Skully

 Switch
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. EnigmaXtreme
    Aug 25, 2020
    7
    I’ve always been a big fan of 3D Platformers, whether it was Super Mario 64 or Spyro the Dragon, I always ate that **** up back in the day. Which just makes it sadder knowing that those times are mainly gone, I miss the collectathon’s of Banjo Kazooie and the challenge of the original Crash Bandicoot (excited for Crash 4 though). So I’m glad to play whatever I can get my hands on,I’ve always been a big fan of 3D Platformers, whether it was Super Mario 64 or Spyro the Dragon, I always ate that **** up back in the day. Which just makes it sadder knowing that those times are mainly gone, I miss the collectathon’s of Banjo Kazooie and the challenge of the original Crash Bandicoot (excited for Crash 4 though). So I’m glad to play whatever I can get my hands on, including today’s game Skully.

    You play as a skull who has washed up on an island, which through some magical mumbo jumbo with a mud bath as seemingly come to life, however all you can do is roll. The rolling is actually fairly easy to handle, especially when it comes to turns and such, however, as I’ll explain later platforming can prove difficult.

    The island is run by four sibling diety’s that represent the elements and are currently in the midst of a huge feud. But it feels less like a battle of keeping the balance and more “you shut up, no YOU shut up” squabbling. There were times when they were fighting during the cutscenes and I wanted to scream “HEYYYY everyone calm the hell down” and give them all time outs in the corner. You team up with Terry, the Earth one and seemingly the only one who is still trying to seek peace, whose character ranges from lovable goof to dumbass in the span of a few minutes.

    You are not just a skull though, utilising the games many mudpits you are able to take three forms that help you on your journey. The strong form that has more frown than face, the nimble one that can move objects and the double jump. It would have been interesting to see you actual utilise elemental powers. But really they only amount to obstacles.

    While controlling Skully, for the most part, is fairly easily there are moments that can be incredibly frustrating with a mixture of complex puzzles and a half-assed checkpoint system. Especially later on where you can create your own moving platforms and solutions require switching to multiple forms at once it can prove terribly disheartening to the fall into water or lava which will instantly kill you and find yourself having to try and solve the entire thing again.

    There are collectible flowers littered everywhere but they don’t contribute towards anything in game, only unlocking concept art and other little trinkets, so I’d recommend you don’t go out of your way to collect them all. While there are certainly some difficulty curves, the creators behind Skully were far from dropping the ball…..or skull in this case. I actually got fairly invested in the story, especially the third act twist even though I did see it coming from a mile away.

    Skully is definitely one of the better 3D Platformer’s I’ve played recently and it managed to stick the landing instead of landing face first in the mud.    … Expand
  2. Andro723
    Aug 8, 2020
    6
    Started playing it on the switch lite and man are there a lot of frame drops and pixilated issues. Game is mad difficult and frustrating lol. Not for the younger kids. I just ignore collecting all the flowers as it is so frustrating. Overall I feel this would be a fun game for the regular switch; hooking it up to the tv. Fun but idk if I would purchase if I knew how it played. BeautifulStarted playing it on the switch lite and man are there a lot of frame drops and pixilated issues. Game is mad difficult and frustrating lol. Not for the younger kids. I just ignore collecting all the flowers as it is so frustrating. Overall I feel this would be a fun game for the regular switch; hooking it up to the tv. Fun but idk if I would purchase if I knew how it played. Beautiful environment though.… Expand
  3. Patches0812
    Aug 17, 2020
    7
    Graphics can get very blurry when there’s too much going on, but the gameplay is solid and the story is decent enough. Definitely worth a try for the price.
  4. ion87
    Jul 7, 2022
    5
    Fun game with step learning curve. If on a good to free sale than yeah. Or even better barrow from a friend for the weekend.
  5. Scaryanna
    Dec 4, 2020
    8
    I'm currently halfway through Skully, but I have had a great time playing Skully. The Skull itself I find adorable and endearing. The story isn't anything revolutionary but I love the characters. There are 4 siblings in the game and they capture the essence of being a family amazingly. I really love their interactions. There are a lot of collectibles strewn about the levels and it's funI'm currently halfway through Skully, but I have had a great time playing Skully. The Skull itself I find adorable and endearing. The story isn't anything revolutionary but I love the characters. There are 4 siblings in the game and they capture the essence of being a family amazingly. I really love their interactions. There are a lot of collectibles strewn about the levels and it's fun finding a way to reach them. Most of the time. A few of them have been a major pain to get. That being said, there's no in game benefit in getting the collectibles. The reward for collecting them is unlocking concept art, and of course personal accomplishment.  Which is enough for me, but not for all.


    *Minor spoilers until the next asterisks* The main downfall of the game is the (sort of) scrolling levels. These levels were the reason I brought my review down from a 10 to a 9. For context, they contain a forced speed in which you are running away from a force. I've only hit two so far, one running away from a tidal wave and one from rising lava. These levels have been a major thorn in my side. You can get ahead of the curve and give yourself a pretty nice buffer but when you increase speed, so does the force chasing you. I don't think that's exactly fair as it's like I'm being punished for being competent at the game. With the water, it's very obvious, but I only noticed it with the Lava when no matter how much of a buffer I gave myself once I hit a certain platform the lava was right back on my metaphorical heels. These levels do have checkpoints but they aren't pronounced and you've either got to look out for the autosave flashing or die and find out, essentially. I think this could have been improved upon by either keeping a constant speed with the force chasing you or by sprinkling in a  few more checkpoints. *End of spoilers* The only other critique I have is that I wish the cutscenes were a bit more fleshed out. They go with a sort of sideshow concept for it which isn't inherently bad but is a bit jarring sometimes to go from the fluid vibrant world, rolling and hopping about, to a static faded one. I don't know if this was done to save time or money, but definitely caused by one. These are what brought it down from 9 to an 8. All in all, Skully is a wonderful game, filled with interesting and vibrant environments and characters. However, it also requires a certain level of skill that might not be possible for young players or beginners. I'd love to see a possible update in the future for a bit more polish, but Skully is a great experience even as it is now.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. XGN
    Aug 27, 2020
    70
    Skully is a platformer that challenges and entertains you. The game lets you die a lot, but never in an unfair way. The game's physics are always on point which pushes you to keep an eye on the little skull all the time. Solve puzzles with three other characters and roll, jump, bash, and dash your way to the lairs of four gods in this indie game.
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  2. Starbit
    Aug 26, 2020
    60
    Skully would be a great recommendation, were it not for its execution: poor camera mechanics, an inconsistent visual performance and unstable fluidity mean that the game's experience is severely harmed, not because of the game's creative input but because of its subpar execution. With a thorough update that can correct those issues, Skully can be a star in the Nintendo Switch catalogue.
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  3. Switch Player
    Aug 25, 2020
    60
    Skully bites off more than it can chew. Its central concept is excellent; the combination of the balance mechanic in a 3D world is solid. But the drab environment, awkward camera, and overall lack of quality take the shine off things.
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