Game Review: Skate Rock (aka Skate Rock Simulator) (Commodore 64, Ricochet)

Skate Rock was originally released by Bubble Bus Software in 1986, with the Ricochet re-release being released in early 1988. For some reason, maybe because of the popular use of the word Simulator by Codemasters to describe many of their games, the cover of the re-release adds the word Simulator at the end to re-title the game as Skate Rock Simulator. There is also very small print at the back stating it had previously been published as Skate Rock, possibly to avoid any confusion for those who owned the original game – the later Pro Boxing Simulator “new release” controversy from Codemasters was yet to come. For the purpose of this point of the review onwards, I shall refer to it by its original released name, as the title screen and in-game shots still mention the original name.

The plot is straightforward: you wish to join the elite Slime Rat Skaters. To do this, there are ten courses set around the town which you will need to complete. Thrash your way around the courses, and collect the eight flags along the way, reaching the finish line within the time limit. If you manage it, you join them, and if not, you are just another pretend wannabe toy skater. Of course, this game was attempting to be all radical and be another one to cash in on the skateboarding craze of the 1980s, which made sense even at the time of re-release. For this version, there is Invade-a-Load during loading to keep you occupied before you play.

He’s the Wizard on the Wheels

The game’s title screen has a number of options which are easily presented. You can move down to each one and move the joystick to amend them. First of all, there is the starting course. If you reached course 5 in a previous game, you can move the joystick to select that course to start on, instead of having to go back from the beginning every time. That is a positive and means you can practice the later courses once you get to them. The time limit can be set next, from beginners to thrashers, and the board truck setting can be set to one of three settings, with the tighter setting meaning you can make quicker turns. The medium setting will suit most, but you can experiment and see what works for you – and a nice to have in a game of this type.

Once your options are good, pressing fire starts and a small jingle plays to denote the course. You start at the left side of the course and your aim is to scroll right, collect all the eight flags, and head to the finish line before the time runs out. You can press up to plant the foot and speed up the skateboard, and down to brake, with left or right turns as if you were on the skateboard. Pressing fire with left and right does a kick turn, and this can be helpful to do a very quick direction change. Pressing fire on its own also means you jump, with the skateboard remaining underneath you on the road or pavement. This will prove to be a handy move, as we’ll see later on.

He’s Skating Radical All the Time

As you progress along, there is a little back beat that sounds a little hip hop like, which repeats every few seconds. You have some sound effects as you collect the flag, or if a car or other vehicle heads along the road, which you need to avoid unless you like being run over. There are also lowered kerbs for the pavement which you can steer on to and get on to the pavements, which you will need to do in order to collect the flags. On the first course, you get introduced to a drunken person staggering around, a jogger sometimes with dog running, a punk, and also stationary parked cars which you also need to avoid.

You can jump off the kerbs provided you have a fast enough speed, and your skater will do a little ollie for you. If you go too slow, you hit the kerb and it is the loss of one of your precious lives – although you do get these replenished at the start of each course. That is a good design decision and does ease the frustration too. There are plenty of lowered kerbs to come down to the road surface on initially, so you can plot your route and manage to get all eight flags. If you do happen to go slow, a model aeroplane will come hurtling towards you which you will need to avoid. You can go back on yourself if you miss a flag and need to retrieve it, but the model aeroplane will show up if you do that especially.

If It Ain’t Insane Then You Can’t Get Rad

The second course is more like a town centre instead of suburbia, with roads and shop fronts being the backdrop here. There are also some neat moves to be done, such as the ollie off the kerb to the right, on to the ramp to jump back on to the kerb beyond, and then avoid the skater who comes at you at speed. Once you have mastered that, the rest of the course is plain sailing and the flags do come at you fast here. The ramps are needed to be tackled by having a good speed to get up the slope and over, normally with some traffic cones behind which need to be avoided, or it is the loss of a life. There are also more punks and people out shopping whom you also need to avoid.

Once you complete a course, a funky little tune plays and your skater does a little trick on his board before pointing the cap left and then right and doing his body popping moves. It may seem a little daft now when you look at it, but that gave you immense satisfaction knowing you had completed the course too. You receive a course bonus score for completing the course, and any time left as well as lives left are added to your bonus. The time remaining is also added on for the next course so you can on the easiest time limit setting rack up around eight or nine minutes to complete the later courses, which comes in very handy when you may need to go slower.

Beware, He’s Possessed to Skate

Later courses such as the third one introduces different characters and some hazards such as the pot holes in the road, often surrounded by the traffic cones. At the end of the third course after collecting the final flag a car comes straight at you and you can just about avoid it, but remember the jump action? Yes, if you time it well enough with good speed, you can jump over the car whilst the board goes underneath the car. The satisfaction you get when doing this is great, and well worth it also at the end of course four when two lorries come at you., one on each side of the road. Although you can steer and avoid, the jump is immensely fun to pull off.  That course, with the workmen digging up the road, the broken bridges you have to accelerate fast to jump the gaps on, and the lorries everywhere, do ramp up the difficulty there.

There are ten courses in all, and I have managed to get to course eight or nine with some practice, so they are doable. Repeat plays are needed to remember the best route to take, and often the kick turns can be very useful to change direction and get the flag that you need in between the cones and the potholes on the road. The time limit on the hardest difficulty level really is insane, and you have to have a perfect run if you want any chance of completing a course there – and having those choices makes the game a playable one as well as a high score challenge, should you wish to do so.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Skate Rock vary from some good animation on your main skateboarder, including the body pop moves when completing a course, to average for the town backdrops including the roads, buildings and trees., as well as the roadside objects. The expanded sprites used for the cars and lorries are gaudy and not very pleasing on the eye at all, and definitely feel like they should be in a famous toy manufacturer’s set for little ones. The score display with the flags fluttering in the middle and a digital clock for the timer are clear and uncluttered though, and does help to keep an eye on as you progress. The soundtrack by Ben Daglish is short but sweet, with a bouncy boppy title theme to the constant back beat of the in-game tune, and the level complete theme which is considerably funky and adds to the actions of the skateboarder when you complete a course. There is also a game over theme too, and the sound effects are passable but not special.

Final Thoughts

Skate Rock is a game that I do still enjoy playing, primarily due to the fact that although a challenging game with its ten courses, the playability and sensible design decisions around the gameplay make it less frustrating. Having your lives topped up between courses means you get a good look at the next one without losing your lives straight away, and the board truck setting as well as time setting means you can tweak the game as you need. The controls are very responsive, with the kick turn option meaning you can get out of a tight spot as needed and not feel frustrated that you are trapped. Above all else, the balance is about right meaning you can get further every go and being able to start where you left off also adds hugely to the longevity here too. Give it a go, and you will be pleasantly surprised that under its less pleasing exterior lies a fun and enjoyable game.

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