I wrote about it The ramp a few weeks ago when i thought it looked like a cool little skateboard game but i’m writing about it again now because it’s out and i played it and it is Marvelous.
Before we start, let’s set some expectations: The ramp is a very small game. It costs $ 4.79 at launch. It has a handful of skaters to choose from, it only takes place on four stages, there is no campaign, no licensed soundtrack, no extravaganza of sponsored content or unlockable guest stars.
What it has are two things: an isometric angle of view and beautifully coordinated controls that let you just sit back, relax, and skate to your heart’s content. That’s it! This game is a toy, a set of four blank canvases – each offering slightly different challenges, from standard vert ramps to enormous jumps – that you can skate on at will.
There’s no stress about your combo score, no time limit gnawing at you, no leaderboards, and no multiplayer. If you prefer Ice skate above THPS because it brought things a little closer to the act of skating, then The ramp takes things back as far as possible while still revolving around skating.
Though the subject couldn’t be further apart, it pushes a lot of the same buttons that City designer did for me, insofar as it takes a genre of video games that I really like and simply reduces it to its most essential elements, where you are able to simply enjoy them like them without further consequences or levels of gameplay are are.
The ramp So is a skate sandbox, a fantastic exploration of how much fun it is to skate, crash (the crash physics here is crunchy cute), and get up again when you just do it for yourself and the inherent joy in fact itself to find.
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It is now on Steam.
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