Skullgirls
(ONLINE INTERACTIONS NOT RATED BY THE ESRB) Skullgirls is a fast-paced 2-D fighting game that puts you in control of fierce warriors in a Dark Deco world. All-new game systems test the skills of veteran fighting game fans while also making the genre enjoyable and accessible to newcomers. A modern take on classic arcade fighters with a hand-drawn high-definition twist, Skullgirls is a one-of-a.
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Skullgirls has changed since it first came out in 2012. It’s 2 percent faster, has a better tutorial mode, five new characters, and a more dedicated community of players than ever. Skullgirls: 2nd Encore brings every update to the game to the PlayStation 4, making it the most feature-complete version of the game yet.
But while it’s one of the best fighting games for the average player to get into, it has some troubles. And though the PS4 might be the definitive version of the game, it may not be the best deal for dedicated players.
What you’ll like
It’s easy to get into
Most fighting games teach you how to move, your character’s special attacks, their distinct systems, and a few combos. Skullgirls’ goes deeper than this. Its extensive tutorials teach you how all of these special moves fit together on a per-character basis, so you know when to execute an uppercut, not just how. It also teaches you the basics of defense, like why you should block low attacks preemptively (by holding the down and away from the opponent), and how to block high attacks on reaction.
This makes Skullgirls a great starting point for anyone looking to get into an intimidating genre. Usually, you have to watch hours of videos online if you want to get a course on how to play fighting games. And for indie developer Lab Zero to have done more to bring in new players into the fighting game fold than big companies like Capcom is impressive.
Couple this with how the combo system allows you to chain light, medium, and heavy attacks into each other with ease and you have one of the most friendly fighters around.
It’s made by fighting game fans
Lab Zero clearly loves fighting games, and it shows in the attention to detail it’s put into giving Skullgirls one of the most expansive feature sets of any fighting game to date. The netplay is smooth, allowing you to check an opponent’s connection before you play them; the training mode is exhaustive, letting you check the range and damage of every move in the game, practice combos in the corner or middle of the stage with a quick restart button, and muck with all sorts of other options.
You can also swap among controllers and map every button to your liking, with a tournament-ready mode which allows you to map the buttons before selecting your character. Lab Zero has also developed a built-in fightstick driver for the game, which means almost any PS3 or PC-compatible fightsticks you have will work on PS4 automatically. Each of these things are minor by themselves, but they add up to make Skullgirls feel like a blockbuster fighting game built on a budget, and one with the players’ interest at heart.
The small roster packs a lot of creativity
Built by a small team, Skullgirls is not going to have the 30-plus character casts of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. But Lab Zero has packed a ton of creativity into its 14-character roster. Even though it has obvious palette swaps, like Robo Fortune and Fukua, these color changes are more to save money on asset creation than skimping on design. The characters introduced since Skullgirls’ original release have some of the most stylish and interesting new ideas I’ve seen from fighting games in a long time. Beowulf, with his Hulk Hogan-inspired moveset and hype system, is a clear standout, but he’s in good company with Big Band and Robo Fortune. Some may be aesthetically similar, but no two characters feel alike — exactly what you want in a fighting game.
Above: Skullgirls’ animations flow smoothly into one another.
What you won’t like
The online crowd is tough
Skullgirls might have more tools in place to teach the average player the game, but it’s still three-year-old multiplayer game — 2nd Encore is simply a port of Encore with a few extras and features in tow. This means that online, you’re bound to meet people who’ve been playing since launch. And if you don’t have some of the its longer, more devastating combos down before you start playing with them, you’re going to get destroyed. You can create a lobby and enter online training mode with friends, but don’t expect your average opponent to go easy on you. Do expect, however, to be caught in combos for longer than you might like.
The story mode is a bit of a bummer
2nd Encore adds voice acting to the original story mode, which still consists a few stills (albeit gorgeous ones) and dialogue between fights, but this isn’t always a good thing. Some characters’ voice actors (Parasoul) are better than others (Big Band). The voice acting isn’t great, which mars an already average fighting game story. The world behind the stories the game tells has a lot of potential, so I hope Lab Zero has a chance to flesh it out further with future updates.
The main cast is still divisive
Skullgirls’ art style is as divisive as it’s ever been. The artwork is beautiful, taking equal inspiration from Japanese anime and classic American animation. You can see Skullgirls’ dedication to its characters in every frame of animation, as well as why each of these characters can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to make. But I can’t shake the feeling that giving many of the women fighters attacks which show a gratuitous amount of their underwear does a disservice to the art. Not everyone will have this problem, but as it stands, I’m a little weary of showing this to people who may not already be into fighting games, which is a shame.
It’s not a great upgrade
If you already own Skullgirls Encore on PS3 or PC, there’s little reason to buy the PS4 edition. There are a few bonus features, but if the community doesn’t fully migrate over to the PS4 version, 2nd Encore doesn’t justify the switch, especially at an additional $10.
Conclusion
Skullgirls: 2nd Encore is a good buy for anyone looking to get into fighting games, but it’s far from a perfect one. After picking up a lot of good knowledge from the tutorials, you may want to move to a less intricate and combo-centric game with a less intimidating online crowd. If you haven’t tried Skullgirls yet, this is this best place to start, but if you’ve already played it, there’s not much reason to switch to this version for now.
Score: 78/100
Skullgirls: 2nd Encore is now available for PlayStation 4. The publisher provided GamesBeat with a code for the purposes of this review.
. WW: TBDMode(s),Skullgirls is a 2D developed by Reverge Labs and published.
The game was released through the and in North America, Europe, and Australia from April to May 2012, and later received a Japanese release by CyberFront for the PlayStation Network in February 2013. A version, developed by Lab Zero Games and co-published by and, was released in August 2013. A Japanese arcade version, produced by for the service, was released in 2015.
A mobile spin-off of the game, developed by Hidden Variable Studios and published by, was released for and devices in May 2017.In Skullgirls, players engage in combat against one another, with teams of one, two, or three characters attempting to knock out their opponents or have the most cumulative when time runs out. The setting of the game revolves around the 'Skull Heart', an artifact which grants wishes for women. If a wisher with an impure soul uses the Skull Heart, she is transformed into the next 'Skullgirl', a monster bent on destruction. Skullgirls received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation and gameplay mechanics, while criticizing its limited roster size and online multiplayer features.Development of post-release content faced numerous setbacks. In May 2012, publisher Autumn Games was sued over allegations of fraud regarding an unrelated property, cutting off Skullgirls' financial support and forcing developer Reverge Labs to lay off the entire development team. The core team would eventually reform as Lab Zero Games in November 2012, launching a successful campaign to raise funds to continue their work. After Autumn Games severed ties with distributor in December 2013, the latter formally requested to have the game removed from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.
The game was later re-released on both platforms in 2014 as Skullgirls Encore. When the game was ported to the, and PC in 2015, it was renamed to Skullgirls 2nd Encore. Published 2nd Encore for the Nintendo Switch in October 2019. Filia fights Parasoul in a three-on-two tag team battle. Skullgirls allows players to form teams using different ratios of characters.The engine and playstyle for Skullgirls were intentionally modeled after, incorporating several similar game mechanics such as tag team-based combat, character assists, snapbacks, and delayed hyper. The game can be played using different ratios of characters (similarly to ), with each player able to select up to three fighters on their team. The teams are then balanced based on the number of team members.
A single character possesses more and deals more damage, while larger teams gain the ability to perform character assists and recover health when tagged out. Players can also customize their character assist attacks.The game includes a story mode, arcade mode, versus mode, training room, mode, and using the networking library.
Skullgirls includes various unique features to address system and balance problems, such as infinite combo detection. When the game detects a looping combo through monitoring the players' attacks, the other player can break free of the infinite by hitting any button.
In addition, Skullgirls offers protection against 'unblockable attacks', which occur when a player, for example, uses a low-hitting move and a high-hitting assist attack at the same time, making it nearly impossible for the opponent to block. The game attempts to remedy the issue by offering a brief period of unblockable protection after successfully blocking any attack.At release, Skullgirls Encore saw numerous gameplay adjustments and additions, including character balance tweaks, faster gameplay, an online training mode, and a stun meter designed to limit lengthy combos without compromising creativity. A new local game mode called 'Typing of the Skullgirls', a mode inspired by games like, was also added. When enabled, teams automatically generate meter and all attacks deal negligible damage.
Super moves give typing prompts to the player, awarding damage for typing accuracy. In addition to fully voiced story modes and across the entire family, Skullgirls 2nd Encore introduced challenges, where players fight against opponents under unique battle conditions; trials, which test players' skills by having them perform combos; and survival mode, which pits players against endless waves of enemies. The mobile version of Skullgirls incorporates -like progression, customization, and mechanics.
Setting Skullgirls takes place in the fictional Canopy Kingdom, a country reminiscent of 1940s. In a corrupt and war-torn world, several individuals and organizations seek to obtain an artifact known as the Skull Heart. Once every seven years, the Skull Heart grants one woman's wish. However, if a woman with an impure soul attempts to use the Heart, her wish will be corrupted and she will be transformed into a monster known as the Skullgirl. Hundreds have sought after the Skull Heart, yet none of its wielders have been deemed worthy and spared of its curse.Seven years following the Grand War, a battle fought between three nations, the newest Skullgirl, Marie, has emerged and begun to terrorize the Canopy Kingdom. The game follows several fighters and their journeys to confront Marie and claim the Skull Heart.
Each character has their own motive for seeking the Heart, whether to destroy the artifact or use its power for their own interests. Characters The Skullgirls roster initially consisted of eight playable characters: Filia, Cerebella, Peacock, Parasoul, Ms. Fortune, Painwheel, Valentine, and Double. Following the conclusion of the game's crowdfunding campaign, an additional five were developed: Squigly, Big Band, Eliza, Beowulf, and Robo-Fortune. On April 1, 2014, a clone of Filia, named Fukua, was added to the game. The character was intended to be a temporary inclusion for, but was kept in response to fan feedback.
In February 2020, the developers of the Skullgirls mobile app announced their plans to work alongside Lab Zero Games in releasing a new playable character. Development. Cerebella faces off against the Skullgirl Marie.
The game received praise for the quality of its sprites and background art.Skullgirls was originally conceived as several stray character designs that illustrator Alex 'o8' Ahad had been creating since high school. While attending college, Ahad had the hypothetical idea to use the character concepts for a fighting game roster. The idea would later become a reality when Ahad was introduced to fighting game enthusiast and tournament-goer Mike 'Mike Z' Zaimont, who had been working on a fighting game engine during his own spare time. Early work on their new Skullgirls project began in 2008.
Engine development and pre-production began in 2009. Ahad drew the art style and character designs based on a wide variety of his influences and inspirations, such as the works of and, 's, 's, 's, and artists. Ahad and Zaimont pitched Skullgirls to several companies, eventually teaming up with recently founded independent developer Reverge Labs in 2010. They later went on to sign with publisher Autumn Games.
At the, Japanese developer and publisher announced that they would help distribute the game.Following the game's release, the Skullgirls team began teasing future content for the game, including new voice packs, color palettes, and downloadable characters. However, shortly thereafter, Autumn Games was hit with a series of lawsuits regarding, which 'gummed up everything related to Autumn's funding.' The entire Skullgirls development team was laid off by Reverge Labs in June 2012 after Autumn Games and Reverge Labs allowed their contract to expire without agreeing upon a new one. This prompted the team to reform under a new moniker, Lab Zero Games, to continue work on the PC release and downloadable content.
Autumn Games, revealed to be in full possession of the IP, claimed it was 'fully behind the new studio' and promised to 'continue to work with Lab Zero Games in the future on all Skullgirls-related endeavors.' From January through February 2013, fighting game website Shoryuken hosted a charity donation drive to determine the final game to be featured in the 2013 ' tournament lineup, with all proceeds sent to the. The Skullgirls community raised over 78,000, placing second to eventual winner, which raised over $94,000.
Although the game did not win, Shoryuken announced that EVO 2013 event organizers would support the Skullgirls side tournament by providing prize money and exhibition support due to their effort in the fundraiser. Crowdfunding and publisher transition Despite Autumn Games' support and desire to expand Skullgirls, their continued litigation prevented the publisher from providing any financial backing. Attempting to pick up where they left off, Lab Zero Games decided to ask its fanbase for help once more, following the success of the EVO 2013 charity drive. On February 25, 2013, Lab Zero Games set up an page for Skullgirls, in an effort to raise $150,000 for the development of the game's first DLC character, Squigly.
Contributors received various rewards, including desktop wallpapers, a digital copy of the official soundtrack, keys for the PC release, Steam keys for, and the chance to add a background character to the game, among others. The campaign reached its initial goal in less than 24 hours, while the stretch goal of a second DLC character, Big Band, secured funding in just over 2 weeks. A third DLC character, determined by fan vote, was funded during the final two days, along with a playable robotic version of Ms.
Fortune named Robo-Fortune. An additional stretch goal that would provide a free license for the game's engine, Z-Engine, to the developers of (at the time called Fighting is Magic) was also funded.
With minutes left before the end of the drive, the last stretch goal was met, securing funding for another fan-selected DLC character. The Indiegogo campaign raised nearly $830,000 of its original $150,000 goal. Several alternate character and announcer voice packs were also funded. All downloadable characters and voice packs were free to download on all platforms within the first three months of their release.On November 7, 2013, Lab Zero Games announced that Autumn Games had severed ties with Konami, citing Konami's unresponsiveness as a major hurdle to the release of further console patches.
Following the dissolution of the partnership, Konami requested the removal of Skullgirls from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade by the end of 2013. In response, Lab Zero Games announced on December 17, 2013 that Skullgirls would be re-released on consoles as Skullgirls Encore, a new build including up-to-date changes and additions, in January 2014. Encore marked the transition of the console versions to its new publishers, and CyberFront, and coincided with the console releases of Squigly and the 'Character Color Bundle' DLC.
While Encore was released as a title update for the Xbox 360 version, the PlayStation 3 version required owners to re-download the game at no cost; leaderboard rankings, save data, and trophies were not carried over. The PC version was later patched to reflect the new title. Soundtrack Skullgirls Original Soundtrackby. Various artistsReleasedApril 24, 2012 ( 2012-04-24)Length71: 46The Skullgirls Original Soundtrack consists of 28 original compositions. The album features music by, Vincent Diamante, Blaine McGurty, and Brenton Kossak.
The soundtrack was released on April 24, 2012 on. People who donated at least $10 to the Skullgirls Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign received a digital copy of the soundtrack.
An exclusive, physical CD release of the Skullgirls Original Soundtrack was offered, among other rewards, to those who donated $150 or more to the drive.On April 20, 2011, Reverge Labs officially announced that they had enlisted Yamane, primarily known for her work on 's series, to help create the soundtrack for Skullgirls. According to Richard Wyckoff, of Reverge Labs, the developers sought out Yamane because 'they knew her mixture of haunting gothic themes, jazz and rock would lend itself perfectly to Skullgirls' 'Dark Deco' style.'
When Reverge Labs requested Yamane to write 'jazzy' music, she 'played a bit with the rhythm and different sounds to try and heighten the impact and almost primal nature of the unique graphics.' Release Skullgirls was released on the in North America on April 10, 2012, and the on April 11, 2012. Europe and Australia later received the PlayStation Network version on May 2, 2012. The game was released in Japan by CyberFront on the PlayStation Network in February 14, 2013, and was also brought to Japanese through the digital distribution system by game developer. The public for the version of Skullgirls began on July 4, 2013. The official Microsoft Windows version was released by on August 22, 2013.Skullgirls Encore launched on the PlayStation Network in North America on February 11, 2014, and Europe on March 19, 2014. The Xbox Live Arcade version of Skullgirls received an update for Encore on April 22, 2014.
On July 10, 2014, Lab Zero Games announced that Skullgirls Encore would be released on and sometime in 2014. The PlayStation 4 and Vita port, later titled Skullgirls 2nd Encore, would eventually be delayed until 2015. 2nd Encore was released for the PlayStation 4 on July 7, 2015. The and versions, developed by Hidden Variable Studios and published by, were released on May 25, 2017, in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Hidden Variables produced a limited physical edition of 2nd Encore, which will include a disc-based copy of the game, a slip cover, a full-color instruction manual, and a special selection soundtrack.In May 2013, when Lab Zero Games was asked on their official account about a potential release for 's console, the developer replied that while it was possible, it 'wasn't looking likely', citing the console's low sales and not having an established 'digital presence' at the time.
During in July 2018, Lab Zero Games confirmed that a port of Skullgirls 2nd Encore is in development for the. The Nintendo Switch release will include all content, and be available both physically and digitally. On February 22, 2019, Lab Zero Games announced that the Nintendo Switch port of Skullgirls 2nd Encore would be released the following month, and that an port would be released at the same time, courtesy of. Despite this announcement, the game eventually released for the Nintendo Switch on October 22, 2019, whilst the Xbox One port is 'postponed indefinitely due to unforeseen development and production challenges'. Reception Critical response ReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScorePS3: 82/100X360: 78/100PC: 83/100PS4: 82/100VITA: 76/100iOS: 71/100Review scoresPublicationScoreB+7/104/58/108/108.3/108.5/10Skullgirls received 'generally positive' reviews, according to video game.Several reviewers praised the presentation and animation. Ryan Clements of praised the graphics, claiming that the game created 'some of the best hand-drawn character sprites ever used in gaming.' Clements also gave the game an Editor's Choice award.
John Learned of also praised the art style, stating that the design gave playable characters and backgrounds added flair. However, some reviewers criticized the art style and overtly sexualized all-female cast, including accusations of. Dan Ryckert of stated that while Skullgirls was beautifully animated, some animations were 'juvenile and unnecessary'. Ryckert expressed disappointment with the artistic focus on 'anatomy and fetishistic outfits.' Reviewers also praised the gameplay and system mechanics. Maxwell McGee of credited the ability to adjust team sizes, adding that the trade-off between strength and versatility helped to accommodate a wider skill range of players. Neidel Crisan of praised the tutorial system for teaching beginner players about the fundamentals of the fighting game genre.
Daniel Maniago of complimented the custom assists, anti-infinite system, and online play, praising Reverge Labs for utilizing feedback from the fighting game community during development.Skullgirls received its share of criticism. 's Ryan Clements criticized the small selection of gameplay modes, missing character move lists, and overly aggressive. Criticized the limited roster size, stating that the tag-based battling felt underdeveloped as a result. Simon Parkin of pointed out the lack of online features, such as a spectator mode, replays, and endless lobbies. Jordan Mallory of reprimanded the game for its 'goofy and immature' premise, sexualized art style, and unoriginal character movesets.
Mallory concluded that the series would have been better off spending another year in development.Skullgirls received Best Fighting Game nominations from IGN, 1UP, and the Official E3. The game was nominated for 2012 Best Animated Video Game at the. Skullgirls was also recognized in the 2013 for the most frames of animation per character, reaching 11,515 total frames for its initial eight characters and averaging 1,439 frames per fighter. In 2017, Skullgirls: 2nd Encore was listed in Game Informer's list of 'The 10 Most Underrated Games Of This Generation'. Sales Skullgirls sold over 50,000 copies across both platforms within ten days, becoming the highest selling game on the Xbox Live Arcade upon its release and third best-selling title on PlayStation Network for April 2012. The game saw a similar performance in Japan, climbing to the top of PSN's list of best-selling downloadable PlayStation 3 titles within a week. According to Peter Bartholow, CEO of Lab Zero Games, Skullgirls met Japanese publisher CyberFront's lifetime sales expectations in the first two weeks of release.
On September 4, 2017, Zaimont announced that Skullgirls had sold one million copies on Steam.