It feels weird to be talking aboutSkullgirls. Don’t get me wrong—there are plenty of nice things to say about it. In addition to being an absolute blast to play, it has a vibrant and crisp visual style unlike anything else, an infectious soundtrack, and some of the best character designs I’ve ever seen.Skullgirls 2nd Encoreis an incredible game–one of the very best. I’m ecstatic that it has been ported to the Switch, and it has been my distinct pleasure to revisit it.
Talking aboutSkullgirls’ merits is odd, though, because in 2019,its legacy is already well-established. It’s like trying to tell people thatSuper Mario Worldis good. Everybody knows that already, so what’s the point? There are newer games to pick apart and digest.Skullgirlsis amazing, but there just isn’t much cause to be banging on about it seven years after its initial release.
But then there’s the Nintendo Switch. Miyamoto’s machine has helped usher in the present 2D-gaming renaissance we are enjoying, and it is a great fit for any retro game with a legacy and any retro-styled game with a dream.Skullgirlsis now the former, and formerly the latter, so of course it has found a new home on the Switch.
Like many otherrecent Switch ports, this release ofSkullgirls’ invites a whole new group of people to pick up the game. This new audience, in turn, gives journalists like myself another reason to sing its praises. Please don’t let my initial hesitancy fool you—I’m happy to oblige.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/qfhxRST_roMWhat’s so great aboutSkullgirls?
In a word—personality.Skullgirlshas a ton of it. While it does take mechanical cues from great fighting game franchises that came before it (most notablyMarvel vs. Capcom),Skullgirlsis fiercely devoted to carving out its own identity and its own peculiar way of doing things. For instance, it was even doing the old-timey cartoon aesthetic long beforeCupheadmade itpopular, and generally speaking, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more eclectic (yet cohesive) blend of ideas than that which is present inSkullgirls.
It gets the big things right, of course–its stages are positively brimming with detail and nuance, and its gameplay is a fast-paced and fun take on team-based fighting. However,Skullgirlsalso gets the little things right: its menus are snappy and stylish, its announcer is hype and articulate, and its music is brilliant. Everything about this game feels handcrafted and unique.
Of course, there’s nothing more important to a fighting game’s identity than its cast of playable characters. Evengreat mechanics can feel tiresome and hollow if they aren’t paired with characters that look and feel cool. I’m happy to report thatSkullgirlshas some of the best characters of all time.Street Fightermay sport the most iconic characters, butSkullgirlshas astoundingly original and inventive designs.
Take Valentine for example. In addition to being a ninja, Valentine is also a registered (evil) nurse. As a result of this bizarre pairing, she wields hospital equipment as weapons: she throws syringes like kunai, swings an IV pole like a naginata, and even pulls out some medical calipers to assist her kicks. She’s really cool, but she’s hardly the best character in the game—they are all similarly quirky and idiosyncratic. you may playZeldamusic with one character’s moveset, for example, and another shape-shifts in order to personify various components of ancient Egyptian mythology.
All ofSkullgirls’characters are a little weird, sure, but they’re also overflowing with personality. Give them half a chance, and theywillcharm the heck out of you.
Game Feel, Difficulty, and Music
Not only does every character have great design and personality, they eachplaymarkedly different from one another. That’s becauseSkullgirls’ spirit of inventiveness extends to each and every move in the game. Every dash, button, special move, and super is lovingly handcrafted and unique. The attention to detail is amazing. It’s especially amazing when you consider that this is a six-button fighter and that each character has a plethora of special attacks and super moves.
Every button press is a treat inSkullgirls, which is definitely a good thing–you’ll be hitting a lot of them. Combos are quite lengthy, and the game expects you to move at a frenetic pace. While you’re able to play at lower levels and still have fun, of course, you’ll soon want to start optimizing and competing against the monsters that play online. That requires an intimate acquaintance with your character’s buttons, moves, and movement options.
And that’s probably the one downside toSkullgirls—it isn’t exactly easy on newcomers. Even if you bring a basic knowledge of “fighting game things” to the table, your first match online willnotgo well. Combos last a long time inSkullgirls, and resets can happen in the blink of an eye. If you don’t know what to look for and how to defend yourself when the opportunity presents itself, the round will be over before you’ve even had a chance to play. With a little time and effort, though, you’ll soon be terrorizing newbies yourself.
In the meantime, there are so many things to enjoy aboutSkullgirls. For instance, in addition to great characters and animations,Skullgirlsalso has a wonderful soundtrack. The game’s two primary composers are Vincent Diamante and Michiru Yamane. Diamante had previously composed the music forFlower(2010), and Yamane forCastlevania: Symphony of the Night(1997). Like everything else aboutSkullgirls, its music is unique, memorable, and wonderful.
Online Legacy
Before I address how the Switch handles this monolith of a fighting game, I’d like to commemorate the quality ofSkullgirls’online play. When it first released in 2012, even marquee releases likeStreet Fighter IVandMarvel vs. Capcom 3were painful to play online.Skullgirls, though, ran as smooth as silk. It was a revelation.Skullgirlswas the game that showed everyone how good online play could be.
I know what you’re thinking: “What’s the big deal? Games have been online forever. Who cares if this one ran well?” Well, fighting games are trickier than most games when it comes to online play. Every moment of every second is crucially important, so every dropped frame can be the difference between winning and losing. Very few fighting games have nailed the online experience, andSkullgirlsis one of them. In fact, aside from this year’sMortal Kombat 11, no other fighting game has even come close to replicating the quality ofSkullgirls’ online play.
So how about the Switch release?
Skullgirlsis stillSkullgirls. It’s awesome. However, is there enough in the Switch version to warrant a new purchase? If you’ve already got the game on other platforms—no. There isn’t anything new here. This is just a re-release ofSkullgirls2ndEncore.
On the other hand, if you’ve never played this game, then maybe the Switch version is the right one for you. The Switch’s native portability is always a plus—you can bring it to parties or play it in bed, I guess—and there aren’tmanydownsides to playing on the Switch.Skullgirlsstill looks great here, and for the most part, it still runs great.
That said, there are—at present—a few bugs plaguing the Switch version of the game. Getting into online matches, for instance, is a problem. If you’re able to get into a match, it’ll run great—same old (fantastic)Skullgirlsnetplay, even on a Wifi connection. However, at present, there seems to be some kind of glitch that prevents people from connecting with one another.
There are also a couple of bugs that affect the game’s sound. The first of these regards the game’s story mode. Other versions of the game have a “fully-voiced” story mode—voice actors deliver every line. The Switch version, at the moment, offers no such voice acting. The other sound bug messes with the game’s background music. Some stages will occasionally load without a backing soundtrack, which is super odd and eerie. I’ve also heard others complain about stages playing two songs at once, but I haven’t experienced this issue directly.
Finally, 12 of the game’s 23 stages are currently “locked” on the Switch version of the game.2nd Encoreis supposed to be the definitive edition ofSkullgirls, and that means it should come complete with every character, color, and stage. That’s how it works on other platforms, and I’m sure this is just an unfortunate oversight that will soon be corrected.
So the Switch version has some issues. However, the good news is that all of these problems are likely going to be fixed. The team behind the port (Skybound Games) is “aware” of the bugs, and they are trying to make things right. Soon, this game will be (almost) as good as it is on other platforms.
Moving forward, there’s only one issue that will continue to be a problem with this version ofSkullgirls: load times. Load screens on the Switch linger forjusta bit too long. They aren’t terrible, of course, but when it comes to fighting games, getting in and out of matches in a snappy manner is very important to me. In this regard, the Switch definitely lags things up a tad. That’s the price we pay for increased portability, I suppose.
Bottom Line
I’ve already calledSkullgirlsone of the best fighting games ever, and I think that’s all you need to know. If you like the genre but have somehow missed out, I urge you to pick up2nd Encoreimmediately. The Switch version is a little buggy at the moment, but it’ll be perfectly fine in a hot minute. You can also find2nd Encore(for cheap) on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
