Ever since Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the skateboarding genre has developed a huge following with the release of games like Session, Skater XL, The Ramp, and other creative indie entries. And although a smartphone game, Touchgrind Skate 2 is quite possibly the most conceptually perfect skateboarding game. Rather than slapping a virtual joystick and a couple of on-screen buttons, your fingers double as a skateboarder’s “legs”, being the controls themselves.

Your index and middle fingers control the skateboard, reflecting how you’d operate a skateboard in real life. Although intuitive, the learning curve is almost as steep as the real thing. Playing it like a casual game would make you quickly lose interest. The determined will enjoy a sense of achievement once they work through many, many poor attempts to finger-tut correctly on the skateboard.

Generally, you’ll spend time either freely performing tricks, skating around, and having some fun without worrying about any conditions. Or completing location-specific tasks and earning trophies, each more challenging than the other. Getting the highest score is the only (yet optional) goal. Shortly after the brief tutorial, you’re left to decide how far you want to take your own experience with the game.

I think this level of player agency is rather cool, though it can leave some players — especially those uninitiated with games in general — in a tough spot they’d have to wriggle out of by themselves. Generally, smartphone games have strong hand-holding elements, something Touchgrind Skate 2 lacks. I believe this is reflective of the “fail fast” culture for skateboarding beginners, who must fail over and over till they get it right. It’ll be a hit-or-miss experience for some folks, but personally, it’s a great way to kick players into action.

In total, there are about eight skate parks, one of which miniaturises the player into an ant-sized character; you can kickflip and ollie across pencils and books rather than concrete blocks and road slopes. From a level design standpoint, every location is more complex than the previous one, with the Backyard being the “tutorial level” where you hone the basics you learnt. So the challenges and trophy requirements that come with them are more difficult than the previous level’s too. While the game has loads of content to sink into, it’s more about whether you’ve got the moxie for it. If you can finish the Backyard level, the game will work for you.

The only nitpick I have is on the ergonomics. My huge fingers make it difficult for me to play on smartphones, so the fact I must finger-tut to control a skateboard only adds to that problem. Tablets may prove a better alternative for folks like me who need bigger screens.

VERDICT: It’s a simple yet extremely immersive game… but only if you are truly up for the challenge. I rate it a solid 9.5 out of 10.