Skate’s Viral Tricks Can’t Hide Mixed Reviews and Missing Features

The long wait for a new Skate game is finally over, but the launch of EA and Full Circle’s latest entry has been anything but smooth. While clips of bizarre and often hilarious movement exploits have gone viral, the community’s response on Steam paints a much murkier picture.

With more than 6,300 reviews logged so far, the aggregate score is sitting at a deflating ‘Mixed,’ and that duality between fun experimentation and crushing disappointment is what defines Skate’s early reception.

Ironically, the most popular aspect of Skate right now doesn’t involve skating at all. Players quickly discovered that by chaining together rolls, jumps, spread-eagles, and slides, they could propel themselves across the map at breakneck speed – faster than the actual board mechanics allow. Social media is flooded with clips of avatars flopping like ragdolls yet zooming through city blocks. One player summed it up perfectly: “Bro what am I even playing rn, why is this faster than skating?” It’s goofy, chaotic, and strangely addictive, reminiscent of old-school video game ‘tech’ where communities invent unintended mechanics and embrace them as part of the meta.

To pull off the trick, you hold forward, roll, push off with a jump, switch to a spread eagle mid-air, then slide on landing, which loops you right back into another roll. It’s a physics-breaking chain of animations that feels like a parody of skateboarding yet highlights Skate’s sandbox potential. Veteran gamers have compared it to long-forgotten exploits in titles like Metal Gear Solid 3’s weapon reload trick: clearly unintended, but now woven into the culture of play.

Unfortunately, the slapstick freedom of rolling and sliding hasn’t been enough to mask the game’s more glaring problems. Steam reviews reveal widespread frustration about missing features and a lack of depth. The absence of fan-favorite modes like Hall of Meat, Game of Skate, Own the Spot, and deathraces has left veterans baffled. Some players describe the release as a hollow shell compared to Skate 1, 2, and 3, noting that beyond the control system, nearly every layer of identity and challenge has been stripped away.

Technical issues add to the disappointment. PC players have reported frequent crashes, bugs that block tutorial progression, and questionable visual polish. Several argue that Skate on PS3 looked sharper than the new entry. Character customization has also been criticized as shallow, while the art direction – promised to be bold and expressive in early builds – feels flat and unfinished to many. The decision to make the game online-only, complete with a cosmetic-focused cash shop and casino-style loot spins, has reinforced perceptions that monetization is taking priority over core gameplay.

Still, not every voice is negative. Some fans are urging patience, pointing out that Skate is launching in early access, with time to add content and refine balance. They argue that the foundation feels solid, calling it the best-feeling skating game on the market right now. These players admit the world feels empty and the writing is bland, but believe Full Circle can expand the sandbox with new missions and map variety if given time. As one optimistic fan put it: “People were ready to review bomb this the second it went free-to-play. Gameplay’s still amazing; Frostbite runs great. Just let them cook.”

Others echo that sentiment but warn that EA’s involvement makes skepticism inevitable. Many reviewers accuse the publisher of rushing the release and leaning too heavily on microtransactions, with some cynically remarking that “an EA published game looking like an EA published game” is hardly a surprise. For players who expected a triumphant Skate 4, the experience feels like a missed opportunity – a game that could have been an easy slam dunk but instead comes across as a half-finished service title.

The history of Skate’s development provides context for these polarized reactions. Announced in 2020, the game spent years in closed playtests, where EA first introduced cosmetic microtransactions, signaling its long-term free-to-play model. Hands-on previews earlier this year, including one from IGN, praised the core controls, expansive environments, and the liberating “do what you want” sandbox design. Those elements are present in today’s release, but buried under technical woes and a lack of classic content that longtime fans still crave.

So what is Skate right now? A playground full of unintended hilarity, viral movement tricks, and glimpses of refined controls, but also a product missing the soul of its predecessors. Whether it evolves into a worthy heir to Skate 3 depends on how quickly Full Circle responds to feedback and how much faith fans are willing to extend to EA. For now, Skate is a contradiction: a game where falling on your face is more fun than landing a trick – and where laughter collides with disappointment in equal measure.