It’s not always easy to find a game that both parents and their kids would find enjoyment playing together – Mario party comes to mind, Splatoon is another great example. One game that should not be overlooked this holiday season is Crayola Scoot; the game is reminiscent of Tony Hawk, which will certainly attract those of us who loved that franchise. Do not be fooled by the name, this is not simply a knock off skateboard game geared towards little kids. This game is the real deal and provides enjoyment to both seasoned players and newcomers as well.
The Tip and The Top The game starts with a short tutorial which teaches you the basic mechanics and a few tricks too. After the tutorial is complete, the skate park opens up which allows you to select from events, the skate shop, and arcade. You have the ability to practice tricks in free play as well. The main plot of the game has you participate in events to earn fame, and as you earn fame you level up. After you reach the next level, you are challenged by a Legend (boss). The events take place in 3 different skate parks – Crayola Color City, Enchanted Forest, and Alien Theme Park. The game offers a bunch of different events in each park and allows you to pick the difficulty levels for each event, which will allow beginners and more experienced players to enjoy the game based on their skill level.
The different events are what make the game a real treat to play. For example, in Color Frenzy, you paint the park in the color you have chosen for your character. Throughout the park there are triggers that will set off events that will paint areas of the park in your color. To activate the trigger, you have to do a trick over it. However, triggers can be taken over by your opponents. This makes the game fun and chaotic. Some of the other events include Splat Tag, Team Color Frenzy, Crazy Crayons, Trick Run, and Splat Tag – Chase. The variety of events keep the game play fresh and it does not feel like a chore as you work to gain fame. You also earn extra fame points in these events by earning the most points, getting the most air time, or activating the most triggers. You also earn points by finding hidden posters in the park and, by completing tricks nearby, you add your color to those posters.
Once you level up enough, you are challenged by a boss in a game of Scoot, which is basically a game of horse. In the game of Scoot, the boss starts off setting the score to beat. If you beat the score, the boss then has to try to beat your score. You keep going back and forth, until one of you fails to beat the score, earning themselves a letter – the first person to get all the letters to spell out the word Scoot loses. The first couple of bosses are pretty easy, but once you get past the fourth boss, they do become more of a challenge.
After you beat a boss, you can purchase scooter parts based on the boss’s build at the shop with coins you earn throughout the game. In essence this allows you to level up your scooter to build and stylize your scooter to best meet your game play. You can also purchase new attire for your character as well at the shop. There is an arcade, where you can take on previous bosses in a game of Scoot or challenge your friends in local couch mode too. The Flip and The Flop Even though the game does a nice job with the tutorial so you can learn the ropes before you jump into events, seasoned Tony Hawk players will struggle with the jump mechanic in the game. The game makes use of the Right Joy-con stick for jumps instead of one of the buttons (Y,X,A,B). It’s a minor issue, and you learn pretty quickly how to use the Right Joy-con stick for the jumps and tricks, but it would have been nice to allow the players to remap the buttons to best suit their game play. Final Thoughts Don’t let the name fool you, this game is geared to young adults and adults alike. Fans of Tony Hawk and Splatoon will really enjoy this game. If you are in the market for a game that you can play with your kids and enjoy as an adult as well, this is definitely a great choice. The game has plenty to offer in both challenge and just pure fun.
Review copy provided by Outright Games.