While I might not look like it, I do, in fact, enjoy playing skateboarding games.

The original Tony Hawk Pro Skater was the perfect game to have a few quick rounds and try to grab the letters to spell SKATE or hit a high score. Even finding the videotapes was fun, as you got to explore the entire map. The soundtrack was also awesome.

The Tony Hawk games were my gateway to similar “extreme game” titles like SSX Tricky, which I wish would be remade today. I actually did better in SSX Tricky because I was cruising downhill and just had to nail a bunch of tricks to get points. With the amount of airtime I was getting, it wasn’t too hard, especially in the early levels. Maybe I just loved hearing Run-DMC’s Tricky every time I did well.

To be clear, Skate Story is nothing like Tony Hawk Pro Skater or SSX Tricky. The only similarities are a skateboard and some tricks.

In Skate Story, you play as a demon handed a skateboard by the devil. The deal is that you have to eat the seven moons of the Underworld. The catch is the devil transforms your body into glass. If you bump into walls too often, run into obstacles or wipe out completely, you shatter into millions of pieces.

How do you get to those moons? You skate, of course. It’s not as easy as rolling up on it. Each moon hangs over different towns that usually have a job or two you'll need to complete before you can reach it. Some tasks have you clearing areas of enemies with your skate tricks, while others are about racking up points to impress a local. Most areas also have optional missions, but I skipped the majority of them. I did talk to a bunch of floating skulls along the way, though they offered no reward.

There are also boss battles, where you’ll need to get a minimum score within a time limit to defeat them. One of the monsters I battled could only be beaten by completing a number of specific tricks in a row. The way the game introduces new moves and ramps up the difficulty ties in neatly with what it takes to beat each boss.

You’re right to think this is all a bit weird. Everything about Skate Story is a bit off, but in a good way. There’s no spoken dialogue. Everything is captions, with the occasional bizarre sound effect used to identify the character talking. For example, the horrific bunny that follows you around has a demonic groan every time it speaks. There are weird noises for a bird and a magical painting that groans at you as well.

The visuals look like something from the PS2 era. They’re not blocky or grainy, but just basic-looking, which fits the vibe the game seems to be going for. Even the cutscenes are quite simple. They’re designed to keep the story moving. If you can call it that. I was constantly asking myself what was going on. By the end, I knew what had happened with the story, but I still wondered what I had just done.

The best thing about Skate Story is the soundtrack, which I’m listening to as I’m writing this. When I first heard about the game on a podcast, the hosts raved about the music, including the ones who bounced off the game. The music pairs perfectly with Skate Story’s action. It seamlessly switches from a very hard dubstep-style tune to soft, classical music. I don’t know why it works, but it does. At first, the soundtrack didn't grab me. I thought maybe I only enjoyed it while playing the game. Eventually, it worked its way into my rotation and I haven’t looked back.

Skate Story isn’t going to be for everyone. You can watch the trailer, but I don’t think it will convince you to play the game. I played it as part of my PlayStation Plus subscription. It’s currently in the library available to download and enjoy. If you’re on the fence about it, this is the best way to check out the game.

No one asked for a bizarre skating game where a pop shove-it can take down 20-foot demons, but we’ve got one. I enjoyed it. If you’re curious, I suggest giving it a shot.

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