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Tony Hawk goes to Hell?! Helskate brings together extreme sports and Hades in a crazy combo
4K View2024-02-13
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.
There's just one thing that the Tony Hawk games were missing: demons. In fact, for all we know, maybe it's the lack of hellspawn that led to the series' steady drop in quality and interest from players! Thankfully, Amsterdam-based indie developer Phantom Coast is ready to fix this glaring oversight with the upcoming release of Helskate.
You should only need to check out the trailer above or take a quick look at this screenshot to see how much Helskate captures the gameplay of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. It's got players doing strings of tricks across urban environments, grinding over rails, hopping over cars—heck, you even have to collect giant floating letters scattered throughout each area!
But that's not the full story, because unlike the Tony Hawk games, Helskate is also a roguelite action game. Those urban levels will be spotted with bones and lava pits, and eventually demonic enemies will show up. In addition to performing tricks, players will be have attacks and special abilities, all of which can be upgraded by purchasing new gear or getting tattoos between runs.
And yes, there are even boss fights.
So basically, Helskate is the vibes of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater meets the structure of Hades. If that sounds as badass to you as it does to us, you can check the game out for yourself soon. Helskate launches in early access this week, on February 15, 2024. We're definitely going to grab our board and try it for ourselves, so watch out for quick first impressions from one of TapTap's editors around that date.
Mentioned games
For Whom The Skates Tolls – 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.
ExileCast3592024-04-12
What if Tony Hawk's Pro Skater had combat? Helskate is a surreal hack-and-slash skateboarding game
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.
Ndi2K2024-02-16
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater: A Comprehensive Review of a Genre-Defining Franchise
The "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" video game franchise is one of the most influential series in the sports and action genre, bringing skateboarding culture to mainstream gaming. Here's an in-depth look at each game in the series
1. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999)
The original game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and later for other platforms. It introduced a revolutionary control scheme, realistic physics, and a variety of tricks. Players could skate as Tony Hawk or other professional skaters, completing various objectives in each level.
Bacon Cat's Gaming News3502024-06-05
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