For our first gaming reviews, we reached out to several indie studios to cover their games, as we, an independent publication, have the utmost respect for them. Today, we’re taking a look at Umaki Games’ Skellboy: Refractured!

Skellboy initially launched on the Switch a year ago, and hit Steam with full OS support as of the 13th. The Refractured moniker means the title has more even more content.

This game has a unique mechanic – you play as a skeleton that has the ability to armor up with the remains of your enemies, getting relative perks based on the enemy type! For example, if you slay a bat, you can pick up Bat Shoes and move faster. A hay bale chest armor has more health than a zombie’s chest armor. There are tons of possibilities that can cater to the player’s playstyle.

The setting of Skellboy is medieval, packed full of knights, a princess, a castle, etc. It’s all presented in a cutesy pixel-graphic look, blending 2D sprites with a 3D game world that looks pretty sleek.

Your arsenal is dynamic, as well. I found myself favoring a club that could charge up for a devastating attack – the risk-vs.-reward element was present, as I rarely took hits with the faster katana equipped, but cleared through baddies a lot faster with that club.

Skellboy utilizes a checkpoint system, which you’re going to need as you can only take a few hits before you’re out of a skull. I found it to be punishing at times, losing 5+ minutes of progress in seconds, but that added to the intensity of the game.

The difficulty in Skellboy scales pretty well, as I only really got stuck in the earlygoings when I was getting my bearings with the controls. The game is no pushover, but isn’t too hard to get hardstuck in.

Overall, the game lasts for about 3-4 hours, and definitely has some replayability going for it as it’s multiplayer-friendly. Going it solo felt just fine, but I can only imagine the chaos on screen with a buddy.

Skellboy Refractured is worth a shot on sale – it’s definitely worth taking a look at if you’re into hack-and-slash and want a couch co-op adventure you can power through in an evening.

THE RATING – 8.5/10

Pros:
-Charming aesthetic
-Fun variety in combat
-Runs great

Cons:
-Too tough for some
-A brief adventure

A press key for Skellboy Refractured was provided courtesy of Umaki Games.