If you think that Super Smash Bros. Brawl's "1/100 chance of tripping" mechanic ruined the game, then SkateBIRD definitely isn't for you. But if you'd like to embrace a little chaos while getting wild in a virtual skatepark made of paperclips and duct tape, then we're birds of a feather, and this is a game you should flock to. [Issue #56 – November/December 2021, p. 20]
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.
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.
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.
Humorous dialogue and bird customisation don’t do enough to stop SkateBIRD from falling far down the pecking order of skateboarding games available on Switch, with boring levels and controls that are janky and frustrating at best.
I’m glad that I played SkateBIRD, and it hurts that I’ve had to give it this score. I firmly believe that as games are an art form, game developers should be trying things, even if they don’t ultimately succeed. SkateBIRD is a brilliant idea and it takes a big, heaving swing at it. Sadly, though, it’s a strikeout. However, with that being said, if the developers get another innings, I would play a SkateBIRD 2 without a moment's hesitation, and I would fully expect that the developers would deliver having had this experience.
Summary Grind on bendy straws, kickflip over staplers, and carve killer lines through cardboard and sticky tape parks. Above all else, skate birds try their best!