Skull Island: Rise of Kong

26%
Game Brain Score Based on 165 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • story
Skull Island: Rise of Kong Game Cover
The game barely qualifies as playable given its myriad of technical issues, but even when it is working as intended, you'll wish that it wasn't.
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"Skull Island: Rise of Kong" is a 3rd person action-adventure game where you play as Kong, seeking revenge for your parents' death. Traverse through various environments, battling primal beasts and minions of your arch-nemesis, Gaw. The game includes exclusive film grains, a Kong style pack, boss-rush mode, and a behind-the-scenes exclusive pack, offering a unique and immersive gaming experience. Experience Kong's origins and uncover the secrets of Skull Island.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

26%
Audience ScoreBased on 165 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
graphics6 negative mentions
  • The artistic style and character design are visually appealing, providing a beautiful interpretation of the Kong theme.
  • The game features distinct bosses that require unique tactics to defeat, adding variety to the gameplay.
  • Some players found enjoyment in the game despite its flaws, appreciating it as a 'fun-bad' experience.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Navigation is difficult due to a lack of clear direction and an ineffective map system, causing players to frequently get lost.
  • The combat mechanics are poorly designed, making encounters tedious and unengaging, with many players opting to avoid fights altogether.
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics of "Skull Island: Rise of Kong" receive mixed reviews, with some praising its unique artistic style and nostalgic charm reminiscent of PS1-era visuals, while others criticize the low-budget execution, technical errors, and lack of polish. Many users express disappointment in the overall visual quality, describing it as subpar and suggesting that it fails to meet modern gaming standards. Overall, the game's graphics seem to evoke strong feelings of nostalgia for some, while leaving others frustrated by their lack of refinement.

    • “The graphics are also sublime.”
    • “The game's decision to embrace its own original artistic style rather than strive for photorealism proves that you don't need to make something photorealistic to make it absolutely stunning to look at.”
    • “This game's graphics are phenomenal; each cutscene, each area you enter is something out of a painting.”
    • “Tldr, Skull Island: Rise of Kong is a nostalgic trip back to PS1-era graphics and glitches, definitely not worth the $40 price tag – play if you dare or just need a laugh.”
    • “This game was a stark reminder that nostalgia isn't always golden, especially when polygons have the audacity to call themselves 'graphics.'”
    • “Very disappointed; graphics and gameplay are a joke. Very basic – Xbox 360 was 10x better than this. Don't waste your money.”
  • gameplay33 mentions

    The gameplay of "Skull Island: Rise of Kong" receives mixed to overwhelmingly negative feedback, with some praising its diverse combat mechanics and engaging platforming, while many others criticize it for poor animations, incoherent mechanics, and a lack of depth. Players note that boss encounters require unique strategies, but overall, the experience is marred by a perceived lack of fun and value, with some reviewers suggesting it may be one of the worst games of the year.

    • “Each boss encounter requires a unique tactic to defeat, helping explore Kong's abilities and mechanics.”
    • “The game offers a diverse range of combat mechanics, featuring a plethora of combos and strategies to tackle various foes and different encounters you will come across during your journey.”
    • “As you progress, the unlocking of different skills adds further depth to the gameplay, making it on par with some of the best in the genre, such as Elden Ring and the Zelda: Breath of the Wild series.”
    • “Truly abysmal gameplay, I don't even know what to say. You can probably guess how bad it is by looking at it; worth trying for 119 minutes!”
    • “At no point during its incoherent gameplay did it make any sense, and I reward 0 stars. Anyone who decides to pay $50 Australian dollars with the intention to play it, may God have mercy on your soul.”
    • “In this case, I found out that this game only has about 4-6 hours of total gameplay, and with a $40 asking price, that's just a horrible value.”
  • story30 mentions

    The story in "Skull Island: Rise of Kong" is praised for its exceptional storytelling, immersing players in Kong's compelling journey of vengeance and redemption, showcasing his struggles in a brutal world. While some reviewers noted game-breaking issues that detracted from the experience, the overall narrative is considered a captivating and emotional masterpiece that effectively explores the depth of Kong's character. In contrast, other titles like Ubisoft's offerings and the collaboration with Silent Hill 4 are mentioned as examples of timeless storytelling potential, though not all experiences were equally engaging.

    • “Skull Island: Rise of Kong is a gaming masterpiece that delivers an unforgettable journey into the tragic and captivating story of Kong, the iconic character from the King Kong franchise.”
    • “From the very beginning, the game had me utterly engrossed, immersing me deeply in Kong's compelling quest for vengeance, and ultimately, his path to redemption.”
    • “The story effectively conveys the depth of Kong's character and his tumultuous journey, where we witness firsthand his hardships, his struggle to survive and navigate in a brutal and savage world, while dealing with loneliness and changes to his psychology.”
    • “And the story's a bore.”
    • “And game-breaking issues like enemies spawning underground making me unable to defeat them and progress through the story detracted from the overall experience.”
    • “But lo and behold, even that felt as if it was pulled from a rejected bedtime story.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    "Rise of Kong" is praised for its deeply emotional narrative, which takes players on a poignant journey through Kong's tragic upbringing and struggles. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, describing it as an emotional rollercoaster that combines stellar writing with impactful voice acting, leaving a lasting impression on players.

    • “This game takes players on an emotional rollercoaster, recounting Kong's heartbreaking upbringing, the loss of his parents to the island's formidable creatures, and his relentless struggle for survival and eventual ascent to become the undisputed king of Skull Island.”
    • “The narrative is emotionally charged, and the writing is stellar, accompanied by the voice of an old lady that sounds like the lady from Dark Souls.”
    • “I was not ready emotionally for this masterpiece of storytelling.”
  • stability10 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized due to numerous bugs and glitches that significantly hinder the overall experience, often requiring players to restart checkpoints. While some may find the glitches amusing or reminiscent of retro gaming, many reviewers deem them unacceptable and detrimental to gameplay, making the $40 price tag feel unjustified. Overall, the game's technical issues overshadow its nostalgic appeal.

    • “The game is marred by bugs and glitches that significantly detract from its enjoyability.”
    • “The glitches are unacceptable; I had to restart checkpoints numerous times because Kong would stop moving and not respond to any inputs. The combat is dull and doesn't feel remotely fun, and the roar to find your next objective is just tedious.”
    • “Tldr: Skull Island: Rise of Kong is a nostalgic trip back to PS1-era graphics and glitches, definitely not worth the $40 price tag – play if you dare or just need a laugh.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as unintentionally amusing, with players finding the poor quality and awkward camera angles of character animations to be laughable. However, many reviewers express disappointment, feeling that the game fails to deliver genuine enjoyment, leaving them frustrated rather than entertained.

    • “An abundance of hilarious camera angles of Kong's facial features and actions during cutscenes!”
    • “Hilariously dismal.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be initially tedious and mundane, particularly after the tutorial, with combat described as dull and unengaging. Additionally, technical glitches exacerbate the frustration, requiring frequent restarts and detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The glitches are unacceptable; I had to restart checkpoints numerous times because Kong would stop moving and not respond to any inputs. The combat is dull and doesn't feel remotely fun, and the roar to find your next objective is just tedious.”
    • “The combat starts out tedious and mundane when the tutorial is finished, but you grow into it.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with developers acknowledging the rushed development timeline imposed by the publisher. Reviewers describe the game as cheap, boring, and uninspired, suggesting that it capitalizes on popular themes without delivering quality content.

    • “The developers themselves admitted that the publisher only gave them a year to develop this game, and you could clearly see that the publisher wanted a quick cash grab from the popularity of dinosaurs and Kong.”
    • “Don't buy this cheap, boring, and uninspired cash grab.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Many users criticize the game's replayability, citing a lack of difficulty settings and procedural map generation as key factors that diminish its value. As a result, players feel that the game offers limited incentive to replay, leading to a perception of high cost per hour of gameplay.

    • “With no replay value due to no difficulty settings, and no procedural map generation, this game comes close to $10 per hour!”
    • “Is that your definition of replay value?”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Players emphasize the importance of a well-optimized game, highlighting that a polished product should run smoothly to enhance the overall experience.

    • “Players deserve a polished product that runs smoothly.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its stunning visuals, showcasing diverse environments such as lush forests, muddy swamps with atmospheric fog, and breathtaking mountain vistas, all enhanced by impressive lighting and draw distance.

    • “From lush forests and jungles with pristine rivers, to muddy swamps with atmospheric fog and lighting, and the high peaks featuring incredible vistas paired with a robust draw distance, this game is a phenomenal thing to look at.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

15% average critic score

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Play time

6hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
6-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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