Skulls of the Shogun

Skulls of the Shogun encapsulates whatever essence puts Castle Crashers at the top of the XBLA charts year after year, and does so without infringing on that game's intellectual property or overall vibe.

With a humorous story and plenty of fun to be had in multiplayer modes, this game is well worth the selling price, but it still has a few little flaws. Skulls of the Shogun is a really nice arcade game, and with not many AAA titles out in these early months, this game will keep you occupied for some time.

Skulls of the Shogun is irreverent, challenging and, most of all, fun. It masterfully mixes humor with well-balanced gameplay to keep players coming back for more. If strategy is your thing, this is a must-buy.

Accessible, surprisingly innovative and completely engrossing. [Issue#95, p.87]

Nifty perks aside, Skulls of the Shogun is one of the best strategy games I have ever played thanks to its elegant accessibility and addicting depth, and you'd be foolish to pass it by.

Fast, compact and yet consistently thoughtful, there's nothing else quite like Skulls of the Shogun - and, for me, it earns its place amongst the genre's greats.

One of the finest console strategy games ever. [Jan 2013, p.96]

The battlefields in this turn-based tactics gem are as numerous as they are varied. This is tactical entertainment at its best.

Providing a delightful glimpse of the past in more ways than one, Skulls of the Shogun is a tactical treat for fans of old school, Japanese-style strategy games. Equal parts quirky and complex, it only comes to prove that the glory days of this often forgotten genre aren't quite gone.

Skulls of the Shogun is a nice turn based strategy with a positive attitude and enough depth. [May 2013]

We were happily surprised with Skulls of the Shogun. Behind the cartoony art style there is a strategy game with great depth, and a lot of innovative ideas. The campaign slowly teaches you how to use the different units, and the funny story keeps you coming back for more. The multiplayer seals the deal with hours of extra fun you can have with your friends or any other samurai skeleton from around the world.

A great choice full of humor for those who want to get started in the genre. Long-time fans may find it easy, and we were expecting a deeper gameplay, but still a great recommendation.

Skulls of the shogun can provide hours of fun. If you love strategic genre check this out.

It's a fine introduction to strategy games for those intimidated of the genre, even if it has its challenges along the way.

Skulls of the Shogun is anything but a typical turn-based strategy game, and not just because of its colorful cartoon style and silly sense of humor.

It's the kind of strategy game that I love; it lets you visualize and execute your best-laid plans, even if they can go down in flames. [Feb 2013, p.92]

Skulls of the Shogun is a cute, accessible game that’s easy to pick up and play, but adds enough depth and strategy over the course of the experience to remain entertaining.

Skulls of the Shogun offers up a fairly unique take on what we’ve come to expect from turn-based strategy titles, and its use of a unique movement structure and simplified unit types makes this a far more accessible venture than most titles in the same genre. But that accessibility doesn’t come at the cost of challenge, which later stages certainly prove. Combine that with a fun, but bare online mode and you’ve got a new XBLA title that’s definitely worth a look.

It's hard and unfair in the campaign, but that keeps it challenging. Beyond the gameplay, it's just nice to look at. The battlefields are crisp, and the characters are interesting and colorful.

Eschewing the reams of statistics and options that can often burden similar games, Skulls of the Shogun focuses on combat and fun which means it is the ideal introduction to turn-based gaming and, making no bones about it, is something we can heartily recommend.

A great beginner strategy game when you’re playing by yourself and a challenging one with multiple players. Skulls of the Shogun might not be the deepest strategy ever, but thanks to unique elements such as the Spirit Wall or the lack of a grid, it is one worth a try.

Skulls of the Shogun is a challenging turn-based strategy game that can be recommended to all audiences.

The first "cross platform" game by Microsoft has some great features, like the asynchronous multiplayer mode, unique art direction and great replay value. Probably a must-have for strategy enthusiasts.

This 17-Bit game is a love letter of strategy fans, and manages successfully to bring turn-based strategy in the hands of all. Its accessibility, its quality, its balanced, deep yet simple gameplay, everything was designed to go straight to what matters, while polishing the details. With its cross-platform multiplayer and a very nice, funny atmosphere, it may very well be the perfect entry point to a genre that is more often than not perceived as dull and complicated.

Skulls of the Shogun is a funny and compact real time strategy action game. Ideal for beginners.

Skulls of the Shogun is a well developed and very fun strategy videogame. Too bad it lacks of a higher degree of challenge and contains some tedious missions, yet it compensates with a slick and elegant gameplay, nice humor and an interesting multiplayer offering.

It’s a solid, fun experience that will keep you coming back for one more turn.

This is a good, funny and unconventional real time strategy action game based on samurai-zombie idea. Is the strange idea enough to satisfy your demand of gameplay?

Skulls of the Shogun has a low barrier to entry, which makes it ideal to discover whether turn-based strategy is something for you. The story is filled with humorous dialogues and slowly gets players ready to fight other players. Strategy veterans have nothing to worry about though: strategic insight is still a necessity.

The enemy AI is deviously smart, and will not hesitate to take advantage of every trick you can think of and more. That also only means it is all the more satisfying when you finally learn to outsmart it, making Skulls of the Shogun a must for all hardcore armchair generals.

Skulls of the Shogun is an unsuspected good turn-based tactical game, with an addictive cross-platform gameplay both in single and multiplayer, humorous characters and some cool ideas. With some more depth in customization and options, it could have been an instant classic.

Skulls of the Shogun is an enjoyable game with style to spare. The sharp difficulty curve and reliance on aggressive tactics bring it down somewhat, but only because it's easy to see how a few small differences in design could have earned the game a place in eternity, rather than a pleasant distraction on the long road to get there.

Knowing that it's all up to you - not cheap shots, not a roll of the dice - justifies the grinding struggle that occasionally slows the journey from disrespected general to shogun of the afterworld.

It's a massive game filled with a lengthy single player campaign and a long-lasting multiplayer component that can be played day-by-day or minute-by-minute. Patience is a virtue as Skulls of the Shogun was worth waiting for.

A thoroughly compelling strategy game. Quirky too, playing to the video game retro-chic and tongue-in-cheek humour that's popular especially among XBLA and digital games today. Despite the slightly overblown frills, there's plenty of depth to Skulls Of The Shogun that will instantly engage any type of strategy gamer.

Gorgeous looking (if not just a little bit confusing at times) and wickedly funny too. [Dec 2012, p.83]

If you’re looking for a tactical, turn-based strategy title that’s oozing charm, humour and playability without sacrificing depth, Skull of the Shogun is worth the investment, and a shining example of the genre on consoles.

Skulls of the Shogun is a nice game for starters in the genre, with a great visual style and a very funny screenplay. It's not the best turn-based strategy game around, but it's definitely a good one.

Skulls of the Shogun is a light entertainment that remains enjoyable for just about every minute of its six- or seven-hour life span.

While Skulls of the Shogun does a great job of offering a decent amount of units, there's no inherent "wow" factor when it comes to gameplay. Although the traditional grid is tossed in favor of a circular movement shadow, it still feels about the same as the genre always has, minus the game's visual and vocal charm.

Its attempted revolution of turn-based tactics isn't quite as practical as it first seems but this is still an impressively fun, and funny, strategy game.

Skulls' hardcore appeal may be limited, but for those looking for a simple, easy to understand turn-based strategy title, it's really solid.

The stripped down interface makes unit management much more immediate, and the nuanced gameplay, thanks to range of choices at hand, is simple to learn and satisfying to master. The campaign is on the monotonous side, but the engaging multiplayer mode, which lets you compete with players on any other Microsoft device, ensures that you'll always have someone to play against.

Wickedly irreverent and cartoonishly outrageous. [Nov 2012, p.96]

If you were to ask me if you should play Skulls of the Shogun, I'd first go ahead and give you a list of better titles in a similar vein. If you're already past the Advance Wars', Fire Emblems and Valkyria Chronicles', this is well worth a look. It's just not all that memorable.

A charismatic but simple turn based strategy game. Skulls of the Shogun gives more laughs than tactical resistance, but is easy to learn and fun to play against friends.