MSRP: $9.99
Platforms: Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, XBox 360
Release: 8/22/13
Steam rating: 94% positive
Today, I learned that I completely lack the manual dexterity to play fighting games with a keyboard. And also, that I really really dislike it when a game tells you to press a key that’s not actually on your keyboard.
For the record, when you first go into Skullgirls – the LK button is actually the Z key if you’re using the default layout. I’m not entirely sure why they couldn’t just say that, but it took me forever to figure out which button was the LK (light kick) button. I still haven’t figured out how to return to the main menu from inside the game.
Control scheme irritations aside, I can see why this game is popular with folks who like fighting games, but it did nothing for me. Story mode on easy is simple enough that I could get through the first several battles with no idea how to do basic things like crouch, block, or perform any kind of combo. I decided to visit the tutorials instead, and try to learn how to actually play the game.
Now the tutorials are no joke, and with the arrow keys on your standard keyboard, it can be difficult to manage to press the right buttons precisely enough that the game recognizes them as pressed simultaneously. I spent an obnoxiously long time on some of the tutorials, not because I couldn’t fathom what it was asking me to do, but because I couldn’t do it. It feels like there’s a lot of good information there, though, for someone more dexterous than I am, or someone comfortable with a controller.
If, at some point in the future, I decide to go back to Skullgirls, I will do it with a controller in hand to see if that will feel more natural. For fighting game aficionados, Skullgirls might be a value title to add to your library if you’re on board with the anime aesthetic.
366 Days of Gaming 