Super Skelemania

About

"Super Skelemania" is a single-sitting metroidvania game featuring an acrobatic skeleton. Explore a mysterious planet's vibrant underground, discover power-ups, secrets, and five distinct areas. With unique mechanics like headbutting spiders and rolling your skull, uncover the planet's mysteries and maybe find your way home.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features tight and responsive controls, making movement and traversal enjoyable.
The pixel art and music are charming, contributing to a delightful atmosphere.
It's a fun, compact Metroidvania experience that can be completed in a short time, making it ideal for casual play or speedrunning.

The game is very short, typically taking only 1-2 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
Combat is minimal and lacks depth, with only two bosses that are considered easy.
The map design can be confusing, with a zoomed-out view that makes navigation difficult and no option to mark locations.

gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
7%
14%
The gameplay of this metroidvania is characterized by smooth and fast movement mechanics, offering enjoyable platforming experiences despite its short playtime of around 1.5 to 3 hours. While the game lacks depth in story and world-building, it compensates with solid mechanics and well-designed levels that encourage exploration and skill mastery. However, some players feel it falls short of its potential, appearing somewhat incomplete despite its appealing visuals and satisfying gameplay.
- “Simply put, there are several smooth mechanics in this game, and it's always about movement above anything else.”
- “Super Skelemania is a really enjoyable metroidvania that doesn’t contain a single bit of filler content - just purely awesome platforming-focused gameplay.”
- “My two favorite aspects of the game are the excellent movement mechanics and the wide array of power-ups that you constantly find during the brief ~1.5-hour playtime.”
- “A good part of the challenge of the game is about figuring out the right combination of skills to use or performing an action enough times so that you understand the mechanics well enough to allow you to reach something that you couldn't before.”
- “Backflipping to shoot up ladders is really satisfying whether or not I can tell if it's an intentional mechanic or a weird platforming physics thing.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to evoke nostalgia, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Metroid and Donkey Kong Country. Reviewers appreciate the thoughtful integration of sound effects and music, noting that it enhances the overall experience and complements the charming visuals. While some feel it occasionally borders on parody, the soundtrack is generally regarded as polished and fitting for the game's aesthetic.
- “The soundtrack and setting have a Nausicaä vibe too!”
- “The music is very atmospheric and manages to evoke the spirit of predecessors like Metroid while not sounding derivative.”
- “The soundtrack and setting have a Nausicaa vibe too!”
- “The nicest thing about Super Skelemania is that the developer Ben Allen clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the progression, upgrades, level design, animation, and music in the game, to the point where everything feels great and polished.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
33%
11%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style and excellent character design, contributing to a visually appealing experience. Reviewers appreciate the fluid animation and overall aesthetic, which enhance the game's atmosphere, despite some criticism regarding level design. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, making the compact metroidvania enjoyable and worth experiencing.
- “A compact little metroidvania with a charming art style and music.”
- “It's a short little game, but it has a lot of heart, really cute visuals and cool enemy designs, and great music.”
- “The character design and artwork is excellent.”
- “- decent SNES-looking graphics.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game features minimal story and world-building, with many players noting the lack of a substantial narrative. The primary focus appears to be on gameplay and exploration rather than storytelling, which some players find acceptable given the short playtime. Overall, the story is largely centered around the experience of discovering the planet and completing objectives rather than a traditional narrative.
- “Steam reviews are helpful but obviously can't tell the whole story.”
- “There's not a lot of story in this game; I guess the story is discovering the planet, getting the parts, and getting out of there.”
- “There's not a ton of story or world building, but the gameplay is fun and it's enjoyable for the less than 3 hours it took me to beat it.”
- “It is completely lacking in a story but that's okay.”
- “There doesn't seem to be a story of any substance (or any story at all?) but I mean, I'm not heartbroken about it.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its minimalistic style and evocative music, reminiscent of classic titles like Metroid, while maintaining originality. Reviewers highlight the relaxing ambiance and appealing art, contributing to an overall immersive experience.
- “Awesome little game, I love the minimalistic style and atmosphere.”
- “The music is very atmospheric and manages to evoke the spirit of predecessors like Metroid while not sounding derivative.”
- “But, for me, the fluid mechanics, the appealing art style, and overall relaxing atmosphere more than made up for the length.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, particularly appealing to speedrunners, and offers a wealth of content that enhances its replay value compared to previous entries in the series.
- “It has stupendous replay value, especially in the realm of speedrunning.”
- “I have played the previous games in this series, and this one definitely has the most content and the highest replayability.”
- “And I don't want to make it seem as if the game has no replay value, because it does, particularly if you are somebody who is into speedruns.”
- “So I have played the previous games in this series, and this one definitely has the most content and most replayability.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game demonstrates strong stability, particularly noted for its excellent performance on the Steam Deck.
- “This game runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs during my playthrough.”
- “The performance is consistently smooth, even during intense moments.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers praise the character design and artwork, highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall character development experience.
- “The character design and artwork are excellent.”
- “The depth of character development truly makes you feel connected to each character's journey.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their stories feel authentic and engaging.”