Roguelike platformer with a little skeleton
Skul: The Hero Slayer is a premium action game from SouthPAW Games. This roguelike title lets you take control of the small skeleton as you travel through various landscapes in a fantasy world. In a twist to the usual fantasy premise, this time you save the people from the Demon King castle from the heroes. Bash your enemies with a bone or throw your skull, all while avoiding enemy projectiles.
Its retro-inspired graphics and randomly generated levels make Skul: The Hero Slayer an infinitely replayable challenge, although one with a steep difficulty level, much like Hades or Dead Cells.
Save the monsters from the heroes
In Skul: The Hero Slayer, you play as the titular character. A small, upstart soldier in the Demon King’s army. You are tasked with defeating monsters in procedurally-generated levels, with a boss at the end. At the end of each stage are two doors that lead to different locations. Aside from enemy-filled levels, there are areas where you can spend gold in exchange for helpful items and upgrades.
The game features a couple of fun gameplay mechanics. For example, you can throw your skull and teleport to where it goes, adding a new feature to the platforming experience. Additionally, there are other skulls that change your outfit and give you various abilities. Even better, these special skulls can be Awakened to their more powerful forms, such as the Skeleton-Shield ultimately becoming the Guardian Commander.
As mentioned, the main issue with the game is the difficulty. First players will definitely take a couple of tries with the bosses, and the challenges just go uphill from there. Also, as a roguelike title, the entire story is not presented straightforwardly. There are cutscenes and dialogues that reveal the beautiful story behind the adventure, although this will also require a couple of playthroughs.
Continually evolving
The game's main draw is its character customization system that lets you switch out skulls for different ones to alter your play style with new skill sets. The developers are well aware of this and have continually been working on improving the experience, particularly, constant bug fixes and game balance tweaks to ensure that skulls, abilities, and items are all in check and play nicely with one another.
Speaking of, a recent update to celebrate the success and immense support for the game has introduced a new skull in the form of the Dominator. This new legendary-level character is a demon who wields an evil sword that lets it dish out massive damage, with an affinity for speed to outmaneuver enemies. Its blade can be awakened with life force, allowing it to perform powerful attacks once fully charged.
A fun, replayable fantasy adventure
If you’re after a replayable fantasy game with content to unlock and a story to build, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a fun title to explore. Aside from the concept that you play as the skeleton soldier, you also encounter a lot of hero archetypes that serve as bosses in this game. Aside from its initial difficulty that will keep most players in check, this is ultimately addictive and enjoyable.
