Skul: The Hero Slayer for PC on Steam takes players on an adventure to rescue the Demon King from a human Imperial army, all while playing as titular skeleton hero Skul. The side-scroller indie game was developed by SouthPAW Games and published by Neowiz, and offers gamers a strong playstyle experience with simple, intuitive combat and a heart-wrenching narrative told through charming pixel graphics.
A concept that Skul: The Hero Slayer does particularly well from the beginning is keeping its gameplay simple. Controlling Skul and engaging in combat is so easy that players don't even need to worry about plugging in their mouse. Gamers move Skul across the side-scroller style field with the arrow keys, using 'X' to attack and 'C' to jump. Players can use special attacks, like throwing their tiny skeletal head, by hitting the 'A', 'S' and 'D' buttons. While these controls feel bare bones at first, players quickly learn how to strategically attack their opponents in dungeons, making the handful of button controls an easy and intuitive way to enjoy the game, compared to some more complex dungeon crawler games that have come out like Hades.
While players can collect boons in the form of boosted items and armor during their time in dungeons, as well as different weapons that can occasionally change Skul's form, when the player dies they lose their equipment and must start fresh. However, Skul: The Hero Slayer has a skill tree that players can interact with when they talk to the Witch in the abandoned castle of the Demon King. This simple skill tree is easy to navigate and easily read, unlike more complicated games like Nioh 2, with each skill available to be leveled up after unlocking it. Players collect and use 'Dark Quartz' as currency to unlock these skill buffs, helping Skul to make it further into the dungeons in every round.
Players will find the dungeons in Skul: The Hero Slayer a good, engaging challenge. Enemies are difficult to beat and require the player to combine strategy in combat with the use of boon items they unlock at the end of each area. Players will want to prepare to die frequently when they first start the game until they have had a chance to unlock the skills on their skill tree. Thankfully, the difficult dungeon areas aren't a grind to work through, with each map boasting colorful designs while the simple combat controls allow players to smash Ents and destroy Imperial soldiers in a satisfying flurry of melee attacks.
Another aspect of Skul: The Hero Slayer that makes it such an excellent indie title is its narrative. Players learn that the enemies they'll be facing are human soldiers, led by a character called the First Hero. These soldiers have taken the Demon King to prove their own heroic abilities, leaving the kingdom in ruins. Players unravel how Skul came to exist in the Demon King's realm, and with the help of the Witch guiding him, are left to discover what makes a true hero, and not just one in title alone. The game's story challenges the player's ideas of what a hero looks like and what actions merit such a title while exploring the tragic backstory of its tiny skeleton protagonist.
If there's one glaring flaw in the game, it's that Skul: The Hero Slayer could use a more concrete tutorial at the beginning of the game. After the initial opening, players are left to figure out the dungeons and game goals on their own. While there are a few characters they can interact with at first, like the Witch in the castle and the broken skeleton Skel-Ton outside the dungeon doors, players must decipher what each type of door potentially holds and rely primarily on guessing. Skul: The Hero Slayer doesn't do the mystery and discovery elements of indie roguelikes quite as well as it might like, and would benefit from having Skel-Ton or another character help give players an idea of they might find in each map area.
Playing Skul: The Hero Slayer can be done in a variety of ways, but when it comes to audio, it should be done with the volume turned up. Skul offers a fantastic video game soundtrack with upbeat music that contrasts the spooky atmosphere of the run-down castle and combat areas. It will also help players hear certain stealth attacks before their enemies can strike a blow, allowing them to build better combat strategies.
Skul: The Hero Slayer is a fantastic addition to the side-scroller indie genre. While it can be a little difficult to get into due to an obtuse early period, everything that follows is a great experience and one that will captivate players through its mixture of charming play and engaging narrative. Those looking for deceptively simple games with surprising depth will find a lot to love in Skul: The Hero Slayer.
Skul: The Hero Slayer releases 19 January 2021, for PC. Screen Rant was provided with a Steam PC download code for the purposes of this review.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3oUXQ53
0 Comments
Please don't use vulgar comments and avoid discussion on Religious matters