In the skin of a skull imbued with life thanks to a type of magical clay, in Skully, I have been immersed in a puzzle and platform adventure that has a few ideas that could have been very much used. However, despite Finish Line Games’ good intentions, it hasn’t quite convinced me. The lack of polish in some of its facets spoils the general feeling of an experience that, however, has managed to frame its bet within a good story sprinkled with a few doses of humor. I will tell you about all this and something else in the following lines.
In Skully you take control of a skull that has been brought to life thanks to Terry, your companion during the bulk of the adventure. Terry does not get along particularly well with his siblings, and it is not surprising since the story told in Skully has an environmental background, fixing his gaze on the 4 fundamental natural elements. Skully builds, in a way, more of a fable or cosmogony about how the forces of nature coexist with each other in their particular balance and what role man plays in all of this than a mere story accompanying his playable proposal.
Skully does nothing out of the ordinary to narrate his events, opting for voiceovers that spice up the different levels of the game and some cinematics that attract attention due to their use of stop motion and their modeling inspired by clay figures. What really penetrates is its message, from which everyone can draw their own conclusions. His characters are reasonably well written, with well-accomplished unique personalities and a measured use of humor without falling, in any case, on caricature.
Due to professional deformation, I cannot avoid commenting on the narrative component of any game I analyze. But we must be aware of Skully’s limitations and I must not fail to clarify that my words in the previous lines must be read from the perspective that Skully is an independent production and, as such, has some limitations. Precisely these restrictions are very evident in almost all sections of the game. There are good ideas with better intentions in everything Skully does , if that is possible. Unfortunately, the lack of means to achieve being at the level of other titles within the same genre keeps Skully from being memorable.
Heads will roll
Skully encourages us to explore an island like a skull … Launch Trailer!
In his puzzles Skully has as many lights as shadowsIn the playable Skully it can be divided into two well differentiated sections: the puzzles and the platforms. I will start with the second since, at this point, the title distributed by Modus Games does not go beyond the canons of the formula . Solve the ballot without getting too complicated with good use of third person perspective and eliminating, almost completely, any problems that could come from the camera by releasing it completely and letting the player position it to their liking.
Integrating the tutorials into the scenarios is something that brings freshness and originality to Skully
The decision is correct. I have no idea that my deaths by falls had anything to do with a problem of perspective in any case, and more with a matter of lack of assumption on my part of the physics of the skull that I am going to explain to you like this: boot Like a rice ball , it has the weight of a futsal ball and rolls like a bowling ball. With this, I think you can get an idea of what it’s like to handle Skully. It is not difficult to do so and the remote controls respond with precision, as long as you assume as soon as possible that there are factors such as exponential acceleration with which you have to be a little careful. Skully can also use vines to move through walls where it is allowed.
In some segments of the adventure, Skully sees fit to propose sections against the clock while you are chased by water or lava. It is always an interesting resource to give variety to a title, unfortunately it is in those moments when the program falters the most. It is difficult to follow something as small as a skull with your eyes among a large number of elements on the screen and in this case, yes, the camera that becomes fixed, can play a trick on you.
A way for every situation
In his puzzles Skully has as many lights as shadows. It is an original idea and to some extent it is well carried by the fact that, upon reaching certain pits of magic clay, the skull can change shape. Up to three different waysIn the total adventure, each one with their own abilities and capacities, useful to initially solve specific conflicts such as knocking down stones and walls or ending up with enemies. Later we will move platforms, jump higher or run faster. The program measures very well how it is introducing each of these mechanics, gradually I have been internalizing what I can do with each of Skully’s presentations and, later, combine them with each other while the game does not stop at any time to offer new challenges and to add new skills.
Magic clay pits are sometimes where you least expect them
However, the experience is far from round. The bad adjustment of the platforms, the inaccuracy in the programming of their transits and a constant feeling that you are managing to overcome some more phases luckily by falling into a texture in which you can jump than, in the certainty that you have found the Real solution to the puzzle, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth in this facet with Skully. All this, despite how rewarding it can be to give life to each of its forms and combine them, taking out of them a match that, a priori, you do not expect.
In addition, I have missed more presence of this, its star mechanic, in the confrontations against final bosses. These screens are uninspired and focus more on direct action, thus detracting from the supposedly most important moments in the game. The result is bland confrontations and with nothing left to remember, the most painful thing is knowing that good puzzles can be raised against final bosses as they have already shown us a multitude of games and that I will avoid naming to save the always hateful comparisons.
Skully is a limited experience, completing the game one hundred percent can take between 5 and 10 hoursin total having spent 7 to do it. Your bet on replayability is low. Just getting all the flowers scattered around the stages to unlock concept arts is not an attractive bet to revisit the game. Without new game modes, the design of the scenarios and the hidden areas of the scenarios are not challenging enough to satisfy the most seasoned platformer.
Comply without too much fanfare in the graphic sectionAlthough the design of its scenarios is not entirely innovative, Skully has up to 7 different ecosystems in which to get lost, something that, in relation to its duration, constitutes an element that gives variety throughout the game and that, linked Due to its increasing mechanics, the title always tries to be fun and innovative, putting new cards on the table at all times.
Technically Skully complies without too much fanfare in the graphic section, enough to be pleasing to the eye but somewhat limited in the animations of the enemies on the screen that, incidentally, have seemed somewhat scarce in terms of types in the set of the adventure, with only 4 types for the total of the title. The sound section has good compositions that accompany the experience while still being merely environmental. The good work carried out by the actors who have given voice to the different characters in English stands out above the rest of the work, in a title that comes fully translated into Spanish.
“Regular”
Skully
Skully will not pass into the collective memory of puzzle and platform players. His intentions are good and, at times, he has attractive ideas. However, the design of its scenarios, well thought out but poorly finished puzzles and the lack of replayability make Skully a minor title in its genre. It is not a bad experience and the combination of abilities between its different forms is something worth exploring. However, it leaves me with the feeling that he could have given so much more of himself. It is one of those enjoyable games in which there are no flagrant failures but is satisfied, too, with the sufficiency.
- Its history as a cosmogony makes a good personification of the 4 elements.
- The different ways in which Skully transforms and how they combine with each other.
- He knows how to always introduce new mechanics until the end of the game.
- His puzzles are not well designed.
- The scenes with final bosses and, against the clock, are well below the rest of the work.
- It does not invite to be replayed
