Skullgirls: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Skullgirl_7598.png|frame]]

 

Developed by Reverge Labs and published by Autumn Games and [[Konami]], the frenetic 2D [[Fighting Game]] '''''[http://skullgirls.com/ Skullgirls]''''' puts players in control of an all-female cast (much like [[Arcana Heart]]). Instead of banking on the "moe" aesthetic and anime designs, the game uses a more stylized "Golden Age" Hollywood film motif, employing Art Deco ("Dark Deco", as the designers lovingly call it) stage backgrounds and a theatrical, movie-studio presentation. ''Skullgirls'' features work from an all-star development crew: [[Promoted Fanboy|fighting game veteran]] Mike "Mike Z" Zaimont led the project, [[Cristina Valenzuela]] directed the voice acting, Alex Ahad (whose prior work credits include Lava Punch, UDON’s Tribute books, and ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'') created artwork for the game, and [[Michiru Yamane]] provided the music. Both the [[Playstation Network]] and [[Xbox Live Arcade]] carry the game in the US, Europe, and Australia; the developers also have plans for a PC release later in 2012. Japan will receive a stand-alone disc release of the game after the developers finish work on the DLC characters (as Japan harbors a general distaste for DLC).

 

 

''Skullgirls''' gameplay carries the feel of old-school arcade fighters while providing a high-definition twist. It features a "ratio system" that allows each player to choose to fight with one character or a team of up to three characters, resulting in different combinations for a particular match. The game also features a special combo detection system: if a player begins an infinite combo, the damage strikes change color, and the game will allow the opponent to "burst" out of the infinite and knock the offensive player away.

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{{tropelist|Ladies and Gentlemen, SHOWTIME! ''Skullgirls'' proudly presents the following tropes:}}

* [[Animesque]]: Made by Americans, but Japanese enough in feel to get backing by Konami.

* [[Antagonist Title]]

* [[Berserk Button]]:

** Painwheel's "Hatred Install"

* [[Bigger Bad]]: The mysterious entity that Double serves, and that she claims the Skullgirl is supposed to serve as well. Also Vitale, arguably.

* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: The achievement for completing the tutorial is "Sküllgirls". That would be pronounced {{spoiler|Schoolgirls}}.

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: {{spoiler|Almost every character}} ending.

* [[Bloodless Carnage]]: The characters are stabbed, shot, crushed, blown up, and God only knows what else in-game, yet there's far less actual bloodshed involved than you would expect.

* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: When Peacock's getting ready in the morning, Andy asks Avery if she even took a bath and if she brushes her teeth with metal polish. Avery's response is that a bath and her usual morning routine were implied, but not something the audience needs to see.

* [[Cast of Snowflakes]]: Good luck finding two background NPCs, let alone player characters, who look even remotely alike. Well, aside from the [[Badass Army|Egrets]], but they're a special case.

* [[Corrupt Church]]: One of the story mode's paths suggests that the Trinity may be the source of the [[Mineral MacGuffin]]'s power. Even the cathedral architecture and sculptures suggest one of the characters as quite representative of the church's true nature.

* [[Creator Cameo]]: One of the bullies hanging out in Maplecrest -- the guy with the black star on the back of his jacket -- is designed to look like one of the game's animators. Several of the developers' dogs can be seen in the same stage.

** Peacock's TV drop sometimes has Filia dressed as [[The Ring|Sadako]] crawling out of the TV. This references [http://oh8.deviantart.com/art/Happy-Skullgirls-Halloween-42479267 a bit of Halloween artwork] Alex Ahad did, which had the same reference.

* [[Cute Monster Girl]]: A whole lot of cute monster girls and not so cute in the case of Double.

** The game actually uses a shading layer and depth map for its sprites. Not only does this speed up the art process, it also allows for some amazing lighting not usually seen in 2D games.

** How about turning on hitboxes during Practice? How many other fighting games do that?

* [[Divide by Zero]]: One of the characters wishes to become the Skullgirl; unlike other endings, the Skull Heart offers no comment.

* [[Downer Ending]]: A fair few. For example:

** {{spoiler|Filia: Deciding that her regaining her memories wasn't as important as ensuring Carol (Painwheel) had a chance at happiness, Filia wishes for Carol to have a normal childhood. The Skull Heart grants the wish, but because the wish was to a small extent self-serving, it was impure. As a result, she would become the next Skullgirl. The transformation would be slow, though, and the Skull Heart advises Filia to use her remaining time well.}}

** {{spoiler|Painwheel: After destroying the Skull Heart, Painwheel returns to her home in Maplecrest. Her parents reject her, however, because of her grotesque appearance. With nowhere else to go, she returns to Lab Zero and begins to plot her revenge against Brain Drain and the Anti-Skullgirl Labs...}}

** {{spoiler|Cerebella, [[Word of God]] is that she's the only one with a pure heart who can make a wish without turning into the Skull Girl. However, her affection for [[The Mafia|Vitale]] means that she never gets the chance. However, in the end she's forced to kill Ms. Fortune to recover the [[MacGuffin]] that Vitale sent her to retrieve, leaving her [[My God, What Have I Done?|broken and confused]].}}

* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: [http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/files/2012/02/Skullgirls-Double-2.png Double certainly] [http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/files/2012/02/Skullgirls-Double-3.png looks the part]. GTTV even described her as a "freaky shape-shifting mass of flesh and eyeballs".

* [[Elevator Action Sequence]]: The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgxFTyk_lJs Medici Tower] stage.

* [[Eye Scream]]: {{spoiler|One of the first things you see in Peacock's story mode is a first person view of her eyes being gouged out.}}

* [[Fan Disservice]]: About as frequent as the [[Fan Service]]. [[Eldritch Abomination|Double]], [[Body Horror|Painwheel]] and [[Losing Your Head|Ms. Fortune]] certainly qualify.

*** Ms. Fortune is a rare example that can count as both Fanservice and [[Fan Disservice]].

* [[Fan Service]]

** [[Eldritch Abomination|Double]] may qualify as well... If you consider those "breasts".

* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]: The previous Skullgirl, who was the former queen of Canopy Kingdom (though it's implied that she was a [[The High Queen|nice ruler]] until the Skull Heart corrupted her).

* [[Hartman Hips]]: [http://images.wikia.com/skullgirls/images/4/48/060430_squigly_01.jpg Squigly], whose physique has been likened to a bowling pin.

** The game also has more than just hit and hurt boxes allowing for all manner of different effects.

* [[Hourglass Hottie]]: Most of the characters, due to the art style. Aeon's midsection is a ''literal'' hourglass.

* [[Idiosyncratic Combo Levels]]: It was mentioned that there are at least 250 different lines for combo ratings. Several of them are meant as obvious jokes: 7 hits is "Lucky", 13 is "Unfortunate", 18 is "Barely Legal", 42 is[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|"Meaningful"]], 66 is "Devilish" (with 616 -- if you ever get that far -- being "Infernal" and 666 "Diabolical"), 314 is "Algebraic", 403 and 404 are "Forbidden" and "Not Found"...

** And then some are just intentionally bizarre, the favored example being 32 hits -- "Anatiferous"<ref>Literally "producing ducks", after the belief that geese and ducks spontaneously generated from barnacles</ref>.

** [[Word of God]] is that Alex Ahad wanted a game that went against the usual norm of fighting games having male dominated casts.

* [[Jackass Genie]]: The Skull Heart, given the ludicrously strict requirements of [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness]] that it demands in order ''not'' to turn someone into a Skullgirl.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Check [[Skullgirls/Shout Out|the page]].

* [[Show Within a Show]]: There's a show called ''Annie: Girl of the Stars''. Peacock and Parasoul (secretly) are known fans of it, but ironically not Umbrella.

* [[Stealth Pun]]: In Valentine's Story Mode {{spoiler|she steps in between Painwheel and Double's fight}}, prompting Double to call her a "double-crosser." She's referring to {{spoiler|Valentine's ambiguous alliance of course}}, but given that she's literally crossing Double... And Valentine's red crosses...

** On a related note, ever notice that [[Exotic Eye Designs|Valentine's pupils are little medical crosses]]? {{spoiler|She's cross-eyed.}}

 

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'''''THAT'S A WRAP!'''''

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Xbox Live Arcade]]

[[Category:Video Game]]