New York is a mobile game that straddles the line between casual and serious gameplay

Skate City he was the opening title of Apple Arcade back in 2019, developed by Agens and published by Snowman, a company known for its original mobile games such as. Alto Fun, “sequel” Alto’s Odyssey, When the Cards Fall and a few other interesting titles. It’s been five years since then Skate City they arrived first, but the Snowman/Agens team is back Skate City: New Yorkwhich is outside on Apple Arcade today.

There have been a number of changes to the original game over the years, but this is a new title that feels better and has a number of improvements. I had the chance to try it Skate City: New York a few days before launch, and I also spoke with Ryan Cash of Snowman and Andrew Schimmel about the new game, who said that they have been working on it for a good three years now.

Like it’s the first one Skate City, scrolling from left to right in top side view. For convenience, you can remove shortcuts by moving one of the eight sections on the bottom half of the screen; The left side is for the magical ollie while the right side switches you to nollie. You don’t have to do anything precise to land, just activate the trick and the game will make sure you hit the ground (unless you land on the stairs or an obstacle, of course). That’s the starting point, but you can also do spins, book entries, grinds and more. It’s easier than games like the old Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or the latest OlliOlli Worldbut there is still a lot of time and skill involved in nailing your run.

As you would expect, the visuals are very good and the background is much better than the original (which was a fun game). But what sets this one apart the most, according to Schimmel, is that the “Pro Skate” mode, which is the most involved part of the game, uses custom-made levels.

“We didn’t want to separate ourselves from the original (sports) across the city, but instead create something that was flexible and dynamic,” Schimmel said. “Strategy was both the solution and the biggest technical challenge.” It’s not something I was able to figure out right away, as I’ve only played the game for a few hours, but Schimmel is confident they’ll make it. Skate City: New York they have more potential to repeat than the original.

Pro Skate reminds me a lot of Snowman Alto Fun, but translated to skating – the goal is to go as far as you can and rack up as many points as possible and complete three goals to progress. Objectives are things like “three places around 180 degrees” or “grinding 100 meters.” But with more unpredictable levels than those played before, you have to be successful in dealing with new obstacles, which can disappear and give you the chance to cheat or cheat.

As with all Snowman games, there are no in-app purchases yet; instead, you’ll earn points for completing challenges and leveling up in Pro Skate. You can use this to customize your look with the highly customizable and comprehensive Skate Shop. You can change your body, hair, face shape, clothes, skateboard and so on. I haven’t played with it a ton yet but it’s clear that there is a lot of customization here.

As is Skate CitySnowman promises that there will be more and more challenges and more areas of the city to explore in the next year and beyond. Schimmel called them “living games” even though there is no way to make money. I also asked how the band decided to release it Skate City: New York through Apple Arcade versus being a one-time payment or including paid updates to the game — Cash called it “an easy decision.”

“We haven’t done a pay-as-you-go game since then Alto’s Odyssey in 2018,” Cash said. “Apple Arcade and Netflix are where we are right now. And it was an easy decision to make Skate City: New York, because the first game was the title Launch and he got a lot of good stuff there. It just made sense to bring it back to Apple Arcade.” First Skate City they eventually came to consoles and PCs, too, and Cash said that was a future thought, but the goal was to make the first title as good as it could be.

Although the game does not feel very different from its predecessors, Skate City: New York They still feel like you need mobile games at a time when it would be difficult to find. And Snowman and Agens have done a great job of balancing the pick-up-and-play aspects of a great mobile game with a deep experience, at least from what I’ve seen so far. “We want a seven-year-old kid who enjoys skateboarding to have fun,” Cash said, “and people like us who grew up skateboarding and really want a challenge.”

Skate City: New York it’s out today exclusively on Apple Arcade.