A Dark & Twisted Tale: A Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC

When I heard that there was a retro-inspired game in the works that combined Metroidvania and soulslike elements in a dark fantasy setting, I just knew that I had to play it. To that end, I followed the development of Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona (Which I'm going to refer to simply as "Skelethrone" from now on.) for about a year, and I counted down the days to when it finally received a full release. That wait is over, and it's available now on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. We're going to be taking a look at the Switch version today, and find out if the game was everything I hoped it would be. Considering how long I had to wait for this moment to finally arrive, I think I can be forgiven for cutting the intro short. Let's dive right into this one!

Our tale begins with a skeletal figure returning to the world of the living following what must've been an epic battle. Epic or not, the battle clearly ended years ago, and our hero has to arm himself with the broken gear of other fallen warriors. We don't know it yet, but our bony boy is none other than Derek Ericona, a lord who once faced off against the overly ambitious Queen Aurora. This effort obviously proved to be futile, and ended in his death. Though revenge becomes the driving force of this story, our skeletal warrior must first figure out who he is. After traversing the land he comes across those who remember the war, those who betrayed him in the past, and those who have done him wrong but are still alive. Unfortunately for Ericona, few are able to understand the words of a skeleton. The plot moves rather slow, but it's a shockingly dark tale that isn't afraid to deal with death openly and frequently. Slow or not, Skelethrone's plot is probably the single best aspect of the game. I just wish the opening of the game gave new players more details about the world itself. Actually, one of the strangest things about the release of Skelethrone is that it had an entire prequel game that told the story of the war that ultimately took Ericona's life. Skelethrone: The Prey is that prequel game, and it's available for free on Steam. Perhaps due to being a free game, it didn't make its way to consoles. Playing it isn't completely necessary, but it reveals so much of the plot and setting that I'm shocked it wasn't somehow incorporated into the main game once it was released. I have to assume that there was a reason for this, but it made me feel that console gamers, and those simply unaware of the prequel's existence, were only getting half of the story. I'm getting ahead of the review here, but advice is to play that prequel first. With that out of the way, let's move on to discussing gameplay.

Skelethrone is a Metroidvania game, but it also has plenty of RPG elements. Our skeleton hero gains experience with every kill, and that experience is used to level up. This level up mechanic doesn't increase stats across the board though, instead you pick and choose which stats get a slight boost. These stat improvements are more important than you probably think as they not only allow you to become more powerful over time, but they also affect what type of equipment you can use. Each subsequent level requires more experience to attain, so it may be a while until you're able to adjust your stats again if you made a bad choice. You don't have to worry too much about placing points into stats that later turn out to be unimportant though, as there is also a mechanic that allows you to reset your levels if you mess up badly, or if you simply want to give another build a try. That said, it's best to have a set idea in your head, and simply work towards it. Besides the level up system, there's also a skill tree that provides even bigger stat increases, as well as additional skills. This is used more infrequently though. And just because I know I'll forget to mention it elsewhere in the review, I can't stress enough how challenging of a game Skelethrone actually is. You'll have your hands full even on the standard difficulty setting, and only the hardcore will find the harder difficulties at all palatable. Thankfully there are easier settings you can choose at the start of the game, and these still allow you to experience the full game.

Our bony friend can run, jump, attack, and dodge by default, and he gains plenty of additional skills and abilities as the game progresses. The first new ability you'll gain is the double jump, and this simple addition is arguably the most important one in the entire game. It may not look like it on the surface, but Skelethrone has plenty tricky platforming sections. This is a Metroidvania that decided to throw Mario gameplay into the mix too, but with death having far greater consequences. The way the game handles death is clearly inspired by the Souls games, as it can set your progress back quite a bit if you're not careful. Dying in any capacity causes you to lose all the experience you've collected up to that point, and it's placed into an "essence" that sits near the spot where you died. You have one chance and one chance only to get said essence back, and if you die again you can consider it gone forever. This wouldn't be so bad if you only had to worry about dying from an enemy or a boss, but there are plenty of other ways to die too. Not only does Skelethrone feature instant death pits and traps, but it has fall damage as well. If you take a leap of faith and miscalculate your landing, you'll be making that run back for you essence while also attempting a platforming section from hell. Dying also spawns you at the nearest save/check point. These are placed rather generously around the world, but you can still be unlucky enough to find you spawned several rooms back from where your essence was left. Considering that enemies respawn when you leave a room, and factoring in that you may be in a slightly weakened state, the stakes suddenly skyrocket. Most of this in eliminated in the easier difficulty settings, but it's something you'll have to deal with frequently no matter what.

Combat is the other place where Skelethrone resembles the Souls series, though it pulls it off in a more simplified way. Most similar to that series I keep mentioning, is the way that dodging is handled. Not only are you able to dodge just about every attack, but you'll need to if you want to last more than a couple of encounters. Dodging while moving forward causes you to roll, and dodging while standing has you leap backwards to safety. The latter move can also be coupled with a counter-attack, and it's one of the most important abilities to master if you want to be successful at combat. Depending on what weapon you have placed in your secondary slot, you might also be able to deflect some attacks. Equipping a shield allows you to block attacks outright, and a parry can be performed if you block at the exact time an attack is unleashed. Combined with standard attacks, you have a surprisingly deep system that uses the simplest of mechanics. Dodging, attacks, and even unleashing special skills all have cooldowns, with the ones pertaining to skills being the longest. You can also drink a limited number of potions to heal yourself, or use an item that teleports you to safety. These last two have the added risk of taking seconds to pull off, but they are invaluable in keeping you alive. There's plenty more to get into as far as combat and enemy types are concerned, but I guess something has to be left for players to discover on their own.

Exploration is the name of the game in a Metroidvania title, and Skelethrone is no different. You start out in a battlefield full of bodies, and go through all the sub-area tropes that you'd expect find in a game like this. There are forests, swamps, dungeons, castles, and more to explore, with each of them having their own unique enemies. Most areas have a boss or two that you'll have to take out in order to progress, with these usually allowing for further progression once they are defeated. Enemies aren't the only threat, as there are plenty of environmental dangers to worry about as well. These can be the most serious too, as some can kill you instantly. Save points are scattered throughout each area, and you eventually gain the ability to teleport between them. Besides this, you also can open up shortcuts that allow you to skip some of the tediousness involved with revisiting already explored areas. Speaking of which, the game also provides you with a map. Helpful as it may be, I found myself wishing that it were more detailed. Several modern Metroidvania games help out the player by marking paths currently closed to you, or show you hints as to where your next destination is, but Skelethrone pretty much leaves you to your own devices. Lastly, there are town areas to visit as well, and several NPCs who drop bits of lore, hand out quests of all types, or who may simply be blocking your path.

For the most part, my time with Skelethrone was a blast. It's a fast-moving game, and I found its dark and foreboding atmosphere to somehow be charming in its own way. I quickly acquired a good grasp on most of the gameplay mechanics, and I was even managing to survive the games surprisingly difficult Normal setting. Then I encountered several game breaking bugs that soured the experience slightly. I didn't mention this earlier, but most boss encounters end with you being given the choice to kill or spare them. This can move you into certain of endings later on in the game, but most of the time it just changes the cutscene that plays after you defeat them. I encountered the first boss in the forest and was not aware of this mechanic since I had just started the game. When the countdown came up, I didn't realize I was supposed to press the attack button rapidly, and I let the counter run down to zero. I'm not sure if the developer figured no one would do this, or if I just somehow broke the game, but the boss simply left. I don't mean they got ready for another attack, or just survived but I still won, I mean they left. I didn't get the double jump upgrade I later learned they were supposed to give, and the NPC I was supposed to save was just lying there unable to be talked to. The game actually progressed from there, and I was even given dialogue that reflected what just happened. The problem was that I didn't have the double jump, and was now stuck. I restarted the game, and without getting into another detailed story, I faced a similar issue in the swamp area. I had to restart the game three times before I was able to make it to the end, and for all I know that was due to luck. I'm not sure if these bugs are particular to the version I played (on the Nintendo Switch), or exist across the board, but they were obviously very annoying. I hope no one else has to deal with the issues I did, but it's a testament to how great the game is otherwise that I soldiered on.

Visually, Skelethrone mixes hand-drawn visuals and retro styled graphics into something truly unique. Everything is presented in pixelated glory, and that extends to things like the gore and nudity found in-game. This is a game that earns its M rating, and it looks great doing it. Despite the fact that may look like a long-lost PSOne game, there are still plenty of modern touches that'll remind you that you're playing a game released in 2024. Those touches include things like impressive backgrounds that are packed full of small details, and large and imposing bosses that feel epic in scope. There are several more too, but I guess I'll leave them for you to discover on your own. Though you'll encounter plenty of enemy types throughout the game, some of their designs can be a bit hit or miss when compared to each other. I'm not sure if it was due to the sole developer being more inspired when creating certain enemies over others, but there were several that feel like they never moved beyond the sketching stage. Thankfully there aren't too many that fall into that category, but it can be distracting when the visuals suddenly look a bit too homebrew for their own good. Small negatives aside, Skelethrone is a beautifully dark game, and it oozes a gothic atmosphere that most horror games wish they could achieve. The dark and foreboding energy of the underground areas is sharply contrasted by bright outdoors ones. Rather than feel like complete opposites, they instead come off feeling like two sides of the same coin. This is a world in turmoil, and the visual style reflects that perfectly.

If there is one disappointing aspect of Skelethrone, it would have to be its sound design. It all begins with the soundtrack, which sadly isn't very good. I'm not saying that the music is bad by any means, but it feels like it's barely there half the time. I guess one could call the soundtrack "atmospheric", but that belittles games that manage to pull of that style perfectly. I had a hard time not only finding things I liked about the soundtrack, but also simply hearing it as well. It's mixed slightly lower than you'd expect, and the surprisingly calm nature of much of the music allows it to simply come and go without drawing attention to itself. It may add something to the general melancholic mood, but I'm not convinced that was done on purpose. If that weren't bad enough, the game doesn't feature any voice acting at all. Admittedly I wasn't expecting an indie title like this to be fully voiced, but the lack of a vocal track only accentuates how quiet everything is. There's a strange silence that hangs over much of the game, with only the sound effects ever truly giving the world life. I guess there are a few moments where the soundtrack suddenly kick starts into life, but those kind of moments are unfortunately not very common. I can toss a positive the game's way considering that the sound effects themselves are well done, but I was hoping for so much more considering how great the presentation is otherwise.

Depending on how often you die, and how well you're able to recall locations you previously weren't able to clear, you can beat Skelethrone in about 4-8 hours. That wide estimate also allows for how thorough you wish to be, as well as how powered up of a character you're going for. It's a game full of options, and I'm here for that sort of thing. Not only can you tailor aspects of the gameplay experience to your style of play, but there are plenty of secrets and optional questlines to keep an eye out for. There's even alternate endings if you can stomach an entirely new playtrough. That's not even going into things like trying out the game on a harder difficulty. There's lots of content here, and it's all available for an extremely reasonable $14.99. This might not be the most polished Metroidvania out there, but it is among the most unique. That price makes picking it up casually a lot easier, and that's good as this is a game worth playing.

Even though I can think of a few negatives, and despite the fact that I somehow managed to uncover a couple progression-blocking bugs, I still have to give Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona a full recommendation. Fans of soulslike games, the Metroidvania genre, or Action RPGs in general, will find something to enjoy here. It has a story that is sure to draw you in and keep you invested, and gameplay that you can tweak to your liking. More casual players might be frustrated by the wonky gameplay and hit or miss presentation, but there's still enough here to keep the experience on the mostly positive side. Give it a chance if you're so inclined, and you just might be surprised by what the game delivers. Oh, and be sure to play that prequel game! See you in the next one!

Check Out Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/skelethrone-the-chronicles-of-ericona-switch/

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Story: A-
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A-
Music/Sound: B-
Value: A

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A cool mix of Metroidvania style gameplay, with soulslike mechanics.
+ Though the story is delivered slowly throughout the game, it's one of the best aspects of the entire experience.
+ Graphics are somehow both retro and modern, and the melancholic nature of the game's world is executed perfectly.
+ Difficulty options allow more casual players to still experience the game, while still offering an intense challenge for those who seek it.
+ Different character builds make the game highly replayable, and there are even multiple endings.
+ Feels like a steal at just $14.99.

+/- Be sure to pick up the free prequel game Skelethrone: The Prey on Steam if you want to get the full story!

Cons:
- Some of the monster designs feel rather inspired, and certain background elements can be hard to make out.
- Can be brutally hard at times on the default difficulty setting.
- The overall sound design is rather weak. Not only is the soundtrack lacking, but there is no voice acting at all. This makes for a very quiet experience.
- It can be easy to get lost unless you take notes yourself, and I encountered several progression-blocking bugs during my time with the game.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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This brings back memories...

#Skelethrone