Fingerboard review - An arcade skater that can't keep up the momentum

Fingerboard is yet another title in an endless string of arcade games making their way to the App Store. This entry, from the creators of last year's Osteya: Adventures, is a revival of the Tech Deck fad from the late '90s.

The concept is simple enough - use your finger to guide a miniature skateboard down a path, avoiding potholes and other obstacles along the way. It's essentially a high score chaser, and little more.

Controlling your fingerboard is easy - simply hold down on the screen and you'll propel yourself forward. You can drag the board up, down, and side to side to avoid the potholes and sewer grates that try to trip you up.

As your score climbs, you'll move faster and faster, boosting the challenge. I found it hard to look at the screen as things got faster and was forced to track obstacles at a frantic rate.

Of course, that may be symptomatic of my own crappy eyesight, but I'd prefer to play games that don't make me feel like I'm about to get a migraine.

You'll also find rails with which you can do tricks that will reward you with a score bonus. Just aim your board at the rail and you'll do tricks automatically. Easy peasy.

As you scoot along, you'll collect coins to purchase new skins for your little fingerboard. There're 10 to choose from in all.

Mechanically, that's all there is to it. There's not a whole lot to keep you invested for more than a few minutes. The fingerboard skins are well-designed, but there's only 10 and they don't give you any actual bonuses in game.

Using coins to unlock new skills, tricks, or even levels would add some much needed depth to Fingerboard.

The lack of any sound effects, too, makes the game feel rushed and empty. Hearing your skateboard clack on rails or scrape across the pavement would give it a more tactile feel that would do more to immerse you in the experience.

A forgettable grind

Fingerboard is fine if you're looking for a mindless, free to play arcade game, but it's hard to justify the time investment when there are so many games out there that simply do it better.

It's a fun idea, but needs some fleshing out before it can truly set itself apart from the rest of the pack.

As it stands now, Fingerboard will quickly start collecting dust in your games library as you move onto other, more memorable adventures.