Auto-runners are ten-a-penny on mobile these days, throwing all sorts of twists and new ideas in the mix in the scramble for your attention. Skate Squad keeps things simple, throwing you into short levels and letting the twitchy challenge speak for itself. It’s pretty good, too, although don’t expect it to keep your attention for a long stretch.
Rather than just dodging things, here you’re picking up other members of your squad as you go. The bigger your squad, the better your score at the end of the level. And, obviously, the more difficult avoiding things becomes. Nipping through a gap with one skater is simple – doing it five is a different proposition.
There are the obligatory ramps to jump over, cars to avoid, and more esoteric obstacles too, some of which are just assets lifted from other games by the developer. There’s a sort of hodge-podge feel here, but for the most part it works. Mainly because almost every second of the game you’re somewhere close to the edge of your seat.
Skate Squad demands attention – there’s always something to dodge, something to collect, something to avoid skating into. Don’t let the bright, cartoony graphics fool you – there’s a decent level of twitchy, arcade challenge here.
You can swap between level-based and endless modes, but that’s about where your options end. This is a casually-sized game, the sort of thing you dip in and out of when you’ve got a bit of time on your hands. And it performs perfectly well at its role. It’ll keep your attention for a few spare minutes, then drift out of your mind the second you put it down.
Skate Squad isn’t a game that anyone’s going to rave about. It isn’t the sort of thing that’s going to be on anyone’s game of the year lists. But, if you’re looking for a brief blast of pretty-darn entertaining, simple action, then you could do a lot worse than checking this one out.