Wave Break Review

Wave Break is a unique mix of water boating and skateboarding games where players need to pull off the highest score via sick tricks in their boat as they navigate the rivalry between Mafia’s Big Pin and Detective McHutchenson.

The best way to describe Wave Break is basically to think of it as Tony Hawk Pro Skater on water… although the water is the main surface you’ll ride on, you can also ride your boat on solid platforms like wooden decks to pull off tricks.

Given its skateboarding influence, players will be able to pull a wide variety of skateboarding tricks such as kickflips, grabs, and rail grinds. Using them all in a chain will result in players pulling off sick combos and high scores. Given the game’s story, you do have access to a gun, but it’s not of much use during the early levels.

The game follows the same Tony Hawk formula where you’re dropped into a level and you need to complete a handful of objectives within the allotted time limit such as reaching a specific score, collecting all collectibles, or even collecting the C-O-M-B-O letters in a single combo (very innovative). You can also find NPCs that will ask you to do unique stunts such as performing a specific trick over a gap or planting dynamite on a boat. But given the time limit, if you find the NPC close to the end, you might not even find a way to reach the specific target.

You can also take a break from the campaign to dabble in additional game modes such as the Time Attack or a Weezy mode where you can complete a handful of objectives while jamming to Weezer! If you prefer to play with people online, you can do Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Team Time Attack, and a Custom Game mode, unfortunately, at the time of review, this mode cannot be tested as it disables all maps and when trying to proceed, it prompts you to select a map… that you can’t select.

As you’d expect, not everything is perfect. You’ll be faced with similar issues as in Tony Hawk Pro Skater. If objectives are to be collected or a specific move to pull off in a precise area of the map, you need to remember it because you can’t review it during the level. You also cannot practice without a timer to get a better idea of the level layout and the controls feel a bit loose, even with different boats. The shooting is very awkward as the aiming and shooting are delegated to LB and RB respectively making shooting and driving quite cumbersome.

The game looks great with its unique 80s visual style. Each level is uniquely designed in terms of visual flair and level design. The challenges slowly get progressively harder as you successfully complete challenges and unlock new levels. The soundtrack is a decent mix of synth-wave, synth-pop, and rock (Weezer!) tracks. The score matches perfectly with the visuals.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so Wave Break is a clear homage to the long-running Tony Hawk Pro Skater series by adding its own unique flair. However, the loose controls bring it all down as it feels like driving drunk (never do that!) at times to the point trying to line up a simple grind on a border or rope can require multiple attempts. The concept is highly interesting and original however you’ll be fighting the controls more often than not. If you’re craving a unique alternative to Tony Hawk, take the plunge with Wave Break. Everyone else? Dive in at your own risk.