The Game Have No soul
I really want to love skate., but right now it feels kind of soulless. There are a few decent “gamey” hooks—like collecting bearings for certain goals/challenges, but outside of that, almost nothing has real identity or lasting impact on the world.
What frustrates me is that the setup is right there: San Vansterdam is literally framed as a sterile, corporate-controlled wasteland, and the whole idea is that skaters bring the city back to life and rebuild it into a skate destination after M‑Corp’s “cleaning” and control.
But in moment-to-moment play, I don’t feel that conflict. It’s more like checklist tasks + currencies + cosmetics, rather than “skaters vs. corporate control” as an actual theme.
They could do so much more with it:
• Story arcs where reclaiming spots changes the city (NPCs reacting, areas opening up, districts shifting vibe).[ea]
• DIY/community missions (build a crew, start a skate collective, protect a park from M‑Corp rules).[ea]
• Small narrative wins that give personality—NPCs who actually celebrate when you fix something, like classic THPS/American Wasteland energy.
Right now the city feels like a backdrop, not a scene.
Sorry, I have to translate with ChatGPT I’m a German native Speaker.
