Session: Skate Sim Review

With thanks to the folks at Crea-ture Studios and Nacon we’ve been taking a look at the new portable release for Session: Skate Sim on Nintendo Switch. We’ve got our usual full video review just below, as well as our extended written review down the page.

Session Skate Sim released on PC, Xbox and PlayStation last year, and is releasing on Nintendo Switch now (March 9th in the US and March 16th in the UK). For our review scores we’re focusing on the new Switch version, using PC and Xbox as a comparison.

The Basics – What is Session: Skate Sim About?

Those who remember EA’s Skate franchise will have a decent idea of what Session: Skate Sim is all about. This one uses twin-stick controls to move your skater’s feet, with triggers to turn and balance. Session: Skate Sim moves more into the simulation territory than Skate ever did and while less polished, does provide a good sim feel.

The title released for other platforms last year, and the team have spent a good deal of time getting Session: Skate Sim moved over to the Switch’s portable platform. It suffers a hit in visuals (as should be expected) but is otherwise a pretty faithful representation of the game on other platforms.

Moving around a relatively lifeless city, you’ll pop ollies, flip trick, grind and manual your way around the place. Session doesn’t make it easy, and with the sim nature of the title you’ll have to put in a considerable amount of time into planning, executing and landing your chosen tricks.

Much like Skate, and far from the feel of Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding, Session: Skate Sim is a slow title. This won’t be a fast ride, but it is one which can be fairly enjoyable at times, giving a sense of accomplishment when you do pull of a three-trick set.

The Switch version here has had some tweaks to triggers used for turning, to make it more accessible to those playing on the Switch platform. In addition, players will now find a good long tutorial system, which has really flattened out the learning curve which was of considerable note within the release for other platforms.

I’d really like to have seen more use of the Switch’s motion control capabilities here, which don’t enter the game at all. With two almost skateboard-shaped controls at hand, and the ability to weave them into gameplay, it’s rather an opportunity missed as the title moves onto the Nintendo platform.

Is Session: Skate Sim Safe for Children?

Rating: 3 / 5 Notable Concern.

Session Skate Sim is rated by PEGI at 12 and above and by the ESRB as T for Teen. This is based on some language, as well as hints at drug use as you might expect from something in this genre. There’s not much at all which is worrying in terms of blood or gore for little ones, and the bad language is the only reason we’ve found to keep things at 12 and above. Overall it’s getting a rating of notable caution due to the language, however due to the sporadic nature it’s one which we have been playing in front of the Micro-Bandits

Is Session: Skate Sim Accessible?

Rating: 2 / 5: Intense.

While it’s a relatively laid back title, it is unapologetically a skating simulation. As such, tricks take time and effort to land and string together. The learning curve has been helped by new tutorials but Session Skate Sim is far from easy. Luckily it is possible to just skate around and hope for the best, but to follow the narrative you’re going to have to have quick fingers. Because of this Session Skate Sim is getting an accessibility rating of intense.

The Run Down – Our Five-Point Rating for Session: Skate Sim

Gameplay – 3: Session provides a very true to life skating experience, but that does mean that a lot of the time it misses out on being a game. Landing tricks after you’ve been trying them for a while is incredibly satisfying, but you’re going to have to fail a lot in order to make that happen. In terms of skating sim titles we’ve not found anything closer, but that doesn’t always mean it translates well into gaming territory. In addition to this, long loading times make it a pain to hop in and out of the game.

Visuals – 2: Sadly while we were expecting a drop in visuals, this one has gone quite far below what we were expecting. Even in the menus, expect incredibly jagged edges, a tonne of blur and a lot of unreadable text here on Nintendo Switch. In addition, skating at night can be nigh on impossible, and lead to more frustration as you bang into things you hadn’t seen. Compared to the PC version, the visuals here sometimes end up getting in the way of gameplay which is a real shame.

Audio – 4:The laid back jazz is a strange move for a genre which has been obsessed with pop punk for decades. That said, it does fit the gameplay well, and has probably helped us to not be quite so stressed when failing tricks for the twentieth time.

Narrative – 3: The developers have added quite a lot of narrative here, which provides a good tutorial experience which masquerades as a return from past greatness. Sadly the visuals to break the fourth wall as people are speaking to you, but it’s nice that the thought was there to give a bit of story.

Replay – 3: there are a load of different areas to travel around here, but the sim nature of the title means that most of them feel pretty similar and there’s a lot of space where it’s not possible to do tricks. The setup creator here is quite good in these areas, if a little tricky to use, allowing you to make your own runs in the absence of other ramps and ledges. Being able to unlock more as you go is also a nice touch.

The Verdict – Is Session: Skate Sim Worth It?

Pixel Bandits Cowabunga Level for Session: Skate Sim on Nintendo Switch is a rather average 6 / 10. This one has been fairly enjoyable and, if you have played the title on another platform then you’ll pretty much know what you’re getting into. Visuals have been a let down, sadly, and have really hampered the score here making it hard to see where you’re going and what you’re doing. Additionally, the poor visuals have dampened any love for the video editor function, which can with practice provide some nice clips over on PC and Xbox.

If you’re really looking to grab something to play on the go, bear in mind that the visuals do make this one tricky. The controls and gameplay here on switch are relatively decent, even if they do lack the adrenaline pumping edge of other skate titles. As a sim, it’s an experience that is probably as true to life as we’ll get but that doesn’t make it exciting. If you’re looking for a skate sim to play sat down in your gaming spot at home, Session: Skate Sim would be a great shout on other platforms. If you have another current gen console or a PC, things run a lot smoother and graphics are much more clear. If you need something to play while you’re out an about, the visuals don’t kill this completely, but are certainly worth considering before you part with your cash.

As ever, to provide this review and common-sense parent’s guide, we received copies of Session: Skate Sim from the folks at Nacon.