Skullgirls Review
Fighting games these days feel like they're almost dime a dozen, and getting one that doesn't have the Capcom brand plastered somewhere on the box can be hard to do. But that's what makes Skullgirls so interesting from the start. Developed by the new-to-the-fighting-scene Autumn Games, Skullgirls aims high by trying to bring a competitive fighting experience to the downloadable space, a tall order considering how many other competent fighters are often ousted by the flashier AAA titles. So how does one go about challenging the best in the industry? A good sense of humor and a lot of creativity is certainly a start.
What makes Skullgirls so interesting is that unlike many fighting games out there, choice is limited. Players have a small pool of eight characters to use (seven if you consider one of those characters is a blend of the others), each of which have their own very unique move sets. Individual fighters have extremely focused fighting styles similar to the Guilty Gear or Blazblue series, with notable attacks that revolve around mastering a type of mechanic more than when to intuitively push punch or kick. Some work around ranged status effects/ailments while others can knock off their body parts to attack from multiple angles. All members of the female roster are incredibly memorable as a result, and it shouldn't be too difficult to find a girl who works well with your play style.
Gameplay in Skullgirls is fairly simple to anyone familiar with the arcade scene. Players have access to light, medium and heavy punches and kicks, in addition to the staple super bar. The moves you use in a combo may also change a special attack entirely, or alternatively may change the range/distance that an attack will go.
On the plus side, this approach makes it easy enough to jump into without a move list if you're looking to learn the basics, and Skullgirls' difficulty is forgiving enough to allow most players the chance to get a good feel with any of the characters after a few quick matches.
In fact, learning each of these individual styles can be the most rewarding part of the game as each girl is a competent fighting in her own right. Where Skullgirls starts to falter a bit isn't in its creativity, but rather in its move lists. Some characters simply aren't as interesting as others due to a lack of variety in their overall move sets, and for the same reasons feel simply not as competitive. Those character that are fully fleshed with a wide variety feel completely different to the characters that have 3-5 offensive attacks to choose from, and given that the game is already more technically complex than Street Fighter by offering reliable air combos the lack of offensive abilities throughout each character is as confusing as it is disappointing.
Almost equally frustrating is the lack of in-game move lists, as players looking to easily get a listing of all special/Blockbuster attacks needs to go download a PDF from the website at this time. It may be a relatively small missing feature, but it's a small oversight amongst a list of small oversights within the game.