The Anatomy of “Skullgirls”
Written by Michael Liesch
Copyright 2014 Michael Liesch
Edited by AWildPodcastAppears.com
Most rights reserved. This book may be duplicated, shared, and distributed for non-commercial purposes only, so long as it is not altered in any fashion.
The creators of this book are in no way affiliated with Reverge Labs or the Skullgirls video game franchise.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Forward
The Report Card
Overall Grade
About the Author
Connect with the Author
FORWARD
My name is Mike, and I’ll be your captain today during our in-depth tour of the video game “Skullgirls.” For those of you not yet in the loop, “Skullgirls” is an arcade style fighting game that has quickly earned its place in a highly competitive, and very popular, genre. However, not surprising due to the fact that it’s a downloadable title (available in both the XBox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network Store), it has its shortcomings.
Before we dive into the dirty details, I must say that any fan of Arcade Fighting games should give this one a try. Its femme-fatale cast looks great when performing any one of their beautifully rendered attacks (though their risqué outfits have come under some criticism as being “unnecessary” and “over the top”) which, when combined with a soundtrack designed to flow with the fast-paced combat, is enough to keep you revved up throughout every battle.
“Skullgirls” has also been under some debate from its steadily growing following due to the fact that it’s all female cast contains all of eight females. People worry over a lack of variety and the potential for the developers to manhandle your wallet when the “rest” of the characters are released in purchasable DLC. People are afraid, because of that, the game may not be worth the ticket price (which in this case is $14.99).
However, people also forget that “Skullgirls” is a downloadable game coming at a quarter of the cost compared to off-the-shelf titles like Marvel Vs. Capcom that boast character rosters well into the double-digits. Though, yes it’s a reasonable fear that DLC will pump the future price tag for the game exponentially higher. Well, have no fear for MIKE IS HERE! We’re going to find out just exactly how much bang you’re getting for your buck (that’s what SHE said!) in this game’s report card.
THE REPORT CARD
Gameplay points (70% of total grade): 90/100
“Skullgirls” was clearly created by a group of people that loves 2D Fighters, so it’s no surprise that this is a 2D Fighter that’s easy to love. The gameplay mechanics will be familiar to fans of the genre but still manage to feel fresh and, for those who never pick up 2D fighters because they get pummeled (such as myself), there’s an extensive tutorial program in the game meant to walk you through every aspect ranging from offense, defense, air combat, combos, and throws, to knowing when to use a certain type of attack based on how long it leaves you vulnerable and how long it takes the opponent to recover from it. The tutorials don’t cover specific moves or combos of characters, but they teach you enough so that you can intelligently fiddle with each character to learn their most effective tactics. In fact, I’d like to personally thank the developers for finally breaking down the ins and outs of one of the most intimidating and competitive game genres on the market, making it accessible to everyone willing to give it a go.
Another awesome aspect of “Skullgirls” is the ability to choose your play style. In many 2D Fighters, there are a few different options for multiplayer where you can choose to use 1,2, or 3 characters for the upcoming matches. This is great assuming you and Bob both like to play with a three-character roster (another spoiler alert: that almost never happens). Personally, I hate tag teaming; it’s confusing! That being said, the great team that worked on “Skullgirls” has found a way to make everyone happy. The game lets both players choose whether they want one super-powerful, two high-powered, or three normal characters to fight with. All this does is effect the amount of health they have and the amount of damage they dish out, keeping gameplay well balanced even if it’s a three-on-one match.
There is an online multiplayer option (if you don’t have enough friends to keep it local), which makes it easy to set up private matches or to simply grab a match from thin air based on your rank. How the game ranks you, I have yet to discover. So far I’m aware of Tier 4 to Tier 1 players (I’m the latter) and the system tries to pit you against players within your Tier. A neat feature of “Skullgirls” online multiplayer is that it takes advantage of GGPO Frame delay which basically allows you to compensate for lag, albeit at the expense of more detailed aesthetics, in an interesting way which (since I’ve so graciously added the link above) you can read all about if you’d like.
Combat is fast-paced, attacks are fun and unique to each character, special attacks are beautiful and interesting, available battle styles are sparse, online battles have so little lag you almost can’t notice it, and it all makes for an absolute blast of a game, which is what matters most, no?
Accessibility points (10% of total grade): 55/100
The difficulty falls somewhere between irritating and debilitating. Granted, I’m horrible at any 2D fighting game other than the newest rendition of “Mortal Kombat”, so starting on Normal difficulty was somewhat over zealous. Lowering myself to Easy after a good whooping proved equally disappointing. I was glad to see another shot at redemption when I noticed the Sleepwalk difficulty but, after two successes, I came upon misfortune… or rather, Ms. Fortune.
This character is more difficult (on sleepwalk and easy, at any rate) than the final Boss. Her combos are brutally lengthy, recovery time is nearly nonexistent unless you punish her with your strongest attacks leaving you vulnerable. She also has a powerful advantage due to her detachable head, which, while defending against her body, you must avoid going near since it’s able to hit and bite you. Even after I got my bearings in place on sleepwalk difficulty, and was able to easily knock out every competitor in one attempt, Ms. Fortune took multiple tries and lots of effort to defeat (spoiler alert: throwing her around the stage repeatedly proved relatively effective).
The final note I have on this topic is that there’s no in-game move list. This too has come under much controversy, though I understand the mentality behind it. As lovers of the genre, I’m sure the developers are familiar with those who begin every match by studying their current character’s move-set which ultimately eliminates the need and, for many, the desire to genuinely learn the ins and outs of the characters; that’s something I can appreciate. The game’s website has a PDF version of the combinations, not immediately or easily navigated through while in a match. It isn’t a huge pitfall so much as a minor inconvenience that grinds my gears.
Thankfully, the game’s extensive tutorial system is enough to balance out its steep learning curve. Though, that requires players to have patience, which (in today’s era of instant gratification) isn’t exactly in abundance.
Style points (15% of total grade): 85/100
Everything looks amazing. The quality of minute (as in My-Newt, not Min-Uht) details, fluidity of motion, and sounds of musical and trivial natures (not to mention the perfect manner in which they all compliment each other) is awe-inspiring. One may even say… awesome! The backgrounds of most maps are a tad bit stagnant, but still remain visually interesting without distracting from the battle’s action. There is one map in which the background music doesn’t at all fit the combat OR the feel of the game, but it’s only a minor digression in relation from the rest of the game’s beautiful elements.
Story points (5% of
total grade): 70/100
The developers put a large amount of thought into every part of this game including the relationship between all of the characters. Playing through each fighter’s story mode will give you an inward look at each character’s attitude, who their friends and enemies are (not limited to the playable characters), a glimpse at the state of the world in which they live, and how it all seems to fit together in some kind of twisted puzzle. There are larger things happening than just the events of this game, which get hinted at during the few cut scenes for each character. There is a lot of openness as far as cliffhangers go, which could really be taken advantage of in terms of future content, which I’ll mention again soon.
Interesting assumptions about the story aside, the manner in which the story is presented is clunky, choppy, and vague. Each time a speech bubble ends, everything on the screen but the background clips away for a second before the next speech bubble pops up. Huge deal? No. Visually irritating? Somewhat. Not every battle has a cut scene after it, which leaves much to the imagination story-wise. For most other game genres, this lack of plot would be crippling to quality. However, “Skullgirls” is a fighting game so story isn’t a major concern.