Skul: The Hero Slayer Critic Reviews

While it can be a little difficult to get into due to an obtuse early period, everything that follows is a great experience and one that will captivate players through its mixture of charming play and engaging narrative. Those looking for deceptively simple games with surprising depth will find a lot to love in Skul: The Hero Slayer.

As endearing as it is challenging, Skul takes the rogue-lite mechanics you know and adds some flair of its own and a unique take on the fantasy narrative. If you’re looking for a game to scratch your rogue-lite itch with a few fun twists, Skul is a fantastic choice.

This story of a tiny hero is charming and disarming… figuratively and, occasionally, literally. While he is small in stature, Skul proves that sometimes even the smallest among us may achieve the greatest things. Against all odds, Skul may just be the key to fulfilling the dreams of Carleon's First Hero AND the machinations of the Demon King.

Simple enough to draw you in, yet complex enough to keep you interested for the long haul. Skull: The Hero Slayer expertly balances risk-and-reward elements with player skill to make a wholly engaging action platformer.

SouthPAW have done a great job of making a really solid roguelike with interesting mechanics, a surprising amount of depth and a ton of visual charm. The balance still needs a little work and the text could use a little more proof-reading, but with plenty more updates planned well into 2021, this is certainly a game to keep an eye on.

If I had to compare it to any other title, I would say Dead Cells. Not just because of the similar 2D action platformer gameplay, but also because Dead Cell’s protagonist, the Prisoner, is available as one of the most fun and powerful skulls in the game. So if you’ve been sleeping on Skul: The Hero Slayer while waiting for the development to finish, then it’s high time to walk up and smell the Ents, because this game is one you’ll want to check out.

More than just a competent roguelike fresh out of early access, Skul: The Hero Slayer delivers power-swapping action and a mostly satisfying loop that should sufficiently satisfy your Dead Cells or Hades cravings.

The more time I spend with the title, the more my opinion changes of this game. I started off thinking this game is unnecessarily punishing (A multi-phase boss on the first level…really?) to this it is only hard if I’m not playing methodically. As I got into the upgrade system, the more I find myself hoping the random drops go a certain way (I do enjoy a Skul that can do passive damage or equipping projectile based skulls vs melee based builds). If you want a challenging rogue-like to start 2021, Skul: The Hero Slayer is definitely a viable option, if the Greek Pantheon isn’t your cup of tea.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is another example of an indie video game that has been lovingly created and they have managed to launch a roguelite with a lot of potential.

A great new take in the roguelite world. Skul: The Hero Slayer is a must-have for all roguelite lovers, with so many balanced builds and combinations. Suffers from an high difficulty spike in the first hours and a not so great level design, but it's surely worth a try.

A brilliant roguelite, made really special by its curious class system and amazing variety. It's obviously not the most balanced game out there, but it's still great fun, and full of heart.

Skul: The Hero Slayer has a roguelike concept but it almost feels like a beat 'em up given the amount of enemies we’ll have to face and the amount of characters available, each one with its own personality and moveset. The huge amount of available builds makes each run a unique experience. Fast and fun, with pretty charismatic enemies, colorful and fairly challenging. Absolutely recommended if you love action games with an RPG flavour, and also suitable for hardcore gamers aiming to beat it in as few runs as possible.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is lovely, action-packed, and full of excellent choices. Repetition can set in rather quickly due to tedious bosses, and a single crash can ruin an entire run, but it's one of the better action rogue-lites I've had the pleasure to dump some time into.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is a great roguelike adventure that ties fast action with a charming narrative. The game understands what makes this genre addicting but doesn’t rely too heavily on influences, which allows it to stand out prominently. If you are hungry for a roguelike, this is a great way to satisfy your cravings.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is an original take on a well-established genre, using its novel head-swapping mechanic to put a plethora of unique playable characters front and center. Though both its story and boss variety leave something to be desired, the quirky characters and satisfying, fast-paced combat had me eager to bone up on my skeletal skills even after the credits rolled.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is a fun little title whose cute graphics belie the tough challenges and grinds that lie within. Dying is all part of the appeal, and never once is it frustrating or unfair. You’ll want to keep returning again and again in order to get just a little bit further, or to perhaps secure a new type of outfit or skill. It deserves a place on your playlist if you have any sort of affection for old 16-bit RPG-brawlers.

It’s definitely on the harder end of the roguelike genre, but that only makes it all the more satisfying whenever you succeed. It helps that it’s absolutely beautiful too, because you’ll be seeing a lot of it if it sinks its hooks into you.

It isn’t without its rough edges, but Skul is a really compelling experience, and definitely scratches the itch left by the button-mashing brawling of Hades and Dead Cells. If you’ve played those games to completion, or if you want a game with decadent pixel art and a wealth of characterful play options, then it’s an easy recommendation - just don’t lose your head during those challenging final stages.

The horrors of the last year have given me a new appreciation for the type of entertainment that allows me to fall into a predictable routine, and roguelikes are the perfect venue. In the past, too many developers have assumed that the simple inclusion of procedurally-generated levels is enough to keep run-based games interesting, but the increased regularity of quality titles like Skul leaves me confident that studios are learning, and that the roguelike renaissance isn’t going away anytime soon.

Skul: The Hero Slayer is a procedurally generated rogue-lite that revolves around the use of different skulls to change gameplay stiles. In this early access phase, though, it lacks balance.