Trying to pull off a flawless kickflip on a piece of flat glass shouldn’t feel like performing brain surgery. Let’s face it, most mobile skating games have atrocious touch controls that completely ruin the vibe. Mike V: Skateboard Party actually fixes that mess. Whether you are killing time on a subway in New York, waiting for a train in Berlin, or avoiding the afternoon heat in Sydney, this game drops an incredibly deep, action packed street skating experience right into your pocket.

SKATING WITH AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND

If you don’t know who Mike Vallely is, you need a quick history lesson.

We are talking about a literal pioneer of the sport. Discovered back in the 80s by Stacy Peralta and Lance Mountain, Mike V was the very first East Coast street skater to explode onto the global scene. He is a total icon. Getting to ride alongside a legend of that caliber gives this app some serious old school street cred.

THE GRIND NEVER STOPS

You aren’t just endlessly pushing around an empty park for no reason.

The Career Mode is surprisingly meaty. It throws over 30 brutal achievements at you, forcing you to step up your game to unlock fresh locations and better gear. As you land tricks and inevitably bail hard, you slowly build up valuable experience points. You use that XP to aggressively upgrade your skater’s core attributes so you can actually pull off those massive, gravity defying combos. Just want to chill out without a timer screaming at you? Jump straight into Free Skate to lock in your muscle memory and master the 40+ unique tricks without any pressure.

AUTHENTIC BOARDS AND GEAR

Nobody wants to ride a generic, unbranded plank of wood.

You get to choose between eight completely different skaters, and the customization is genuinely impressive. The developers actually went out and secured licenses for some heavy hitting real world brands. You can completely trick out your setup from head to toe with authentic boards, trucks, bearings, and clothing from Airwalk, Powell & Peralta, Bones, Tork Trux, and Iron Fist.

CONTROLS THAT DO NOT HATE YOU

This is usually where mobile skating apps completely fall apart. Not here.

The fully customizable control system is brilliant. You can drag and drop your buttons, mess with their opacity, and easily switch between left and right handed layouts. Want to use the accelerometer instead of a virtual analog stick? Go for it. You can even adjust the literal tightness of your virtual trucks to dial in your steering sensitivity exactly how you like it. When you are trying to chain together hundreds of different trick combinations, you absolutely need that level of precision.

KILLER VISUALS AND A HEAVY SOUNDTRACK

The graphics are heavily optimized for mobile hardware, pushing some seriously crisp HD textures that look gorgeous on modern screens. But a skate session is entirely lifeless without the right noise in the background. The game comes loaded with a killer, adrenaline spiking soundtrack featuring heavy tracks from Conditions and Revolution Mother.

Adjust your trucks, lace up your shoes, and see if you actually have what it takes to hang with a legend.