ItвЂ™s the type of game you could sink days into and not even notice. Oddly enough, you just feel comfortable playing Skul: The Hero Slayer. The combat system is fluid and responsive. ItвЂ™s the perfect blend of innocent and quirky. In truth, the game is a rare gem that sets a high bar for other Indie titles to aspire to. The cynics among us could nitpick at the repetitive level design or the supposed imbalance found in the power-ups, but these criticisms would both be severe reaches. Skul: The Hero Slayer isnвЂ™t perfect, but itвЂ™s getting dangerously close. When you get to that level of experience, itвЂ™s little more than finding the right items and racing to the finish. As you sink more and more hours into the game, youвЂ™ll find what works and what doesnвЂ™t. The net result is an absurd amount of customization. There is a stage that acts as a shop where players can replenish health as well as purchase skull upgrades and these items. For instance, Standard-issue Carleon Armor will decrease incoming damage by 15%, or Thorny Boots will damage enemies if you land on their head Super Mario style. These act as more or less passive upgrades to the character.

They are also that safety net that guarantees even the worst players will become increasingly more powerful and inevitably have a successful run.ДЄside from these traits and skull upgrades, the player will also encounter a myriad of items. The upgrades are a welcome relief from the crushingly hard difficulty of the first couple of runs. Within traits, we have the usual suspects: permanent health upgrades, attack upgrades, speed buffs, and the like. These are bought with dark quartz which you gather primarily from enemy minions and bosses. In true rogue-like fashion, Skul: The Hero Slayer also offers permanent upgrades (called вЂњtraitsвЂќ) from your base that persist through every run. This still doesnвЂ™t change the fact that a few skulls are just overpowered. And, of course, the inverse would occur if the power-ups were all useless. Is this really a flaw though? If all the power-ups were solid, then youвЂ™d never find the game difficult. There were some that were downright useless, and some that were game-breakingly effective. In fairness, there is quite a disparity between the usefulness of some of these upgrades. I can foresee that the few complaints surrounding Skul: The Hero Slayer will center around these power-ups. There is very little overlap between skulls, and players will quickly determine a list of favourites. The abilities and drawbacks offered by these replacement skulls all feel well thought out and distinctive. They run the gamut from Minotaur to Dark Paladin to even the Grim Reaper. SouthPaw Games got incredibly creative with these. These are found throughout your run at the end of stages (or from NPCs at your starting castle). The only thing out of your control is the RNG power-ups-in the form of skull replacements-that are available to you. The mechanics allow you to point the blame at yourself. The screen can get downright swamped with enemies, but when you die, it was always your fault. DonвЂ™t get me wrong, Skul: The Hero Slayer can get crazy. The game doesnвЂ™t skip a beat even at the highest levels of chaos. You can dash around the screen, interrupt your own attacks, cast abilities, and the whole encounter will feel fluid. IвЂ™ll spare any preamble and say: the combat system simply works. ItвЂ™s always a refreshingly light-hearted romp through each stage as you recruit new friends to aid you in your quest. The game never takes itself too seriously. The world of Skul: The Hero Slayer is also filled with references to everything from Overwatch to World of Warcraft to Ghost Rider. And the cast of characters you meet along the way are quirky and reminiscent of truly atmospheric games like Legend of Zelda. While the narrative is fairly straightforward, there are enough twists and turns to keep you firmly buckled in. Be forewarned: you might feel a serious pang of guilt for all the skeletons you dispatched in Ghosts вЂn Goblins. ItвЂ™s the inverse of most games, and humans (typically the heroes) are now the villains. The game is a beautifully crafted yet simplistic sort of revenge story. It goes without saying, but Skul: The Hero Slayer is a unique experience.

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