Yes, I know skateboards don’t have training wheels. Shhh. Naturally, Skater XL couldn’t leave early access empty-handed. Easy Day Studios have inaugurated the game’s 1.0 release with a honking great ramp in the middle of the desert - perfect for screaming at your broken shins without the cool kids overhearing.
We actually haven’t talked about Skater XL on the site, even back when list-goblin and professional OlliOlli esports star Brendy was flipping his trucks all over the office. Perhaps that’s because the game’s early prototype reflected poorly on his flawless real-world footwork - instead, delivering a series of painful gifs of a digital bloke eating concrete time after time after time. Our Brendy would never be so reckless - no, surely it’s the game that’s mistaken. For real, though, Skater XL looks a grand time - an iteration of EA’s long-dormant Skate series that leans far harder into simulationist controls that contemporaries like Session. Mind, it’s also missing both the otherworldly surrealism of personal fave Skate Story and Skatebird’s aviary grinders. Over its two years in early access, Skater XL has kept a steady pace of new tricks, new skaters, and maps from both the devs and the boarding community. If that all sounds like your jam, kickflip your way over to Skater XL’s Steam page, where it’s currently going for £31/€34/$40.
