This is the second Skautfold game I’ve reviewed, and frankly, the two couldn’t be more different!
The previous game, Skautfold: Usurper, was a Metroidvania-style platformer, while this new entry, Skautfold: Into the Fray, is a twin-stick shooter. These aren’t genres that often coexist within a franchise, but who am I to complain?
Developed by Pugware and published by Red Art Games, can Skautfold: Into the Fray add something new to the franchise and prove to be a worthy entry, or are we better off playing one of the seemingly countless other twin-stick shooters available?
Story is an area where most shooters tend to skimp, relying on the core gameplay loop of shooting enemies. Skautfold: Into the Fray takes a different approach, providing a backstory, complete with unskippable cutscenes. You play as Hito, the Third Knight of the Five Knights of the Empire. In 1899, you’re sent to the island of Portland to investigate a missing royal and a rebellious organisation called the Sons of Washington. But that’s not all: there’s an eldritch ritual underway, and the island is blanketed in The Fog, an ominous force that you must stop. So, quite a lot to do, then.
The visual style of the previous game continues here. Skautfold: Into the Fray is presented in an effective pixel art style and while all the characters and enemies are composed of pixels, the designs are surprisingly expressive. The environments are varied and well-designed, from outdoor towns to dank caves, keeping the exploration interesting. The game uses a traditional top-down perspective, and the action is fast-paced. The sound is pretty good as well, with the reports of the various guns that we can find and use being well represented. The music is equally good, with an eerie undertone that matches the action very well. Overall, Skautfold: Into the Fray has a strong retro aesthetic.
For those unfamiliar with twin-stick shooters, here’s how it works: the left stick controls your character’s movement, while the right stick aims your weapon, independent of your movement direction. This allows you to run left while shooting right, for example. Therefore, precise and responsive controls are crucial.
Unfortunately, this is where Skautfold: Into the Fray falters. The aiming feels imprecise, like the aim is slightly off from where you are pushing the stick, which is problematic when ammunition is scarce. Countless times, I’ve unloaded on enemies, only to see shots miss by a hair. Meanwhile, the enemies have pinpoint accuracy and can hit you from a distance. I’ve even been shot by off-screen enemies, which is incredibly frustrating. I resorted to trying to get the enemies to come at me from one of the four compass points in an attempt to hit them, and while this did sort of work, it isn’t sustainable when you are rushing about trying to stay alive.
The rest of the gameplay is fairly standard for the genre: explore the area, defeat enemies, find new weapons, and disrupt enemy plans by interrupting rituals. Acquiring experimental weapons can provide some relief, but the game’s difficulty is incredibly punishing, even on “easy”, as enemies are relentless and can quickly overwhelm you.
It means that while Skautfold: Into the Fray has potential, yet the poor controls on Xbox hold it back, with the aiming feeling much better suited for a keyboard and mouse setup. The story is engaging, but the frustrating controls and punishing difficulty might deter many players.
Unfortunately, Skautfold: Into the Fray is not the strongest entry in the Skautfold series.
Skautfold: Into the Fray Brings Top-Down Eldritch Action to Consoles – https://www.thexboxhub.com/skautfold-into-the-fray-brings-top-down-eldritch-action-to-consoles/
Buy Skautfold: Into the Fray on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/skautfold-into-the-fray/9nvp9rzvphtg
