David Bridges
Skate City made its debut as a launch title on Apple Arcade in 2019, crafted by Agens and brought to life by Snowman, a studio celebrated for its engaging mobile-first games such as Alto’s Adventure, its sequel Alto’s Odyssey, When Cards Fall, and various other captivating titles. Fast forward over five years since the initial release of Skate City, and the talented team at Snowman and Agens has returned with the highly anticipated Skate City: New York, now available on Apple Arcade. This new installment promises to take players on an exhilarating journey through a vibrant urban landscape.
While the original game received numerous content updates throughout the years, Skate City: New York represents a comprehensive new title that retains the familiar charm yet introduces a host of enhancements and updates. I was fortunate to experience Skate City: New York a few days prior to its official launch and had insightful conversations with Ryan Cash and Andrew Schimmel from Snowman about the creation of this new game, which has been in development for an impressive three years, ensuring it meets the high expectations of fans.
Continuing the legacy of the first Skate City, players will navigate left-to-right in a classic side-scrolling format. The game makes it easy to perform tricks with an intuitive control scheme; players can swipe in one of eight directions on the lower half of the screen. The left side is dedicated to ollie-based tricks, while the right side enables nollie maneuvers. Importantly, players are not required to execute precise landings; simply launching a trick will ensure a smooth landing, except when encountering stairs or obstacles. This foundational gameplay is complemented by additional features like spins, manuals, and grinds, offering a balance of simplicity akin to the classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series and the more recent OlliOlli World, while still demanding a degree of timing and coordination to master runs effectively.
The visuals in Skate City: New York are significantly enhanced, featuring more dynamic environments and improved backgrounds compared to its predecessor, which was already visually appealing. However, a standout feature highlighted by Schimmel is the introduction of the “Pro Skate” mode, which represents the most intricate aspect of the game and incorporates procedurally-generated levels, allowing for a fresh experience each time players engage with the game.
Schimmel explained, “We didn’t want to limit ourselves to the original [game’s] loops through the city, but instead make something that was more adaptive and dynamic.” He emphasized that procedural generation posed the biggest technical challenge during development, but he believes this innovation will enhance the replayability of Skate City: New York beyond what the original game offered, providing players with a continuously evolving experience.
The Pro Skate mode evokes a sense of nostalgia similar to Snowman’s Alto’s Adventure, but with a fresh twist tailored for skating enthusiasts. The objective is to traverse as far as possible while accumulating points and accomplishing three specific objectives to progress. These challenges may include tasks such as “land three 180-degree spins” or “grind for 100 meters.” The unpredictability of the levels necessitates improved adaptability from players, as new obstacles can abruptly alter the course of a run while simultaneously presenting opportunities for impressive tricks or grinds.
In true Snowman fashion, there are no in-app purchases to be found in Skate City: New York. Instead, players earn points through completing challenges and leveling up in Pro Skate mode. These points can subsequently be spent to customize characters within the more flexible and expansive Skate Shop. From adjusting physical attributes like body shape, hair, and facial features to selecting outfits and skateboards, the personalization options are significantly enhanced, allowing players to tailor their skating experience to their liking.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Snowman has committed to providing a consistent stream of new challenges and additional parts of the city for exploration in the upcoming year and beyond. Schimmel referred to it as a “live services” game, emphasizing the commitment to ongoing content, even though there is no monetization aspect involved. When discussing the decision to release Skate City: New York through Apple Arcade rather than as a standalone purchase or with paid updates, Cash described it as an “easy choice.”
Cash stated, “We haven’t done a paid up-front game since Alto’s Odyssey in 2018. Apple Arcade and Netflix Games are where we’re at right now. And it was an easy choice when talking about Skate City: New York, because the first game was a launch title and found a lot of success there. It just made sense to bring it back to Apple Arcade.” He also mentioned that while the first Skate City eventually expanded to consoles and PC, the priority remains on delivering an exceptional mobile-first experience.
Although Skate City: New York may not feel drastically different from its predecessor, it undeniably delivers a premium mobile gaming experience at a time when such titles can be scarce. Snowman and Agens have successfully struck a balance between the accessible, pick-up-and-play nature of mobile games and a more profound gaming experience, at least based on my current impressions. Cash emphasized this inclusive approach, stating, “We want a seven-year-old who’s excited about skateboarding to have fun, as well as people like us who grew up loving skateboarding and really want a challenge.”
Skate City: New York is officially launched today, exclusively available on Apple Arcade, inviting players to dive into a thrilling skateboarding adventure.
