Faily Skater takes the shape of the other Faily… games and sticks it on a board. You’re flung into a frantic, downhill dash where survival is unlikely and everything is likely to kill you, tasked with dodging, weaving and tricking your way through a series of onrushing obstacles. And, y’know, it’s pretty good.
The controls are simple to get the hang of. Tap on the left or right of the screen to steer in that direction. Tap on both sides of the screen and you’ll perform a jump. Push on both sides of the screen when you’re in the air and you’ll perform a trick until you release your digits. That’s about it.
There are golden rings scattered around the levels, and if you pass through one of these you’ll automatically perform a more flashy trick. These are fun, but if you catch a ring one you’ll often end up performing a super-cool backflip into the side of a building, which isn’t ideal.
The more jumping you do, the more shield you get. This helps when you’re hitting smaller objects, but is useless when you hit a car or a building. You can also build up your heart, and when it’s full you’ll get a retry if you crash. There are other power-ups to collect as well, like magnets and repulsors that give you extra protection.
Other pick-ups kick in when you crash. You might get a jetpack, for example, that’ll blast you around the level for a bit. It’s fun to watch, once, but it doesn’t seem to serve any sort of practical goal. The game gives you daily challenges to complete as well, which gives you something to focus on.
Like the other Faily… games, Faily Skater gets worse the more closely you look at it. It’s the sort of thing that’s nice to dip into every now and then, but longer play sessions reveal just how shallow it is. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, per-se, it’s just worth considering.
This is an entertaining, if not exactly engaging diversion that’ll leave you with a smile on your face if you play it for a few minutes. It’s unlikely you’re going to spend much more time with it than that on a regular basis, though.
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