Heroes are the enemy for the titular Skul of Skul: The Hero Slayer, a brand new action-platformer that is hitting the PC for a full release after a year in Steam Early Access. Made by indie developer SouthPAW Games and published by Neowiz, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a fast-paced action title that sees the player take on the role of a protagonist that is not regarded as a hero -- at least not in the world of the living.
Players control skeleton Skul, who is a denizen of the evil world, a place where all manner of monsters and not-so-heroic demons call home. This dastardly home of Skul, naturally being the home to many unsavory characters, is constantly under assault by humankind. This is nothing new to the Demon King, ruler of the land. However, when the Imperial Army led by the Hero of Caerleon, attacks the Demon King's castle, it is overrun. The heroic army imprisons all of the demons except for Skul, who must go on an adventure to rescue his compatriots by taking down as many heroes as he can.
While Skul: The Hero Slayer is an action-platformer at its heart, the game also contains roguelite elements. The colorful pixel art levels are randomly generated, and Skul must navigate them by clearing each room of enemies one at a time. If Skul falls in battle, he respawns at a demon temple with a pocketful of purple currency that he can use to upgrade his various attributes.
What makes Skul stand out among the crowded field of rougelite action titles is the way the game handles combat. Skul is not your average skeleton warrior, as he can wield some rather unconventional weapons other than his standard bone club. Skul can remove his skull from his bony body and hurl it at enemies, choosing then to either retrieve it or teleport to its location, which adds positioning strategy to the furious and tight combat.
However, Skul's other ability that makes the game truly unique. If, during a run, the player happens upon a random graveyard room, Skul swap his skull for another, which not only gives him a new look, but all-new abilities as well. Swap out to a mummy skull and Skul will become slower, but gain a gun and become impervious to traps. Change to a jester skull and Skul will launch throwing knives that explode. There's even a gargoyle skull that lets the player fly. The developers have continually added more skulls during the Early Access period, and as of full release, there are over 50 different skulls to wield, all with different abilities.
Skul will need all the heads he can get to traverse the challenging rooms during each run. Thankfully, changing skulls is a breeze and a fun way to constantly switch up the combat. The colorful human enemies telegraph their attacks with windups, allowing the player to zip around the level, dispatching them with nary a hit. And, like in many rougelites, if the right skulls show up and the run is going well, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a blast to play. The combination of procedural generation for the levels and the randomness of the various skull drops makes each run truly unique -- a good sign of a solid roguelite experience.
On top of the snappy combat, the visuals are top-notch as well. This world is full of all manner of human enemies, various shopkeepers and NPCs that Skul can discover, like witches and giant grumpy demon merchants. The levels and super-deformed art style of Skul's character design work so well together, perfectly balancing with the fast combat style of the gameplay.
Likewise, the various costumes Skul dons as he finds new skull abilities are as cute as they are detailed, with one turning him into a fur-wearing barbarian and another giving him a tiny ninja suit. Furthermore, Skul's small character design helps to illustrate the momentous task he has taken on to rescue the Demon King, as enemies are often twice his size, and many bosses loom over the tiny protagonist.
Last year, roguelite fans were wowed by Hades, and if Skul and other upcoming titles like Curse of the Dead Gods are any indication, 2021 will be another solid year for action roguelite fans. Skul: The Hero Slayer comes out of Early Access for a full release on January 21 on PC, with PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch releases coming later this year.
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