For nearly as long as there have been video games, there have also been skating games that allow players to do unbelievable tricks and build up speed from the comfort of their couch. The upcoming indie title The Ramp will be an evolution on this concept in a minimalist kind of way, bringing a unique but specific feel to the player. When Paul Schnepf was making The Ramp, he wanted to focus on the pure feeling of skating in a vert ramp without the hassle of the extra bells and whistles that have become famous in mainstream skating games like the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series.
Schnepf was recently able to sit down with Game Rant to discuss the ins and outs of being the sole developer behind The Ramp. During the interview, Schnepf made it clear that he wanted to recreate a specific feeling in his game, meant to scratch a unique itch he was having. While less of a full-fledge game and more of a digital toy, according to Schnepf, he hopes that players will keep coming back to his game to get better at the mechanics, creating their own personal objectives as they go. The idea is to have players then enjoy the relaxing feel of getting a nice relaxing flow to help them through the day.
No Unlockables or Progression in The Ramp
Once players finish the tutorial level, they are free to access all of the content that The Ramp has to offer. While bigger developers might fear that this would keep players from playing their game for long periods, that's how Schnepf prefers for his games to be. As a member of the team over at Grizzly Games, he said that every game he's taken part in has relied on a more minimalistic approach, focusing on doing one thing exceptionally rather than a dozen things halfway. It's Schnepf's hope that this comes across to players and they appreciate it in the same way he does.
"I almost take pride in doing nothing to try to bring players back to The Ramp. They should play it as long as they enjoy it and then I'm totally fine with them playing something else. That's something else I don't like... when they try to consume as much of your time as they can."
With The Ramp, it was way more important for Schnepf to recreate realistic physics and accurate vertical ramps than it was to make sure the player felt compelled to return. In this way, Schnepf makes clear, his game is more of an authentic digital toy to play with rather than a full-fledge skateboarding adventure.
Hard to Learn, Harder to Master
"I think it's something new for most people, especially if you have never skateboarded in real life. It takes a while to wrap your head around it."
Just like with real skating, the controls in The Ramp require a certain amount of coordination between the brain and part of the body controlling the movement. This translates into a game that looks simple but takes a certain amount of practice before the player is properly picking up speed. There is a certain feeling of accomplishment the first time the player lands a trick, and that comes organically outside of any hand-holding progression system.
There are a number of skateboarding games out there that have gone on to inspire franchises, but none have done the exact thing that Paul Schnepf is trying to achieve with The Ramp. While it won't pat the player on the back or keep score of every trick that the player does, there's a unique kind of personal satisfaction that comes with learning the skills it takes to properly play The Ramp.
The Ramp releases on August 3, 2021, for PC via Steam.