Skate Summer

Skate Summer is a board game that takes you back to the days of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, with a fun push-your-luck mechanic that keeps the game exciting for everyone at the table. The game is all about scoring points by landing trick combos, collecting tokens, and visiting S-K-A-T-E-R locations. While it does have a bit of a learning curve, I found the mechanics to be very well thought out and enjoyable once I got the hang of them.

I was especially impressed by the component quality; the cards are high quality and plastic coated, which is great because I’m not a fan of sleeving cards. The tokens are mostly thick cardboard, and the meeples and a few other trackers are plastic, which is perfectly fine. However, I did find that the board was a little misaligned every time I shifted anything.

The gameplay is definitely a highlight. I’m not even a skateboarding fan, but I fell in love with the mechanics. My partner isn’t a big board gamer, but they were able to learn and play easily, and even asked to play again! The unique “balance” track mechanic, where you have to manage your balance as you play trick cards, adds a layer of tension and excitement.

The instruction manual is fantastic. It contains everything you need to know about the game, and I didn’t have to refer to it multiple times. They have an amazing player aid on the back, but I would recommend adding to it what you do when someone bails and what you do when someone lands.

Overall, I highly recommend Skate Summer. It’s a fun and engaging game for people who love skateboarding and those who just enjoy a good push-your-luck game. While it's not perfect (the board could be a bit more sturdy, and I wish the meeples had wheels), the theme, the mechanics, and the overall quality make it a great addition to any game collection.