Skellboy
- December 3, 2019
- UmaikiGames
"Skellboy" is a single-player platformer game with excellent graphics, where you play as Skippy, an ancient hero resurrected in a skeletal form. Explore the beautifully rendered Cubold Kingdom, swap out body parts to gain new abilities, and wield various weapons to defeat the magician's minions in this action-packed RPG. The interconnected world offers an expansive single-player experience, with unique enemies and challenging bosses to vanquish the evil magician.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Linux
Reviews
- The game features charming aesthetics, a fantastic soundtrack, and engaging exploration that many players find enjoyable.
- The body part swapping mechanic adds a unique layer to gameplay, allowing for diverse strategies and customization.
- Players appreciate the nostalgic feel of the game, comparing it favorably to classic titles like Zelda and Paper Mario.
- Many players find the gameplay tedious due to slow movement speed, constant respawning enemies, and a lack of clear navigation tools like a map or quest log.
- The game suffers from glitches that can hinder progress, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- Combat can feel repetitive and unexciting, with some players expressing disappointment in the overall difficulty and engagement of battles.
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their originality and charm, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful 2.5D visuals and appealing art style reminiscent of titles like Dark Souls and Shovel Knight. While the aesthetics and sound design receive accolades, some players feel that the overall gameplay experience does not match the visual appeal, leading to mixed feelings about the game's enjoyment. Overall, the graphics are a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and appeal.
“Terrific 2.5D visuals, a fantastic OST, and enticing exploration all make this a resounding recommendation if this sounds like your style.”
“Also, the art style is just gorgeous!”
“This game has a great art style, a lot of charm, an interesting world with interesting levels and bosses, and lovely sound design.”
“I bought it because of cute graphics but immediately regret it after playing for 1 hour.”
“Some people will like the graphics, the aesthetics, but the gameplay fell flat for me.”
“The only thing this game has going for it is its cutesy graphics and its bumpin old timey retro music that plays on a loop so much it'll drive you mad.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay features unique mechanics such as body part swapping for different bonuses, but is hindered by issues like slow movement, disorienting camera angles, and frequent mob respawns, making exploration feel tedious. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and aesthetics, the overall execution of gameplay mechanics, including battle systems, is considered inconsistent and lacking impact. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers an engaging story and enough content to keep players invested.
“Also getting abilities from switching body parts was a really good mechanic.”
“Overall, I highly recommend this game to anybody who wants an interesting story, neat mechanics, and enough content to keep you invested for many hours collecting them all.”
“Skellboy’s an adventure game that wears its nostalgia on its sleeve and it’s not afraid to show it, from some of its classic Zelda-like mechanics to its Paper Mario visual style.”
“Some people will like the graphics and aesthetics, but the gameplay fell flat for me.”
“The battle mechanics are also sketchy as all hell.”
“Gameplay is easy, boss fights are of medium difficulty.”
- music10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, retro 8-bit chip-tune style that complements the fantasy adventure theme, enhancing the overall experience. While many players find the soundtrack memorable and enjoyable, some note that the repetitive nature of the music can become overwhelming over time. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to its charm and atmosphere.
“Everything is charming and the story, art, and music all work together to support the fantasy adventure parody theme it's going for.”
“Thank you for a nice little game with nicely done jokes, a beautiful landscape, and a soundtrack I just can't get out of my head.”
“The game has a satisfying retro 8-bit chiptune theme with the music score having a retro sound as well, which is a nice nod to the games that inspired it.”
“The ending song was cringe though.”
“The only thing this game has going for it is its cutesy graphics and its bumpin old timey retro music that plays on a loop so much it'll drive you mad.”
“Thank you for a nice little game with nicely done jokes, a beautiful landscape and a soundtrack I just can't get out of my head.”
- story8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story in Skellboy is a charming blend of fantasy adventure and parody, featuring engaging side quests and a roguelike dungeon crawler experience. While the narrative is described as simple with mediocre humor, it is complemented by appealing art and music, and offers enough content and mechanics to keep players invested for hours. The game also includes a relax function for those who prefer to enjoy the story at a leisurely pace.
“Everything is charming and the story, art, and music all work together to support the fantasy adventure parody theme it's going for.”
“Skellboy is a nice short game with an interesting story, lots of puns, and good difficulty balance.”
“Overall, I highly recommend this game to anybody who wants an interesting story, neat mechanics, and enough content to keep you invested for many hours.”
“The storyline is a simple sketch with mediocre humor.”
“The game is on the casual side, but you can make it more difficult once beaten. Refracted mode is NG+ with new story, loot, paths, enemies, and bosses, and a much higher difficulty, so be warned it can get brutal.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's aesthetics and concepts but find the grinding aspect tedious and bloated, particularly noting that the repetitive enemy encounters can become a chore, especially after dying and having to replay sections.
“I don't want to be too harsh because I do really enjoy the aesthetics and some of the concepts, but ultimately it just feels tedious and bloated.”
“There are fewer enemies in some areas, and it quickly becomes a chore grinding through them, especially if you die and have to fight them all a second time.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has notable stability issues, with players reporting multiple glitches that hinder progress, such as being unable to perform essential actions in critical sections. In just a couple of hours, users have experienced significant disruptions that detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“There is a section in the sewers where you have to suck up ghosts to retrieve your body parts, but the game glitches and doesn't let you use that move.”
“In just 2 hours, I encountered 2 glitches that prevented me from progressing further.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's silly humor and clever language puns, highlighting these elements as enjoyable aspects of the overall experience.
“I really enjoy the silly humor of the game and the clever language puns.”
“The game's humor is delightfully absurd, making every moment a joy.”
“I love how the humor is woven into the gameplay, keeping me laughing throughout.”
