Thu Dec 09 2021
- Added iCloud support
- Indicating existing controller support properly
- Performance improvements
- Updated App Previews
- Minor fixes
Skeletal Avenger is a breath of fresh air for the rogue-lite genre on mobile. The 'head-chucking' mechanic isn't just a gimmick; it’s a tactical tool that changes how you approach every room. The combat feels punchy and responsive, which is vital for a game that demands quick dodges and precise strikes. I love the dark, slightly humorous aesthetic of being an undead warrior seeking vengeance.
The progression feels meaningful. You aren't just getting higher numbers; you're finding perks that fundamentally change your playstyle, like making your head explode or leave a trail of fire. My only gripe is that the camera can occasionally feel a bit tight in smaller rooms, but overall, it's one of the most polished hack-and-slash experiences on the App Store.
Unique decapitation mechanics
Procedurally generated dungeons
Deep character customization
Fast, fluid combat
Vengeance-based progression
Your head is a powerful projectile but leaves you vulnerable while it's away. Use it to trigger traps or thin out crowds before diving in with your primary weapon.
As you level up during a run, look for perks that stack. Combining 'explosive head' with 'multi-shot' can clear entire rooms instantly.
Yes, Skeletal Avenger has full MFi controller support for a console-like experience.
Edit: updated to remove one star for a 4/5. This game runs rather fine on my old iPad Pro. Today I tried playing on my iPhone 11 Pro Max with default settings also using a controller and there were times of considerable frame rate drops. It seemed to be worst in areas with a lot of translucent walls. This is on the earliest levels too. I can imagine it wouldn’t be any better later when there’s a lot more commotion on screen. Also no cloud saves?? 🤔 Still a great game but I won’t be playing on my phone. I’ll stick to the iPad. Original: I’ve acquired a few 10tons games lately and this was a day-1 immediate acquisition (and I will likely get it for Xbox too) that I did not hesitate about. I’ve played only one other roguelite dungeon crawler in recent memory that is great in its own right (albeit more expensive) and I was curious how Skeletal Avenger would stack up against that: in short, I’m impressed from the 2-3 hours I’ve played so far. The gameplay is smooth and fluid with just enough variety in equipment/perks/etc and general ways to “avenge” to keep it all quite interesting. I’m playing on iOS 14 with an iPad Pro 11inch second-gen and Xbox Series X controller, and will be playing on an iPhone 11 Pro Max with the Backbone One controller as well. I haven’t tried without a controller and I think it would be tougher, not sure. Anyway keep up the great work. I’ll update this review if needed as I dump more hours into it.
This is a cool little dungeon crawler/rogue-like game. Needs controller support to push it over the top.
Wow, I was really impressed and really entertained by this rogue like. It has all the hallmark traits of a good action game. The difficulty is well balanced and fair. The enemies in the levels are also really interesting and unique enough with each other. Highly recommended.
Just what I was hoping it would be, roguelike with good combat and perks/upgrades/trinkets etc. to spice up the gameplay. Add fire damage to your skull that u use as a ranged weapon, or cause electric damage when you dash..….that kind of good stuff. Highly recommend!
Basically the same dungeon over and over. Same weapons, same equipment. Same moves. Very nice looking game and the controls are smooth but gets boring really quickly. They should lower the price to 1.99.
Great game you made there. Keep the updates going. Loving the feel and the controller support is fluid and amazing. Kudos
Super fun. Great graphics. Backbone one works!
It’s a lot like Undead Horde except more streamlined and your ‘horde’ is more…. Your skull that you can throw at enemies and funnel abilities into (otherwise picking them for your whole body or weapons). Your base consists of a vendor to spend your gold for equips, another to spend it for general upgrades, a mirror that houses stats and a couple compendiums for found abilities and monsters you’ve engaged. Lastly, there’s a quest map, letting you choose between easy, medium and hard areas scattered across the map. There are also bloodstones that you can use for…. Something. I don’t know as I’ve only played the game 3 times and have lost my save two of those times, so I’ve just finished dumping another 30 minutes into the game (after loosing about 90 minutes or so for the last two times combined), starting from scratch again and haven’t been able to save up enough for the dungeon keeper (?) guy to offer me whatever he’s going to offer for them. The quests take a decent amount of time to complete, as you’ll be making your way through 4-5 (or more?) different ‘levels’ before reaching each quest’s main boss guy that you need to kill. Thankfully (I think?) there’s a ‘save + exit’ option in the pause menu, so you can (hopefully) come back to your game if you need a break or just can’t finish the section before having to quit. I’m kind of scared to boot it back up and actually select my game from the save slots…. It’s there, but I’ve had games not want to save again right after jumping into a previous save file…. Guess I’ll see if I loose it again tomorrow when I have another chunk of time to put into the game. But even without this save issue I’m having, I’d rate the game as 3 stars. I’m sure that me putting a TON of time into Undead Horde is influencing this, as I was really hoping for something that set itself apart from that a bit more. After watching the trailer I wasn’t too sure, and I probably should have done what I do with Switch games and read a few reviews as well, but it’s 10tons…. The game looks and feels great. And I’d be having a blast if I wasn’t already so familiar with Undead Horde. 🤷🏻 I’d still recommend it, especially if you haven’t picked up UH yet. I’d probably even recommend it above Undead Horde just because of how streamlined yet still deep enough to be interesting it is. They really seemed to find that perfect balance here… and I’m sure that loads of people are going to have (or already have been having) a great time with it. ***aaaaaand I just booted it up and would ya look at that….. my save has been erased yet again…..