SKELATTACK

Little meat on these bones

Make no bones about it, being undead isn’t as bleak as those hunters will have you believe. In the subterranean town of Aftervale, protagonist Skully is about to undergo a rite of passage among his fellow anatomical models and remember who he once was in life when his dungeon home is raided and the town Elder is kidnapped.

It’s up to you and your wisecracking bat buddy, Imber, to save him and your home.

What follows is an action platformer with a few metroidvania trappings. Exploration remains the name of the game but it’s in service to uncovering smaller plot threads that reward you with new abilities. Overall, it’s a brief, Saturday morning cartoon-style romp through the underground – but that doesn’t make it a gentle, whistling breeze through your rib cage.

Each area features more than its fair share of insta-kill obstacles. Thankfully, the checkpointing system is generous, with blue resurrection flames placed just before and after an especially tricky jump more often than not. Combat is left to play second fiddle, being extremely simplistic in comparison. However, we must commend the variety of dangers lobbed our way, from propellers and magical, anti-undead rocks to fighty flying beetles – not to mention all the dang humans. 1 But while many will be up to the challenge, we found dying over and over on the same treacherous stretch wearying… but maybe we’re just getting old and creaky.

That said, this adventure balances its challenge and gameplay variety2 well against its short length. Ultimately it’s not as layered as indie darling Hollow Knight but it’s a worthwhile play while you wait for Silksong. Jess Kinghorn

Why can’t we just get along? A lot of which is down to Imber. Between being your own personal small aircraft and a foil for Skully, we’re glad she’s along for the ride.