Helskate, a roguelite skating game that mixes in hack-and-slash fantasy action, has officially launched into Early Access today. Developed and published by Phantom Coast, the release marks four years of indie development.

In Helskate, players skate through the hellscape of Vertheim. You’ll need to perform tricks to build bigger attacks, and destroy dangerous monsters. You must battle while you skate, upgrading with weapons, gear, tapes, and tattoos for unique loadouts.

Yesterday, the developer revealed an Early Access roadmap on Steam with plans going beyond Q4 2024. Heading towards the full release, Helskate will add new quests, upgrades, levels, and more.

The developer also revealed a gameplay overview trailer last year:

Sold.

I only just heard about Helskate, so I haven’t had the chance to play the EA version yet. But the existing trailers show off an authentic skater attitude, a clever genre blend, and considerable style.

Helskate is almost certain to tick all of the boxes that fans who grew up in the 90’s could have wished for. Players who loved Hi-Fi Rush and Rollerdrome are also likely to fall in love with this.

Helskate’s music, level design, and arcade gameplay are also reminiscent of classic titles. Players who grew up with Pro Skater and Jet Set Radio Future should be pleased.

But it doesn’t seem like Helskate is even remotely caught up in nostalgia. It has plenty of its own compelling lore, even featuring the Gods of Skating themselves.

Simply put, Helskate looks like it’s full of sincerity. And that goes a very long way, especially in the indie and sports scenes. Helskate also has the potential to refresh the exhausted roguelite genre.

Phantom Coast is a relatively small team with headquarters in Amsterdam. Although this appears to be the debut title for the developer, even the Early Access version seems like it’s destined to win.

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