in the Skate reboot surfaced earlier this year. While the developer was quick to play down the rumors, it remains to be seen if this remains true after release. With the announcement of the game's business model being free-to-play, many gamers will be curious to see what kind of microtransactions end up in the final game, with cosmetic skateboards arguably the best-case scenario.
The new footage comes from the official Skate YouTube channel, showing highlights from February's playtests. A huge focus of the video comes from the ragdoll physics on display, with many of the characters hurting themselves in comically over-the-top ways. It's great to see the ragdolling remains intact from the previous games. It was a selling point for the franchise of the past, even being turned into a popular game mode called "Hall of Meat." A Skate game without great ragdoll physics just wouldn't feel the same, even if it's not the primary focus of the series. Developer Full Circle has been releasing these videos for a while, with the first Skate playtest gameplay videos coming in June last year.
The focus on the ragdoll physics doesn't mean the actual skateboarding gets ignored, however. The clip shows off a variety of tricks that many fans of past games (or skateboarding in general) will recognize. It even displays some new features, including a climbing mechanic that sees the player clambering up the side of a building. It all looks some way from completion, although the video does emphasize that it's "Pre-Pre-Alpha Gameplay." Some fans even managed to get their hands on a leaked build of the Skate reboot last year, which unsurprisingly looked much less complete than where the game stands to this day.
After years of uncertainty and silence, fans are just happy to know that more Skate is definitely happening. There have been other skateboarding games in the gap between, such as Skater XL and Session: Skate Sim, but for many players, they just didn't scratch the same itch. It remains to be seen if Skate will immediately reclaim its crown upon its return, but fans are certainly excited to find out.
Skate is currently in development.