Before playing Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition, I never would have thought I’d find undead samurai adorable. But, well, here we are. I didn’t get the chance to play Skulls of the Shogun when it first released last January on Xbox Live Arcade and Windows 8 (seriously, who uses Windows 8?) despite my love of strategy titles, so consider this review a blank slate; a fresh look for those, like me, who haven’t had the opportunity to play one of the more unique, for better or worse, turn-based strategy games available.
Developer 17-bit made Skulls of the Shogun with beginner turn-based strategists in mind. In other words, this isn’t Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, but rather a more straightforward and accessible game. With just three basic infantry units, you’ll find Skulls of the Shogun much more manageable to pick up than the aforementioned giants of the genre.
That’s not to say Skulls of the Shogun lacks depth. Outside of basic skirmishes, you’ll find yourself summoning four different magical units, haunting rice paddies to to pay for high-tiered magical spells and reinforcements, munching on the skulls of your slain enemies to power up your undead soldiers, and keeping your own general alive long enough to slay the enemy general. With only five commands available per turn, all this never becomes overwhelming. Rather, you will find yourself acting more often than stopping to strategize because there are so many options available. Since Skulls of the Shogun isn’t a punishing game, this keeps the battles moving at a fast pace, but at the same time you’ll find the game lacks a significant challenge.
As well, 17-bit opted out of grid-based constraints in favor of free roaming movement, although each unit has a specific range. This makes the turn-based combat feel less mathematical and rigid, but at the same time gauging distances between enemies and precarious ledges becomes difficult and takes away from the tactical, precise feel you might expect from a tactics game. Often, a unit of mine was left vulnerable because I misjudged how much movement I had left. Other times, units were so clustered together that I haunted a shrine instead of ate a skull, or chose an archer when I meant to select a cavalry unit. These issues wouldn’t be issues on a grid-based system.
While Skulls of the Shogun features a multiplayer component with all this in play, the charming campaign is the main attraction. In the campaign, you’ll follow General Akamoto after he wakes up betrayed, dead, and in limbo. He gathers together a band of undead samurai and storms his way through dozens of Japanese-styled settings, hell-bent on getting his revenge. That sounds kind of terrifying, but I assure you Akamoto’s quest is far more adorable than frightening.
Really, Skulls of the Shogun shines when the beautifully hand-drawn undead and creatures from Japanese myth throw puns and fourth-wall breaking dialogue at one another. In just about every level during the campaign I cracked a smile at some point, and outright laughed out loud during others, like whenever the alcoholic salamander monk opened his mouth. Simply put, the writing in Skulls of the Shogun is top-notch hilarity, and you’ll want to see General Akamoto’s quest to its conclusion simply because it’s so funny.
With the Steam upgrade, the Bone-A-Fide Edition also includes new content that’s just as charming, but the new mini-campaign, additional monk unit, and multiplayer maps won’t warrant a repurchase if you played through Skulls of the Shogun already. However, newcomers will find the extra content a great addition. More bang for your buck is never a bad thing, right?
All told, if you’ve put in hundreds of hours into Final Fantasy Tactics and cleared a Fire Emblem game without letting a unit die, Skulls of the Shogun lacks the sheer depth and challenge you would expect from a turn-based strategy game. From a gameplay perspective, the game is simply too loose when it comes to tactics to recommend to hardcore strategists. Be that as it may, Skulls of the Shogun is much more accessible than these other titles, and its humor and charm are more than enough to pull you through to the end of General Akamoto’s undead journey.
Final Verdict
7 out of 10
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition was developed by 17-bit. It was released on July 29, at the MSRP of $14.99 A copy was provided by the publisher for the purposes of review.
