Review: Skullgirls (XBLA)

I’ve been playing 2D fighting games for many, many, many, many years. In fact, it’s been nearly a quarter of a century, when I first got my hands on Street Fighter as a young boy. Two and a half decades of Hadoukens and Shoryukens later, and fighting games have had a long list of hits, and an equally long list of misses. Skullgirls, from Reverge Labs and Konami, is one of the latest entries in a long, at times illustrious and at times disappointing, and storied legacy. How will I remember it another quarter of a century down the line when I’m writing my review of Marvel vs. Capcom 59?

Probably pretty well.

That’s not to say that the game doesn’t have problems, however. Right off the bat, there are a few major issues that bothered me with the game. There are very few characters to choose from, and even fewer game modes to play through. There are eight playable characters (Filia, Cerebella, Peacock, Parasoul, Ms. Fortune, Painwheel, Valentine, and Double), and three real game modes (single player arcade or story, local or online versus, and training). A bit more variety in both who you can play as and how you can play would definitely be a welcome addition to the title. The second issue is the surprisingly difficult AI, which will definitely give novice players a beating, and others a run for their money. Finally, there’s no moves list in the game. There’s a little note that tells you to visit the Skullgirls website, where you can download the full moves list for each character, but this is information that should be included in the game, in the start menu, during any fight at all times for quick and easy reference. With some other content “coming soon” in the menu and Extras section, it seems that Reverge rushed the final product out against a hard deadline. Hopefully they provide continued support for the title in the form of patches and character/mode DLC in order to beef it up.

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Having said that, there’s not really much else wrong with the game (aside from the ridiculous final boss…but what is a fighting game without an incredibly cheap boss fight?). The game is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and I’m not just talking about the spilling-out-of-their-brassieres characters. The animations are completely hand-drawn, resulting in stunningly beautiful transtitions and action. It’s an impressive amount of effort, and worthy of sincere and copious amounts of respect. The stories for each character, as well as their backgrounds, are also very well designed and presented. In fact, the entire game is very well presented, with a great jazz/40s film feel and soundtrack.

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But I’ve saved the best for last. Better than the incredible hand-drawn animation. Better than the well developed characters. Better even than the classic jazz presentation. Better than all of it is the tutorial system. Not only does the tutorial system teach you the specific unique elements of Skullgirls, but it teaches you basic fighting game strategies and functionality. Skullgirls teaches you how to play fighting games, then it teaches you how to play Skullgirls. The tutorial system is incredibly intuitive and well designed, leading players new to either the genre or to this title to a great level of comprehension and understanding. That comprehension and understanding comes into great use when faced with the game’s engine. Team combat, anti-infinite combo breakers, protection from unblockable attacks, and more, make this one of the easiest and most inviting fighting games for new players.

Skullgirls has some flaws, but the total package comes out smelling like roses. At 1200MSP, the title could use some more content (modes/characters), and needs to be patched to include moves lists and extra bonus content, but provides an incredibly beautiful, functional, entertaining, and educational 2D fighting game experience. If you’re in the market for a downloadable fighter, or a fighter in general, this is definitely one that you should put high on your list of consideration.