Touchgrind Scooter Review: It's Trickaaaaay!

Let's flashback to the 1990s. Adjectives and phrases like EXTREME! And TO THE MAX! Were commonplace. The television was littered with shows like Rocket Power and Nickelodeon GUTS. The X Games were suddenly a thing, and if you wanted a hip TV character that connected with the youth, you'd give them a skateboard like Bart Simpson. Even I played with fingerboards like Tech Deck and begged my mom to buy me a Razor scooter.

In the gaming world, revolutionary titles like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Dave Mirra's Freestyle BMX, brought extreme sports into the homes of everyday people. Today, though not in the mainstream, we still see this counterculture movement live on through heroes like Gui Khury winning X Games gold for pulling off sick moves like the elusive 1080 at only twelve! 

In the spirit of this tradition, the developer Illusion Labs has hit a popular sports niche with its Touchgrind series of games. Touchgrind Scooter brings the same revolutionary two-finger controls fans have seen from previous titles but applies it to beloved two-wheeled nerd chariot. It's time to kick-push-coast and see if Touchgrind Scooter nails the delivery.

Touchgrind Scooter is heavily narrative-based, with the scooter being a trenchant metaphor for... Nah, I'm completely kidding. There's only one goal here: pulling off tricks to get mad points, yo! The game quickly familiarized me with its two-finger control scheme starting with the tutorial. I had to pull off basic moves like the tailwhip and the barspin to progress.

The controls are easy to get the hang of, but after playing around an hour, keeping my balance and pulling off tricks became increasingly difficult with the onset of carpal tunnel creeping in. You have to keep your fingers active to consistently maintain balance. While you're playing, there's no time to take breaks unless you want to taste pavement. If you're going for the highest scores, you'll need to pull off fancier tricks that take even greater fingerwork. I can't confirm, but I'm willing to bet you'd never want to get into a thumb war with experts in this game.

High scores are one thing, but Touchgrind Scooter manages to diversify the playstyle by having a Tricky Mode, where the goal is to accomplish sick stunts! If only there were actual bodies on the scooters to gawk at and say "OUCH" each time you fail said sick stunts. Nevertheless, playing these modes on the ghost scooters kept me hooked despite the pain in my hands. Touchgrind Scooter also has a versus mode where players can compete online, which seems pretty essential for a game all about high scores and setting records. After all, you need someone to brag to after nailing that triple opposite tailwhip!

Spread out across Illusion City, there are seven playable zones, four of which are only available using real-world cash. Each zone has three paths I could explore: A, B, and C. I needed to play through each path to rack up enough points to unlock new zones and equipment. The maps look pretty good, and the graphics are impressive. Grinding on a rail felt real...or as real as finger grinding on mobile can.

The monetization isn't too aggressive either. It's worth noting there's no significant in-game cash system. You'll have to accumulate adrenaline for upgrades by performing various feats or using your hard-earned real-world dough. Generally, players will want to spend money customizing their scooter or buying new gear at the scooter market. This is especially true if you're into competing and bragging, which intuition tells me is a large part of this game's appeal. Another noteworthy element of Touchgrind Scooter is the awesome tunes! From the title screen, I found myself bopping my head to the dope beats of a synth and drum mix. It not only got me in the mood to pull off some tricks but added to the game's youthful aesthetic.

This game isn't the type I would play for hours on end; there's not a lot to keep me coming back for more, and I can only upgrade my scooter so much or beat my personal best score so many times before getting bored. But it's easy enough to pick up and put down. It's the perfect time killer when I'm waiting on my coffee or the subway. Fans of the series will probably be happy with this addition. The scooter enthusiast might enjoy the unique control scheme of managing a scooter with two fingers. If extreme sports and scooting are your things, give this a download.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Touchgrind BMX. This is your game if you're a fan of the series and like games like Touchgrind BMX and Touchgrind Skate.

• Extreme sports. People who appreciate the X Games or going out and bruising their knees at the skate park will probably dig Touchgrind Scooter.