Tony Hawk’s Skate Jam

NOTHING BUT A FAILED OLLIE Free with IAP | skatejam.app.link/jam

LEGIONS OF GAMERS who grew up playing the excellent Tony Hawk Pro Skater series were both shocked and thrilled when it was announced that the newest addition to the acclaimed skate sim was coming to mobile. Tony Hawk’s Skate Jam is a spiritual successor to the original title, complete with a 3D, over the shoulder viewpoint, trick system, and an array of maps with plenty of obstacles to bounce and grind off. The problem is that.. well.. it’s just not very good.

Almost immediately it’s apparent that the control system is very poor. Precise movement, which is everything in a skateboarding game, is impossible with the on-screen analogue stick being very stiff and awkward.

This is also coupled with a very intrusive in-app purchase policy, which focuses heavily on pushing you to watch ad after ad after ad to get more XP to build your woeful beginner skate stats. It’s a shame because the fundamentals are there, but there needs to be a lot more play testing and optimisation to the controls and physics to end up with something worth playing and recommending to friends. Skate Jam could be great, and may be worth looking into after a few months of patching.