SKULL CHAINZ

SKULL CHAINZ is a game which has been extensively praised for its unique concept, which is essentially [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/41100/Hammerfight/]Hammerfight[/url]-but-in-hell. But, actually not, because while the trailer shows mouse movement, I whole-heartedly recommend against it. Instead, grab a controller and get rotating those analog sticks! This game is not for the weak-thumbed. You use your thumb to move your skull around, typically making circular motions so that your skull friend orbits around you. You use any other finger to throw your skull friend, damaging enemies at a range. The game pulls you in with its sleek 3D model-to-pixel look (which kind of reminded me of [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/600130/Valfaris/)]Valfaris[/url], and makes you stay with the interesting gimmick. But is the moment to moment stuff worth it? Probably not. There are a few issues here that hamper the overall experience: Each level has an interesting gimmick. These range from enemies powering up from eating their friends’ remains to grow stronger, to them having their own skullz, to enemies incubating eggs, which in turn spawn more enemies. BUT… each level takes way too long to finish, and on repeat playthroughs (when going for perfect scores, for instance…) they quickly lose their glamour, and most time is spent rotating in place, waiting for the enemies to spawn. The powerups are fun! They change and improve your skull in noticeable ways. BUT… you can’t really pick which ones you get, and some levels—Pride and Gluttony, for instance—feel a lot better and more fun once you find a few of the good ones. Also, the auto-aim powerup is totally useless if you're going for perfect runs. This is because you can't throw your skull, which would presumably make things too easy. The bosses are thematically appropriate and look great! In general, they’re pretty tough! Envy is a stand out! A mirror match which steals your power ups when you start the fight! And pretty challenging while you’re figuring its patterns out. Probably the coolest moment in the whole game. BUT… a lot of the boss fights feel like they were designed to be played with the skull throw—which, again, you can’t use when going for perfect runs. When not throwing, sometimes it feels a bit random whether or not you'll get hit. So you get hit, and you're forced to reset. This involves awkwardly pausing and quitting to the level select— a task that’s inconveniently easier to do with a mouse than a controller. Then you go through the same sluggish, overly easy, and time-consuming level again. …And you stop liking SKULL CHAINZ. I can’t say I hated it, though. It’s mercifully short, and still might be worth your time, especially if not going for a full completion. Especially if you really vibe with the music & aesthetic, if the gimmick intrigues you, and you own a controller with comfortable analog sticks. While this is a negative review, I empathize with the dev(s?) for making an interesting and charming game, as flawed as I may have found it. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. People say opinions are like skullz: they keep chainging.

1. 可以忽视的升级。 作为肉鸽游戏，每5小关进行2选1升级，升级内容带来的提升完全可以忽视。 例：本体可以发生伤害感人的自机狙。 例：给自己加一个盾，这个盾挨打后会清屏，然后、盾没了。之前5关带来的提升在此刻变为0。 ☆☆☆升级仅仅是为了回满血☆☆☆ 2. “次数”型生命。 一切将角色血量以可承受3次、4次伤害作为设计的游戏都很差。 血量是一种资源，当一个游戏去固化这个概念时，得到的是糟糕的体验。 本游戏角色承受3次伤害后从头再来。 可以理解为一切怪物对角色造成的伤害量皆为49.9%，只能挨2下、挨第三下后大关重开。 3. 屎一样的游戏感观。 你的角色是一个骷髅头、你的武器是一个骷髅头。他们长得近乎完全相同。 整个场景和怪物的色调完全一致，全粉、全金、全绿。 游戏设置默认开启极其恶心的屏幕抖动，会在怪物死亡时触发，自己挨打后也会有视角拉进与子弹时间。 怪物的攻击方式是接触伤害与弹幕伤害。 能在怪物A死亡的抖动中看清怪物B和C么？不能。 4. 角色的攻击方式除了围绕角色转动鼠标让骷髅头围绕自己旋转外，还可以把骷髅头丢出去。 请假想一下：一个围绕自己旋转的物体、从自身两侧朝前方射出时，需要击中一个、乃至几个朝向自己直线移动过来的、体型极小的怪物，难度有多大。 抛射骷髅头除了对抗半个游戏区域大的boss外，毫无任何作用。 丢出去砸到怪？很难的啦。收回来的时候蹭怪？合着自己在周围全是怪的情况下、调整角度让骷髅&怪&自己保持一条直线上？ 5. 商店页面gif图那般的操作，正常玩家打不出来，瞎蒙差不多。 6. 游戏中有一些“蛋”，眼球怪接近后会原地不动，过一段时间蛋炸裂出各种怪或是强化怪。 如果是一般的游戏，想必是优先击杀蛋的。 但这游戏，先把其他小怪杀了，比优先抢着在蛋孵化前打5下蛋击碎它，要容易。 因为你只有2次挨打机会，挨打第三次就寄了。

- Surprising gameplay depth & variety on top of the super simple premise & control scheme - Cool unique artstyle, reminds me of claymation a bit - Bangin OST - Enormously satisfying VFX & SFX juice Quick-playing arcade game that's very clear about what it's striving to be, and very good at it. Not me though, I suck at it badly

Beat the game and lookin forward to doing all the challenges. A few points as to why i'd recommend this game: - The creativity of enemies/bosses on each area you fight - Simple intuitive controls (analog & 1 button) that have a surprisingly high skill ceiling - Every death felt fair and I could learn from it by switching gameplay style The art and music are on point and it definitely feels like a complete package. Had a ton of fun

It's hard in in a motivating way. You feel yourself getting into the flow and getting better and better.

Neat gameplay with a lot of style!

I love physics combat games, too bad they are so rare, but SKULL CHAINZ is definitely a good one! Roguelike flair is fun, although some combinations are brutally broken (as expected from roguelikes). Didn't used the Throw that much either, love me some swing and bonk. Bosses and levels are varied enough to be entertaining. The artstyle is also great! I noticed the dev is an artist, and his art kicks ass, As for the game, the art here did not disappoint, the enemies look like clay models, and I am all up for it! It's a short game, but for the asking price, this is an easy recommendation. Make more games pls :) If you like this one, you should definitely try Sigma Impact and also the olde Hammerfight.