Skul The Hero Slayer

Skul The Hero Slayer is a challenging sidescrolling roguelite that turns the tables and puts you in the shoes of the villain. Playing as the last remaining soldier of the evil Demon King, you must slay through legions of humans and other foes as you increase your level and battle to win the war. In typical fashion for the genre, you'll fight through randomized dungeons full of tough enemies, where one slip can cost you all of your progress. The retro-style graphics and a good variety of weapons and abilities make this indie game a wild adventure for experienced players.

Main Game Features

• Challenging 2D roguelite action
• Dozens of unique items and abilities
• Fight massive bosses

Story

In the kingdom of Harmonia, humans and demons have made an uneasy truce. Despite the recent signing of a peace treaty, the humans ambush the Demon King at his castle, slaying his entire army of skeleton soldiers with the help of the Hero of Carleon. However, one member of the royal demon guard survives, a tiny soldier named Skul. Waking up after a brutal battle, Skul learns of the terrible unfolding situation, and sets out to help. Along the way, he rescues and revives a magical witch, who helps him clean up his wounds. Even with the help, Skul is defeated quickly by the legendary First Hero, sending him back to the grave. With his demon allies in peril and as the only remaining soldier, Skul must rescue the Demon King by defeating the humans and becoming a true hero slayer.

Gameplay

Skul The Hero Slayer plays similar to other classic roguelite games, including Rogue Legacy and Dead cells. Played from a 2D, sidescrolling perspective, you must travel through a series of randomized stages, clearing rooms of enemies and defeating powerful enemies at the end of each dungeon. Skul is a small but nimble protagonist, and as such, can swiftly dodge, double jump, and dash through stages. At the beginning of the game, you start with a simple bone weapon, but you can find new gear as you find valuable chests. Besides your standard weapon attack, you can also perform a variety of special abilities, based on the skull you have equipped. The default skull lets you throw your head as a projectile, while other skulls change your class and abilities entirely.

As you defeat enemies, you'll earn gold and other currencies, which can be spent at the black market found between certain levels. Here, you can sell old items from your inventory and purchase new ones, including fresh weapons, relics with passive bonuses, and rare abilities known as quintessences. However, you only have one life, and if you lose all your health, you'll be sent back to the beginning of the castle. This forces you to balance your spending, as you must heal consistently or suffer the consequences. Over time, you'll learn enemy attack patterns and discover boss weaknesses, making slow but steady progress.

Conclusion

Skul The Hero Slayer is a game with a good amount of replayability, solid fighting mechanics, and some really cool items and weapons. Playing as a villain is a lot of fun, as the bosses you fight are often heroic knights rather than fearsome beasts. If you've played a lot of other roguelites, you'll see a lot of similarities to other popular games in the genre, which lowers the originality factor.

Pros

• Great pixel graphics
• Fun boss fights
• Lots of replayability

Cons

• Frustrating difficulty
• Unfair enemy attacks
• Simple stage design