Set in the Victorian Era where our hair is possessed, androids attack and our singers are actually cat-skeletons; everyone is fighting for it – The SkullHeart. However, the only way to reach it is through one of the best arcade style 2D fighters known to ladies and gentlemen everywhere – Skullgirls!
Skullgirls is a 2D Arcade-style fighting game created by Alex Ahad and Lab Zero Games. The basis of the game is that with the character you choose, you must journey through their story in order to reach the SkullHeart – an ancient artifact that can grant any woman’s wish. However, if there is any bit of selfishness within your wish, you will become the next Skullgirl. The current Skullgirl is Marie – a young girl that controls the dead. Although the SkullHeart is made for a woman’s wish, there are also 2 male characters involved in the search. Either way, be careful what you wish for – although, it is out of your control.
The basis of the fighting mechanics is to choose your character and go wild! Just kidding, Skullgirls has a lot more to offer than just a story. It has a small but unique and quirky cast of 14 characters such as the spunky Filia, the mind-controlled Painwheel, and the clone characters: F-Fukua and Robo-Fortune. Not only can you learn about these fighters through their story mode, but you can create teams of up to 3 in Local, Arcade and Online Play. If you think you’re not ready to go full force, you can always learn a thing or two about the cast at Ms. Victoria’s Training Mode.
Fighting won’t be the only thing on your dinner plate with this game. Lab Zero went beyond gameplay and extensive combos to bring various eye-capturing scenery and character designs. Skullgirls has been a project of Alex Ahad since 2006 and if you look at all of the artwork and concept art before the game’s completion, you can tell it really paid off. His art style is visible in character sprites and backgrounds and the atmosphere in his artwork is still visible in the game’s story. It still feels like Ahad’s artwork, except now you’re playing with it and making it fight. Not only that, but with a soundtrack featuring Ms. Michiru Yamane, composer for the Castlevania series, this is a game you simply can’t let go of in just a few minutes. You can also check out guest artwork in the Extras menu and even face one…seemingly unbeatable boss.
Skullgirls is a very beautiful game to look at, but with the various play styles each character holds and a battle system that can handle combos of up to 99; this is truly a very fun fighting game. Skullgirls is available on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 as Skullgirls Encore and on Playstation 4, Xbox One, PSVita and Steam as Skullgirls 2nd Encore. The game is at a price of $15, but with 4 DLC Characters and a costume pack you may want to purchase, the game will rise up to a price of $40(unless it goes on sale).
Skullgirls Mobile Encore was recently announced at this year’s Anime Expo! It isn’t just a port of the original game, it is a fighting game for mobile devices built from the ground up over the last 2 years by Hidden Variable Studios. Not only Lab Zero and Hidden Variable announce the game, but they also showed how the game worked and what you should expect. Skullgirls Mobile Encore is scheduled to release 2016 for iOS and Android phones and tablets. Until then, the show must go on!