Game Reviews

A Skeleton Story – Episode 1

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A Skeleton Story – Episode 1

It's taken a while, but it seems that comic books are finally getting the right treatment in Hollywood.

The Dark Knight, Kick Ass, and Scott Pilgrim have earned rave reviews from film critics and comic fans alike. When will iPhone game developers catch up?

Gameloft seems to have nailed the crash-bang-wallop stuff with Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem, but on the evidence of A Skeleton Story – Episode 1 there’s still some way to go when it comes to sympathetic adaptations.

The good intro's connected to a poor game

If you haven't heard of the comic, that's probably because it's a quirky Italian offering rather than the usual Marvel superhero fare. It centres around Will Musil, a skeleton detective in the Kingdom of the Dead.

After a stunning introductory movie, which pulls you into this wonderful cartoon-gothic (under)world, you're sure to expect big things from A Skeleton Story. That's a shame, because what you get is a third-rate platform-runner (or whatever we're calling Canabalt variants this week).

In control of Will, you embark on a trudge across some repetitive rooftops (some of which collapse), chasing an errant cat and taking out opposing henchmen with your revolver.

Between levels you can upgrade core abilities, though this comes across as a token attempt to add a little more meat to the bones of an incredibly skinny game.

The poor game's connected to a shoddy control system

The action is painfully clunky, with the virtual controls sticky and unreliable. Will moves, perhaps not inappropriately, like he's suffering from the onset of rigor mortis, and his jumps have a nasty, floaty feel to them.

The combat, too, is poor. Your bullets hardly move faster than you, so when an opposing henchman pops up suddenly - which happens with annoying regularity - you literally have to stop to take your shot in order to avoid taking damage.

That would be fine - well, almost tolerable - if it weren't for the aforementioned cat, who constantly runs away from you. Allow the distance meter to hit 100 per cent and it's Game Over.

Which is a bit of a relief, all things considered. Hopefully future episodes of A Skeleton Story will take things in a completely different direction. Otherwise, it'll amount to an apt interpretation of purgatory: repetitive, punishing, and deathly dull.

A Skeleton Story – Episode 1

A Skeleton Story – Episode 1 betrays its source material by showing a complete lack of invention and wit; this turgid platformer is a wasted opportunity to create something fresh and exciting
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Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.