After a release on PC, Playstation and Xbox consoles in September of last year, publisher NACON has today announced that Session: Skate Sim will be rolling onto Switch on 9th March for North American audiences and on the 16th for the rest of the world.
Session's selling point on release was all about providing a "realistic skating experience". This meant that there were some clever physics and cool tricks, yes, but it also meant that (like skating) it was really hard to master. Fortunately for the Switch version, development studio Crea-ture has been working on tweaking the controls and introductory tutorials to get the board rolling as quickly and simply as possible. The publishers state that these changes have produced a "more balanced learning curve", so we should be able to get those gnarly tricks down quicker this time.
Pre-orders are now available for the Switch version of the game, bringing the free bonus unlock of the 'Brandalised' pack (exclusive in-game deck and clothing) for those who want to get in early.
For a little more information on the game itself and some screenshots of the PC version, check out the following from NACON:
Session: Skate Sim invites players to dive into the genuine 1990s skateboarding way of life, when each stretch of pavement and each stairway was a great location for your favorite stunt. The game's ultra-realistic physics bring the sensations of skateboarding to life, and the studio has even integrated ground-breaking gameplay, a first in a skateboarding game: the "True Stance Stick", where each foot is independently managed using the two sticks. With a learning curve that is just as demanding as in real life, players have to practice how to control their board and pull off all the different stunts available in the game, from the simplest to the most complicated. The integrated editing tool lets each player immortalize their greatest achievements on video.
We haven't seen any visuals from the Switch version of Session just yet (the above images and trailer only show PC footage) so we can expect the new version to not be quite as crisp. That being said, it sounds like the development team has been working hard to ensure that the game runs better on Switch than it did at initial launch, so fingers crossed that next month has some smooth skating ahead.
Will you be picking up Session: Skate Sim on Switch? Drop into the comments and let us know!
Comments 15
Amazing graphics looks fun.
So was that video gameplay? Just looked like a computer generated show reel
Gotta wonder how good this is gonna be on the Switch, the Steam Deck can struggle with this game and I have to make some compromises to get it to run smoothly there (admittedly with most settings turned up). I'll be willing to bet that it's going to be pretty blurry looking on the Switch, with maybe a 30fps lock.
That said this game is absolutely fantastic. It's got a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it down, the game just lets you throw down and it's got some wonderfully represented locations in New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
@Selim That is definitely PC/Series X/PS5 footage. They did a full release (since it was long in early access) a little while ago for next gen consoles, that's what the "launch trailer" is for. As far as I can tell we have yet to see any footage of the Switch version in action.
If you have the patience to get over the initial learning curve then you will be rewarded with a great experience. Hope the Switch version turns out good.
Heard this game had horrible controls, if that's the case then nope not getting it. Will continue to stick with the Tony Hawk remakes for now.
@Serpenterror they're not 'horrible' exactly it just tries to replicate skating as much as possible, each stick is a pretty much a foot which allows for you to flip a simple trick like a kickflip in numerous ways, such as flat, tweaked, or 'rocket'.
This applies to every trick. If you skate it's the absolute best, as this doesn't claim to be anything other than a 'skate simulator' so it aims for realism over everything.
It's got a pretty steep learning curve but they have updated their in-game tutorial and after a few hours playing you'll wonder why you ever struggled in the first place.
Lack of analog triggers on Switch seems like a biggest challenge. But I can imagine they can bring even more interesting experience with gyro/motion controls. Game is not easy, but it is a blast if you put some effort into learning it. If you have been skating in real life you may have easier life here too. It's not for everyone. It's not a causal experienece like other games (even Skate or Skater XL).
@CaptChaos Best advice I got for newbies is to go with the full assists control difficulty, and change the controls to front foot back foot. The default is left foot right foot which basically means it mirrors the controls when your character is standing on the board facing the opposite direction, I thought that made the game a lot harder than it needs to be.
@Kulhy Honestly analog triggers shouldn't be a big deal with this game, I imagine you would just do button taps and holds to get the desired turning, and since you can adjust the turning speed with the trucks tightness settings, it should be easy to dial in something that feels right. In fact I think that might be a little preferable over the analogs for quick turning inputs.
@JayJ yes it can be played without analog turn input, but the level of precision and simulation is lacking then.
Picked this up for PC back when Tony Hawk's 1+2 was (initially) cancelled for Switch and still locked behind Epic exclusivity on PC. You'd best believe, Tony Hawk's this ain't.
THPS was a game that convinced non-skaters that they should become skaters. Session is a game to give those non-skaters a reality check: skating is hard, you will never do a real kickflip in your life.
@Kulhy IMO the turning is a really minor aspect to what makes that work. I usually find myself setting up a position where I can just do a few pumps towards something to do a trick on. Turning is more so just something I do when exploring or doing vert, for most street stuff my turning tends to be very minor.
The analog sticks is really where all the simulation depth is at, giving you a feel of really being able to control what tricks you're doing. I honestly think the trigger based turning was probably one of the weakest aspects of the control scheme anyways.
@JayJ well I need my slow and steady 180s, when jumping huge stairs. Fluently carved manuals. Applying pressure or setting a speed of body turn is simply another real control aspects of skateboarding. Let’s wait for what will crea-ture studio come with.
@Kulhy Yeah should be interesting.
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