Helskate: A New Skate Game with Roguelite Elements and Combat

Helskate is a new game that combines the thrill of skateboarding with the challenge of roguelite elements and combat. The game takes place in a purgatory where the protagonist, Anton Falcon, seeks to escape the clutches of its supreme ruler, Garland. Anton is a notorious troublemaker and talented skater who wants to tear up some half pipes in peace. However, in this purgatory, skating is more like a skater’s paradise, and with the ability to fight through Garland’s monstrous enforcers with magical weapons, Anton embarks on an adventure to places previously unexplored.

The game’s stages are reminiscent of the messy urban detritus that doubles as excellent obstacles to trick on. However, unlike the Tony Hawk series, Helskate’s levels look at what is possible in real life and make that the floor of potential. Grinding on hand rails and short barriers are where the action starts, but players will frequently be using highway signs dozens of feet high as walls to ride or grinding on telephone wires. Tricks are as easy to execute as hitting short directional inputs followed by the right button for grinds, grabs, or flips.

The monsters in Helskate come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are stuck to walls and harass players with lasers from distances, others take the fight to players directly and chase them around the stage. Others still may actually double as a rail to grind, becoming another line to ride should players be so inclined. These monster mixes do just enough to keep players on their toes, especially as they get deeper and deeper into the helskate itself. However, the dearth of health pick-ups throughout the run can make longer runs feel like wars of attrition.

Besides killing enemies with unlockable weapons like a katana or ninja stars, each stage has a list of sub-goals that earn players more currencies to unlock and upgrade more stuff. Finding the letters and numbers ‘HELSK8′ strategically placed around the map or performing stage-specific actions like grinding up a crane is where the game feels most like its most obvious old-school inspiration. Combat, though easy to grasp and ultimately fun, lacks the depth of its most obvious character-action inspirations. The skating and chopping don’t always mesh well together either. However, when players pick up tapes that make certain tricks give them combat buffs after successfully nailing them, they can get into a synergistic rhythm of popping a quick trick for a damage bonus and then crushing a baddie in one blow.

Helskate’s roguelite elements seem sound so far. At the end of every section, players can choose from up to three different rewards as goals for the next section, letting them choose the one that’s best for their interests at the current moment. There seems to be no way to really manipulate how often certain types of rewards pop up, and it’s not apparent to players so far that possible future rewards have any relationship with the ones currently in their inventory. Gear and stickers, the former being wearables that give Anton’s tricks and abilities additional powers and the latter providing more passive buffs, do feel strong and have lots of potential to stack and combo effects for consequential results. However, players often feel like they’re going with the flow instead of picking abilities with any intentionality.

Even when it’s messy and doesn’t feel like all the systems are fitting together perfectly, every bit of Helskate makes it obvious that players have never played a game quite like this before. Its unique cocktail of procedurally-generated progression, skating games of yesteryear, and beat ’em ups is fun and frantic. The brief time players spent with it has them very curious about what other tricks this one has in its arsenal. Lucky for them, Helskate is set to drop into Steam Early Access on February 15th.

In this article, we will delve deeper into Helskate, exploring its gameplay mechanics, story, and unique features. We will also discuss how it compares to other games in the genre and what sets it apart. So, let’s get started!

Gameplay Mechanics

The core gameplay mechanics of Helskate revolve around skating and combat. Players control Anton, a notorious troublemaker and talented skater, as he navigates through the purgatory known as the helskate. The game’s stages are procedurally generated, meaning each playthrough is unique. The stages are filled with various obstacles, rails, and monsters that players must overcome to progress.

Skating in Helskate is intuitive and easy to learn. Players can perform tricks by hitting directional inputs followed by the right button for grinds, grabs, or flips. The game’s physics engine allows for a wide range of tricks and combos, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting. The monsters in the game add an extra layer of challenge to the skating mechanics. Players must not only perform tricks but also defeat the monsters to progress through the stages.

Combat in Helskate is simple yet effective. Players can use a variety of weapons, such as a katana or ninja stars, to take down enemies. Each stage also has a list of sub-goals that players can complete to earn additional currencies. These sub-goals often involve finding hidden letters or performing specific tricks. Completing these sub-goals not only rewards players with currency but also unlocks new abilities and upgrades for their gear.

Story

The story of Helskate is simple yet engaging. Anton, the protagonist, is a notorious troublemaker and talented skater who finds himself trapped in the purgatory known as the helskate. He seeks to escape the clutches of its supreme ruler, Garland, and tear up some half pipes in peace. However, in this purgatory, skating is more like a skater’s paradise, and with the ability to fight through Garland’s monstrous enforcers with magical weapons, Anton embarks on an adventure to places previously unexplored.

The game’s story is told through a series of cutscenes and dialogue between Anton and the various characters he encounters throughout the helskate. The story is not the main focus of the game, but it provides enough context to keep players engaged and invested in the world of Helskate.

Unique Features

Helskate has several unique features that set it apart from other games in the genre. The procedurally-generated stages provide a unique challenge each time players play the game. The combination of skating and combat adds an extra layer of complexity to the gameplay. The roguelite elements, such as randomly generated rewards and upgrades, keep players engaged and coming back for more.

Comparison to Other Games

Helskate can be compared to other games in the genre, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Enter the Gungeon. Like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Helskate focuses on skating mechanics and tricks. However, Helskate adds an extra layer of challenge by incorporating combat and roguelite elements. Enter the Gungeon, on the other hand, is a roguelike shooter with procedurally generated dungeons. Helskate shares some similarities with Enter the Gungeon in terms of procedurally generated content and roguelite elements but offers a unique twist with its skating mechanics and combat.

Conclusion

Helskate is a unique and exciting game that combines the thrill of skateboarding with the challenge of roguelite elements and combat. Its procedurally generated stages, intuitive skating mechanics, and simple yet effective combat system make it a standout title in the genre. The game’s story provides enough context to keep players engaged, and its unique features, such as randomly generated rewards and upgrades, keep players coming back for more. If you’re looking for a fun and frantic game that offers a unique experience with each playthrough, Helskate is definitely worth checking out.

So, there you have it! Helskate is a game that offers a unique blend of skating, combat, and roguelite elements. Its procedurally generated stages, intuitive skating mechanics, and simple yet effective combat system make it a standout title in the genre. If you’re looking for a fun and frantic game that offers a unique experience with each playthrough, Helskate is definitely worth checking out. The game is set to drop into Steam Early Access on February 15th, so be sure to add it to your wishlist and stay tuned for more information.

Until next time, happy gaming!