SkateBIRD

 Switch
Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. Gamezebo
    Jan 3, 2022
    60
    It makes progress a struggle, so despite good intentions SkateBird isn’t a game that ever really properly takes flight.
  2. Vooks
    Oct 25, 2021
    60
    SkateBIRD is a game you'll want to love, it's hard to be let down by it. Unfortunately, all of the issues keep this game grounded. Get it for the bird, not so much the skating. Developer Glass Bottom Games made a cute indie skating game, and it seems they're still supporting the game so it could address some of the issues. For now, SkateBIRD's appeal depends on how much you like to commit to a bird-based skating game.
  3. Universo Nintendo
    Oct 7, 2021
    60
    SkateBIRD has fun gameplay, responsive controls and excellent art, with an emphasis on the soundtrack and character creation, but it has some technical issues and a campaign sometimes tedious and with tiring missions that end up overshadowing what the game's full potential has to offer.
  5. Impulsegamer
    Oct 4, 2021
    60
    SkateBIRD is ultimately, incredibly charming, but incredibly flawed. It’s fun, when it doesn’t punish you for its own shortcomings, and the blurry backdrops are straight bargain bin-PS1 fodder, but I still can’t help but get drawn back into the odd, goofy world of these skating, winged weirdos.
  6. KeenGamer
    Sep 27, 2021
    60
    For what it is, SkateBIRD is a fun and interesting title unlike any other. While it may have some flaws, they don't run so deep that they break the game or make it entirely unenjoyable. For those looking for a casual skating experience with a fun soundtrack, this is an easy one to recommend.
  7. Hey Poor Player
    Sep 22, 2021
    60
    SkateBIRD is a fun, if flawed, experience. Charming, with a light-hearted story and a good sense of humor, there’s plenty to enjoy, even with the overly floaty feeling that hampers the controls. While it’s likely not the best skater you’ll ever play, it’s probably one of the more unique ones. I don’t think I’d really recommend it to hardcore fans of skater games, but for people looking for a casual experience you can pick up anytime and not feel too invested in, it might be worth a look.
  8. Digital Trends
    Sep 15, 2021
    60
    Skatebird's rough skating mechanics are offset by its charming internet-age humor.
  9. Gaming Age
    Dec 17, 2021
    50
    Everything is next to impossible in Skakebird. It’s the sort of game that you’ll want to love — right up until the moment you play it, at which point you’ll just be left saying, “But it looks so cute!” Ignore the cuteness, focus on the gameplay, and skip this one altogether.
  10. Starbit
    Oct 26, 2021
    50
    Performing bold moves is always great but the camera needs improving to prevent some frustrating moments, whereas the mechanic to execute some of the most complex tricks is rather questionable. Regardless of that, SkateBIRD is a fun, simple game, and one that will absolutely make fans happy.
  11. Pocket Tactics
    Sep 21, 2021
    50
    Despite its chill and charm, SkateBird fails to capture the basic essence of a skateboarding game, leaving you wanting something more.
  12. Screen Rant
    Sep 19, 2021
    50
    Skatebird would have benefited from a little more time in the nest. The game's technical problems make it hard to appreciate the positive aspects of its world. There's definitely room in the market for a more casual skateboarding game, but it needs to have the fundamentals worked out first, and Skatebird isn't there yet - though it has promise if future updates smooth out the experience considerably.
  13. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 15, 2021
    50
    SkateBird was a game I anticipated since I first heard about it. A whimsical bird-focused take on skateboarding seemed delightful, but in execution, frustration dominated my playtime, whether it was struggling to find missions or battling with the loose controls. Charm is the saving grace that led to me having short-lived enjoyment. Overall, SkateBird is way more reminiscent of the janky but sometimes enjoyable games that came out in the wake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’s success than the original product itself.
  14. Nintendo Life
    Sep 15, 2021
    50
    SkateBIRD is a creative addition to a genre lacking in variety, and its fun concept has clearly been realised with a lot of love. However, despite its potential, the best parts of the concept are underused, with neither the miniature skaters nor the addition of wings bringing much to excite. While the core gameplay is functional, the play feel is not fluid and the level design and laborious structure are always working against the fun. To top it off, the rudimentary graphics are needlessly hazy. More of a turkey than a pretty boy, then, unfortunately.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
2.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 5 out of 8
  1. esimp18
    Sep 18, 2021
    3
    I wanted to love this game so much but after playing for a couple hours i just cant. There are so many things wrong with the game that youI wanted to love this game so much but after playing for a couple hours i just cant. There are so many things wrong with the game that you will be extremely frustrated very quickly. While this gave has some heart, the games mechanics are so unpolished that I dont think they actually play tested it. Tony hawk 1 is 10x less clunky and more refined than this game and that game was made like 20 years ago. At the current moment this game is not worth getting at all. They will need to make significant tuneups and modifications to the game mechanics before it is worth buying.

    Issues:
    ~The camera constantly clips or freaks out
    ~A really big mechanic of the game is the "fancy" gauge, its kinda like the special bar in tony hawk but in skatebird it controls your maximum speed. The issue with it is that unless the gauge is full, there are many quarter pipes that you are not able to reach the top of. So half of the quarter pipes are inaccessibly without maximum Fancy. While this is very annoying, there are two issues that make this unbearable. When you crash the gauge goes to 0 (see next issue), and the gauge fills up arbitrarily. You could do a huge combo and the guage wont fill up at all. Then you could do an ollie and it goes to maximum. It makes no sense and you end up spending most of the time during missions, just filling up the gauge.
    ~You fall randomly, and due to laggy controls & weird camera angles you will crash a lot doing simple tricks. If you bump something you will probably fall. You fall constantly
    ~The hitboxes for pickups are insanely small. You have to collect "SKATE" just like in tony hawk and to collect them you have to hit them perfectly. The
    ~The double jump would be really fun but it is very laggy and when you use it on quarterpipes it just launches you in a random direction.
    ~The soundtrack is very small so you end up listening to the same songs over and over again. You start off with like 8 generic songs and each level you can find some more. They only use like 4 bands so theres not much variety. Its mostly ska which i like but its low end bands so some songs are really bad.
    ~The grind button and stall button are both the same. So there are multiple times when you want to grind that you will stall instead.

    Pros:
    ~The quirkieness is nice and the birds are somewhat entertaining
    ~There is a lot of birds and outfits to choose from
    ~You can set respawn points and quickly respawn at them    … Full Review »
  2. ghostlytoast
    Oct 9, 2021
    1
    Nobody was expecting this to be a masterpiece. It’s a game who’s entire existence I due to a bad pun. But it could’ve been a fun, quirkyNobody was expecting this to be a masterpiece. It’s a game who’s entire existence I due to a bad pun. But it could’ve been a fun, quirky little Tony Hawk like experience. Instead of getting a few lols at a cute bird grinding a soup bowl, you just get frustrated at the poor controls, the annoying camera and the awful level design. I’m so thankful I got it on gamepass because if I’d paid for this I’d want a refund and some compensation for the 32 minutes of my life wasted. The developer should give every species of bird appearing in this game a personal apology.… Full Review »
  3. SpoopySkeleton
    Sep 17, 2021
    5
    Great concept, poor execution.

    The team behind SkateBird obviously likes skating games and wanted to create something like that. However,    Great concept, poor execution.

    The team behind SkateBird obviously likes skating games and wanted to create something like that. However, it seems that they couldn't figure out what makes skating games fun. There is very little variety in the tricks you can perform. The level design is cluttered and sparse at the same time and is more focused on the theming rather than gameplay.
    The theming is very cute, and the addition of a double jump could have opened up a lot of possibilities. However, as I mentioned before, it doesn't seem like the level was designed with that moveset in mind.

    There is no hook, you just get plopped into the game world without any ceremony or explanation, while the mechanics get introduced through walls of text. And the first few missions are so boring in their objectives that I could barely bring myself to finish them.

    I also expected the game to be far more forgiving and arcade-y because of the silly theme. Boy was I wrong. The player feels incredibly heavy and clunky to control, which to me is extra weird, given the theme.

    All in all, this game feels like a late alpha, not a full release. The basic mechanics are in, but they could do with a lot of fine-tuning.

    I hope the developers continue working because the game does have a lot of potential.    … Full Review »
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