Helskate

Read more reviews here: I never expected to witness the merging of two genres as distinct as Skate and Roguelike; however, it’s undeniable that together they can offer a unique blend of action and adrenaline unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Helskate emerges as a fusion between Tony Hawk and Hades, where the primary objective is to utilize a full arsenal of combos to clear each level infestation by demons and Skate Gods, summoned by Garland, in the peculiar realm of Vertheim. Anton Falcon, the protagonist, dreams of venturing beyond the horizons of hell, specifically onto a “beach,” envisioned as a paradise for his maneuvers. Anton loves his skateboard, yet demons despise skaters. Thus, it falls upon the player to apply all their skills honed in Tony Hawk and challenge the various types of enemies, expanding their horizons beyond the scorching lands where they dwell.

SHOULD I PLAY HELSKATE? Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater fans should definitely give this a look. That said, you might want to wait until it’s had a few updates. Helskate is a hack-and-slash roguelike that also happens to be a skateboarding game, and it just hit early access. It’s a ton of fun to shift between monster slaying and skateboarding tricks, but I ran into several issues during my playtime. If you pick it up now, you’ll probably have a good time, but I suspect it’ll be much better once it’s had more time in the oven.

If you were alive and playing video games before the year 2005, there's a strong chance you went through a Tony Hawk phase. From the moment the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater arrived on PlayStation in 1999 (with N64 and Dreamcast versions following the next year), the gaming world was obsessed with grinding through these awesome levels and trying to pull off the sickest and longest string of combos possible.