Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
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Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
GrahamOfTheDead Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:25 pm
SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN
Developer: 17-BIT
Publisher: MICROSOFT STUDIOS
Price: 1200MSP
You're a samurai general. You arrive on the shores of the afterlife and meet up with other recently deceased samurai. Betrayed, you're seeking revenge and nobody will stand in your way. Welcome to the turn-based world of Skulls of the Shogun.
Sounds pretty good right? Sounds like it could be a pretty brutal story. Well, think again because this tale is told in an art style that wouldn't be out of place on Nickleodeon or CBBC. Don't run off just yet though, because although it may look like a Saturday morning cartoon it simply exists to make this deep and intriguing game even more accessible than it otherwise may have been.
Skulls of the Shogun has been a long time coming. It's well over 2 years since the game was first revealed and a launch date alongside Windows 8 came and went without sight nor sound of either a skull, or indeed a shogun. Delays in this case though were understandable, as Skulls of the Shogun wasn't just launching on XBLA, but on Windows 8 and Windows Phone as well...all with the promise of cross-platform play.
Well finally the game has arrived, so how does the XBLA version stack up?
Short answer? Very well indeed.
The turn-based strategy genre seems as though it's been relatively underserved of late. Civilization is probably the standout title in the history of gaming, but Skulls of the Shogun has very little in common with that title. For starters, there's very little in the way of resource management. Using one of your dead soldiers to haunt a rice paddy field, which will then provide you with a steady source of income.
The basic gameplay involves you taking control of a small band of units. You start off with one general and initially just a couple of standard infantry units. You unlock more units as you go along, but the infantry provide the backbone of the combat. As expected, each unit has it's own strengths and weaknesses. Cavalry, on horseback, can travel greater distances and archers can attack from a distance. However, the general is always the most important person on the battlefield and if he falls, then it's the end.
Using the aforementioned rice, you can also haunt shrines which allows you to then summon more units. You can also haunt statues which will summon monks. Monks cast spells ranging from gusts of wind to knock away enemies, to healing and resurrection. Fallen enemies leave behind their skulls (title makes sense now right?) which you can then eat (yep!) to increase your strength or, if a monk eats them, unlock more powerful spells.
Combat is quick and never gets boring. Levels take on average about 10-15 minutes and get progressively harder as you work through the single-player campaign. You also get a decent variety in the level design. Open spaces, chasms, clifftops, long grass. It always helps to pay attention to your surroundings and plan accordingly. You will also get a lot of replay value out of the game as you are rewarded with gold skulls for fulfilling certain requirements. This may be as standard as not losing a unit in battle, or taking out an opposition general with your general. It actively encourages you to try different approaches to the game. Go all out? Or sit back and stand your ground?
The art style, as mentioned earlier, works brilliantly. The character design is reminiscent of other XBLA titles such as Raskulls and Castle Crashers, but the juxtaposition of the gameplay and storyline and the cartoon-like graphics and animation really sets the game apart. The simplicity of the characters also means it is easier to keep track of what is going on and things never get confusing or overwhelming.
I did attempt to try the online aspect of the game, unfortunately over 2-3 attempts no games could be found. However I did play through several local multiplayer games and it was a lot of fun and points to how promising the online versus would be. The multiplayer allows for 2-4 players either in 2 vs 2 team deathmatches or free-for-all battles. As per the single-player game your objective is to take out the opposing general. You can also form alliances with other players, which can be broken as quickly as they are formed.
One feature that is also extremely promising is the asynchronous multiplayer. This allows for cross-platform multiplayer between different formats. So while I'm playing the XBLA version, my opponents could be playing on Windows 8 or Windows Phone. However it doesn't happen in the moment. Like playing chess via email, you make your moves and then wait for your opponent to load up the game and retaliate. It's unique in XBLA right now and is a great way to keep you coming back to this great game.
Overall, Skulls of the Shogun offers nothing especially original in terms of gameplay or story, but it's all in the delivery. The graphics work brilliantly within the game and the stripped-down strategy is neither too complex for beginners or too basic for the more experienced players. Hopefully the multiplayer will pick up as word of mouth spreads, especially the asynchronous mode. Offering multiplayer across three seperate formats is something which potentially will keep this game alive for a long time.
This is a game that is very worthy of your time, in any of it's incarnations.
8/10
Last edited by GrahamOfTheDead on Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
Colne Crusader Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:40 pm
What a well written review mate! Nice one!
I've gone from overlooking this completely, to wanting it!! The cross platform play sounds bloomin' addictive! I could imagine being at work getting nothing done because you're checking to see if you're opponent has made a move every five minutes!
I've gone from overlooking this completely, to wanting it!! The cross platform play sounds bloomin' addictive! I could imagine being at work getting nothing done because you're checking to see if you're opponent has made a move every five minutes!
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Re: Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
Guest Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:21 pm
Good review, apart from saying the genre has under performed lately as we had xcom no so long back. I must trial this when I finish the cave.
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Re: Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
GrahamOfTheDead Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:50 pm
Totally forgot about Xcom. Still think the strategy genre as a whole is under-served though. Guess it's just too cerebral for the COD crowd.
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Re: Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
Ba5sett Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:39 pm
Thanks for the review mate this looks good
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Re: Skulls of the Shogun - XBLA Review
GrahamOfTheDead Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:47 am
This has now apparently been permanently reduced to 800MSP.
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