Like many other 90s babies, I grew up on a healthy dose of Tony Hawks. I loved Tony Hawks so much in fact that at the tender age of 30, I decided to pick up a skateboard in real life and I’m happy to report it’s every bit as fun and exhilarating as the video games promised it would be but sadly, the skills honed through years of playing the perfecting the game are not transferable. Not in the least.
However, there is just something about skating that bit me young and is hard to shake even now. It’s a love that no amount of bruises, scrapes and falls can extinguish and it’s also the reason I’ve played the games so many times it’s pretty much second nature. This is why when I first saw Skate Summer, a board game that was all about skateboarding I knew I had to get my hands on it.
So if you’re like me and you’re constantly searching for your next skateboarding fix but don’t want to pay for the doctor’s bills that come part and parcel with learning to skate in real life as an adult when you’re no longer able just to shake off falls and continue as nothing happened, Pandasaurus has your back. Skate lovers everywhere can now sit down safely at a table, invite some friends, grab some snacks and live out all their Tony Hawk skater dreams but not at the expense of their knees or depleting that medical aid.
Skate Summer is a game for 2-5 players about skating the sun-drenched half-pipes of Pelican Park. It’s a game where no ledge is too high, no rail too long, and no trick is too dangerous for you and your crew of fellow skaters… Until it is. Players (or skaters if you prefer) will show off by trying to nail the sickest and most dangerously rad tricks without bailing, and the object of the game is to score the most points.
Sounds simple right? Well despite what years of Tony Hawk games would have me believe, skating very rarely is. Players will try to collect points by creating trick combos using their cards, but they will also move around the main board, collect items, upgrade their skateboard and attempt to visit each of the “S”, “K”, “A”, “T”, “E”, and “R” locations to become the ultimate skate master.
The game is split into three distinct phases. The first phases of the game will see players simultaneously play cards from their hands onto their skateboards. There is a strong and tense push-your-luck element to this phase where each card that players play, will increase their points in phase two, and also grant them movement in phase three; but it also increases their chance of bailing their trick.
As each card is played, players will move their balance meter accordingly, and the more lucrative the trick card is, the more the player’s balance on their board is offset. After each player has played a trick and pushed their balance meter either to the left or right, dice are rolled which will further push their balance in one of the two directions. The catch is, with each trick card that’s played, more dice get rolled and the harder it becomes to stay on your board.
If you do happen to fall off, you’ll lose the last trick card you played alongside half of all your flame tokens, which is Skate Summers’s currency. However, if you manage to land the trick without bailing, you’ll be able to keep all of your cards and flame tokens while advancing one of your skills for free.
As players progress through the game and pick up upgrades for their boards they will become better skaters and be able to try for bigger and better skill combos with far less risk. Once all players have either landed their tricks or bailed and have to live with that shame forever, the second phase of the game starts.
In the second phase, players will score points for all of the tricks they were able to successfully pull off and spend their flame tokens to upgrade one of three skill tracks that will help them score more points the next time they ride. Once all players have scored and upgraded, the third phase of the game is activated.
In the third phase, players can now use the trick cards they have successfully played onto their skateboard to move around and explore Pelican Park. Each hex that makes up Pelican Park, or the main board, has a specific coloured ramp or rail. Players must play a card matching this from their board to be able to move into that space.
Moving around the board will give players the chance to buy tokens which count towards end-game scoring and have special bonuses, players will also be able to visit update spaces to permanently update sections of their board giving them an advantage next time they enter phase one. The last round of the game triggers the moment any of the players hit the pre-decided end goal point.
Now when it comes to board games there’s a lot that can influence players’ experience with them. Certain mechanics help make the game more fun, premium components create a tactile high that’s hard to beat, and everyone loves a thematic experience. However, a game can check all these boxes and still just not be fun, Monopoly is a great example of this.
So is Skate Summer fun? Yes, yes, it is. It’s a game seemingly created to appeal to 90s babies, Tony Hawks fans and board game lovers alike. Each phase of the game manages to feel utterly distinct but also deeply connected. The push-your-luck element won’t be for everyone, but it helps keep you on your toes and makes it feel more like you’re skating while the multi-use cards lend to more strategic gameplay.
The beauty of Skate Summer is how approachable it is, thanks to its impressive table presence and bright colours while being meaty enough to appeal to more dedicated board gamers and skaters alike — every part of the game ties in so perfectly with the theme of the game. Even changing between phases feels like your point of view shifting from first to third person in a game.
Pandasaurus games were able to take a highly ambitious theme with a firmly established fan base and turn it into a board game that feels like it deserves to exist. While it’s not the same as grabbing a board and hitting the streets, it is as close to it as a board game can ever get. And if, like me, you’ve spent countless hours in Tony Hawks and wish you could bring some of the magic to the table to share with friends, thanks to Skate Summer, now you can. Now If you’ll excuse me, I have a board to go dust off…
