With the absence of games like Skate and Tony Hawk Pro Skater, skateboarding fans have been wondering what next big game is set to take the genre by storm. Although a number of developers have tried to stake their claim on the massive hole in the market, few have managed to gain traction like Skater XL, a crowd-funded skating game that focuses on realistic controls and grounded gameplay.
While the title has remained in early-access for quite some time now, originally debuting on Steam back in late 2018, fans have been patiently biding their time for the full-release to debut. After a long wait, the title finally released a few days ago on July 28, with gaming's biggest skating fans flocking to see if it lived up to the hype. It seems a handful of critics also decided to hop into the brand new skating release as well, resulting in a slate of new reviews discussing whether Skater XL lives up to its iconic inspirations.
So, without further ado, how does Easy Day Studio's newest venture into this storied genre hold up? Do critics think they've found the next great skating classic in Skater XL?
PowerUp! (Leo Stevenson)
"If you’re a more casual player or someone who needs direction and objectives and craves the over-the-top antics of THPS, you’re probably going to bounce of Skater XL. If you can stick with it, learn the controls and dedicate enough time to understand skateboarding you'll find out Skater XL is the ultimate skating videogame."
9.1 / 10
Dualshockers (Michael Ruiz)
"To see a small studio like Easy Day Studios create something that is not only reminiscent of the games that clearly influenced them, but overall improves on what its predecessors did, is heartening. Sure, it has its fair share of flaws, but none of them take away from how much fun I’ve had. Skater XL has successfully brought back the skateboarding genre, and I am eager to see how Easy Day Studios supports the game moving forward."
Score: 8.5 / 10
NME (Stacey Henley)
"If you want to skate on your console or PC, Skater XL is a five star, must-own game. Skating has never felt so real. But as a video game, it relies too much on the player driving the direction, lacks too many features and feels a little hollow. It’s a McTwist that doesn’t quite stick the landing, but boy does it look good in the air."
Score: 4 / 5
Hobby Consolas (Alvaro Alonso)
"Skater XL is the most realistic skateboarding simulator we've ever seen, but also the hardest. If you love skateboarding you'll probably enjoy it a lot (especially if you skate in real life), but if you don't, it's difficulty and barebones content won't seduce you."
Score: 60 / 100
Ratchet Chainsaw (David Latham)
"Skater XL won over fans on Steam Early Access. With 100,000 people in its Discord server, the Skater XL community is big and growing, but until we learn more about when console players will have access to all the content that PC players are creating, we can’t justify scoring this game any higher."
Score: 3 / 5
IGN (Luke Reilly)
"Skater XL is being positioned as a platform but on console it still feels a bit too much like a prototype. Regular glimpses of promise appear when I operate within its limits and focus on managing its complex controls and limit myself to earnest, realistic skateboarding, but ultimately it seems more like a skateboarding video tool than a fleshed-out game. It’s faithfully dedicated to skating’s Californian roots and – like real skating – it can look pretty slick when you edit out the misses, but with all its rough edges and without the PC’s huge mod environment, I’d anticipate only serious skateboarders will stay on board here."
Score: 5 / 10
VGC (Matt Martin)
"What Skater XL does well is make you obsess over an 8-set of stairs, or return again and again to a simple curb. You will keep going back to line up the perfect angle, the exact spot to crouch into an ollie, tre flip and land a crooked grind. That’s great, that’s street skating in its essence, and it’s an achievement to capture that. But outside of that microcosm, as soon as you pan out, it steps on its own shoelaces and stumbles into a bush."
Score: 2 / 5
Overall, it seems as though Skater XL doesn't quite stick the landing, with most critics agreeing that it has a fair share of debilitating issues. Namely, it seems that the game's focus on realism transforms it into something of a niche experience, while its "make your own fun" approach leaves it feeling directionless and lacking. That being said, some will definitely gravitate towards its grounded premise, especially if they're looking for a skating experience that mimics the dedication and precision of real skateboarding. As many have claimed, it will likely be seen as one of the industry's most authentic skating experiences by real-life lovers of the activity. However, Skater XL's lack of content and difficult to master mechanics will leave it lacking in the eyes of many.
Those who are looking for a more arcadey skating experience won't have to wait long, however, with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 dropping in September. The long-awaited remake of the first two titles in the Tony Hawk series has already garnered a lot of attention from diehard fans of the franchise, many of which have wanted to see the skateboarding mainstay make its grand return for several years. Regardless, it's clear skating video games are having something of a resurgence, especially when considering that Skate 4 is in the works as well.
Skater XLÂ is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
