Yes it's another retro-looking, first-person horror game, this time made for the Haunted PS1 Summer Spooks (opens in new tab) game jam. But, hang on a moment, as rather than walking around a creepy, boxy environment, you're skateboarding around one instead.
Orange County (opens in new tab) gives you a procedurally generated, decidedly dark city to explore, home to a few roaming cars you'd better avoid, if you want to stay alive. One of these is a funny-looking police or security buggy, seemingly out to bust your boarding self, specifically. It's not terribly hard to avoid these few vehicles, but it's more difficult to dodge the many walls of houses and shops, which for some reason cause the screen to turn horribly pixellated when you, inevitably, crash into them.
It's a bit annoying when that happens, but when you're out in the open, skating around the creepily empty streets of what seems to be a futuristic dystopia, Orange County feels pretty great. The controls are a bit finicky, but there's something wonderful to the feeling of skateboarding in first-person. I was reminded, more than a bit, of EA's Skate. (Thanks, Alpha Beta Gamer (opens in new tab).)
For more great free experiences, check out our roundup of the best free PC games.
