Despite the first of five in the Metroidvania series Skautfold releasing on PC way back in 2016, we have only been treated to its Eldritch horrors on Xbox since last year. We enjoyed Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity due to its tough-as-nails Souls-esque combat. However, we were not fans of its pacing, nor its lack of a proper tutorial. Perhaps the second entry into the series – Skautfold: Usurper – will fare better.
Dark and Dingy
Releasing today on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch, following its initial release on PC in 2018, Skautfold: Usurper is certainly not sunshine and rainbows. This pixelated gothic Metroidvania is sets itself in an alternative 1898 London, and is perhaps more dark, damp and dangerous than real-life 2023 London, if such a thing is possible.
Whilst following on from the events of the first title, little prior knowledge is required to jump into Usurper. In a nutshell, Empress Eleanor has recently been re-crowned, and has sent her most loyal Knights to the Citadel, to rid London of its terrifying monsters. In the meantime, Waltham – the leader of the Weimar – is in town to utilise the Citadel’s power for the benefit of his own nefarious interests.
An Original Battle System
Developers Pugware are keen to emphasise their innovative battle system that you will be mastering throughout Skautfold: Usurper. The ‘Guard’ system will see you kitted out with ‘Guard points’, which act as an additional HP over your basic health. In a risk/reward system, you can choose to charge through an enemy attack – time it right, and you restore Guard points; time it wrong, and you lose them, opening yourself up to further damage to your basic health pool.
It’s an interesting system, that means that both gung-ho and cautious players can make the most out of the game’s combat system. There’s also different character builds to spec into, over 90 unique weapons to try out, from katanas, to cannons, to spells, as well as the ability to reflect enemy attacks against one another. It’s incredibly complex, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from a Metroidvania RPG.
Key Features
- Beautiful pixel art graphics
- Intriguing story and universe
- Challenging Metroidvania Action-RPG
- Massive interconnected world
- Rewarding Guard system
- Customizable difficulty settings
- Tons of secrets, additional areas and optional bosses
- Languages supported: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Skautfold: Usurper on Xbox is Available Now
Whether a fan of the original, or a new player to the series, Skautfold: Usurper is a complex Souls-like for anyone. You can now pick up the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and PC. On Xbox, the Xbox Store has you sorted for £12.49.
Our review is incoming.
Game Description
Usurper is a Metroidvania Action-RPG. With Eldritch horrors having been unleashed by the outer-worldly Citadel, your job is to rid London of its terrors and defeat the Navigator! Use the new “”””Guard”””” system that rewards skillful play and accuracy to uncover the massive structure and defeat the nightmares lurking within.
This sequel to Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity does not require knowledge of the previous game. Recently re-crowned Empress Eleanor has assembled the royal forces and her four most loyal Knights to enter the Citadel in hopes of learning more, and hopefully finding a way to rid London of its terrors. Meanwhile, Waltham, leader of the Weimar, uses his own forces to ascend the Citadel and challenge its leader, the Navigator, for his own… purposes…
