“Bro, what am I even playing?”: More than 15 years later, Skate is finally here – but fans are quickly discovering parkour is “faster than skating” in the new EA game

After more than 15 years, the long-awaited Skate 4 (dubbed just “Skate” by Full Circle and EA) has finally arrived in Early Access – but even though skateboarding is what it’s all about, it apparently isn’t the quickest way to get around in-game.

The new Skate is here after over a decade of waiting, and although it’s launched to “Mixed” reviews on Steam, it’s safe to say that plenty of creative fans have been exploring the online multiplayer world of San Vansterdam – but not all of them are doing so atop their boards. In fact, the game teaches you how to engage in some good old parkour when on foot, but it’s not meant to be your primary way of getting around. This is “Skate,” after all.

That’s not stopping players from doing so, however, and it turns out that rolling around the map without your board might be faster than actually riding it. As one fan points out in an online post, jumping and flipping is a more efficient way to traverse San Vansterdam (in terms of speed, anyway) than skateboarding. “Bro, what am I even playing rn?” they write. “Why is this faster than skating?” Attached is a clip of them zooming about in-game.

Their character’s movements, albeit hilariously quick, are simple – They run, jump, and flip forward, constantly holding the thumbstick down so that they continuously somersault in the air. They’re able to reach point B from point A in a matter of seconds, all without ever going on their skateboard. Comments under the video are almost as funny as the clip itself, with one person asking, “How did you already break the game?”

Another player follows up with their own video showing off their speedy moves, which are similar to the original poster’s. “Man, you don’t even know,” writes the responding fan, their clip showing an amusing combination of mid-air diving and rolling. I suppose it’s no longer Skate or Skate 4 – instead, we can call it “Parkour.” Alternatively, we can liken it to an old Nintendo game. As one commenter puts it so aptly, this is “Super Mario 64 tech.”

Looking for something else to play next? Here are a few of the other most hotly anticipated new games coming this year and beyond.