- Developer: Digital Melody
- Publisher: Forever Entertainment
- Release Date: 08/08/2019
- Price: £4.49 / $4.99
- Review code provided by Forever Entertainment
Intro
In Tap Skater there is only one direction and that’s down. If you want to reach the bottom, you’re going to need fast reactions and nimble fingers to dodge any obstacles that get in the way. With 50 levels, 18 playable characters and an endless mode with built-in leader board, Digital Melody have suped-up the freemium version which was released on mobile earlier this year and crammed it full of content. As you progress through the campaign you can unlock furniture and decorate your room to gain fame. Do you have what it takes to reach elite status?
Down, Down, Down Red Knight Going Down
The gameplay is simple, so simple in fact all you have to do is just tap A or the touchscreen of the switch to make the character jump down to the next level with the only skill to master is timing. I would recommend not playing Tap Skater for long periods due to the fear of your thumb falling off from the constant tapping ,or the risk of putting your finger through the screen and out the back of the Switch. Even though the game is less than a fiver I still feel it is slightly overpriced and should be around the 0.99 area.
Digital Melody has tried to keep the gameplay fresh and the player engaged by having 4 types of missions throughout the campaign:
Collect – Collect a set number of items
Downhill – Reach a certain amount of levels
Race – Go head to head and come in first place
Chase – Catch the burglars and keep up with them until their health bar reaches 0.
As you progress through the campaign you will earn coins and fame. Collect coins to unlock playable characters and upgrade the furniture in your room to earn more, well fame. I feel this is just a grinding technique used to stop you from advancing too quickly and making it feel the game is longer than it actually is, a method that plagues the mobile app stores annoyingly called freemium.
The soundtrack to the game is what you would expect from this type of game, a repetitive upbeat track which will be imprinted in your brain for days but to be honest I found myself playing the majority of it with the volume off. The visuals of Tap Skater are probably the strongest point, the graphics are polished with a cartoon look to it and it held up pretty well throughout my time with the game with no glitches or framerate issues.
Other modes include VS and endless. The VS mode is offline multiplayer which is fun to play with a friend to pass the time but will be a short-lived experience as it lacks substance and it will not keep both players engaged for long periods of time. Endless mode is exactly what the name suggests, how long can you last? There is also an online leaderboard for the competitive players amongst us, not to boast but at the time of writing this, I am number 1 with a score of 207. Have you got what it takes? This is an open invitation to everyone in the Nintendad community to try and beat the top score.
Conclusion
Tap Skater is a simple and fun game which is great in short bursts to pass the time and if this is what Digital Melody set out to do then they have made a solid game but there is nothing about this title that will draw the player in to invest hours of gameplay. With the straightforward controls of tapping the A button or the screen constantly, I found it to cause hand cramps and my wrist to ache when playing for long periods of time so again Tap Skater is good in small doses. With the number of games that have flooded the e-shop over the last year, it is hard to stand out from the crowd and make an impression. Unfortunately, Tap Skater fails to do this and with the high price point compared to the free version on mobile means even the casual gamer will overlook it.
Pros
• Fun game to pass the time
• Offline VS mode
• Leaderboard
• Plenty of unlockables
Cons
• Simple gameplay which can become rather repetitive quickly
• RSI inducing
• The price point is high
• You can tell it was a freemium game converted for the Nintendo Switch
Verdict
A fun game that will appeal to the casual crowd and is great in small doses but an instantly forgettable one.
2/5