GOTD 4/27/2016: Skullmonkeys (PS1)

[celerystalker]

Skullmonkeys for the original Playstation is a 2D platformer sequel to the cult favorite point and click adventure, The Neverhood, for PC (and PS1 in Japan) famous for its detailed clay sculpted visuals meticulously hand crafted and photographed to create an immersive, creepy world. Skullmonkeys retains this striking style, but puts it into the framework of an action game. You run and hop on enemies, collecting clay and picking up some other powerups to defeat the previous game's boss, Klogg, who has now become king of the Skullmonkeys, and armed them to the teeth.

The game is fairly lengthly, broken up into 17 levels broken up into about 3 stages each with the occasional boss. Levels have a load of secrets and verticality, with several available paths to your eventual goal. The good news is, for all of the out of the way items stashed everywhere, they are purely optional, offering powerups, bonus lives, and the odd bonus room to loot, and not some crazy shit you have to scour the world for in order to get the real ending. That doesn't mean it's a cakewalk, though, as the game is chock full of platforming hazards and cruelly-placed enemies. Fortunately, you have a nice selection of powerups available to expand your arsenal. From hamsters as shields, light balls to fire, halos giving you an extra hit, clay attack birds, and even farts that create gas doubles of yourself to allow an extra hit or safely explore ahead, you have the tools to beat those monkeys.

The controls are solid and simple enough, and are adequate to traverse the stages. The tricky thing is that you must land pretty squarely on the enemy heads in order to kill them instead of yourself. The graphics are tremendous, oozing with atmosphere and personality in ways that aren't likely to be replicated in the future. The soundtrack is notoriously fantastic, and the bonus room song is as amusing as you may have heard (if you have).

Really, that's what Skullmonkeys is... a good (not amazing) platformer with style and personality to burn. The care that went into creating the Neverhood games makes them easy to like, and certainly fun enough to finish. One side note-the US version uses passwords, whereas the Japanese version allows memory card saves.

Played this one? Any fond memories from it or The Neverhood?

[Aussie2B]

Love the style of this series, both visually and the music. The controls in Skullmonkeys are way too slippery for my tastes, though, and kills a lot of the entertainment value in the actual platforming for me. It's sort of as if every stage is one of the ice stages in Donkey Kong Country.

[Steve W]

I bought this one in a thrift store many years ago. Turns out the heavily taped up jewel case was empty when I got home and inspected my prize. Still mad about that, eight years later.

[celerystalker]

I bought this one in a thrift store many years ago. Turns out the heavily taped up jewel case was empty when I got home and inspected my prize. Still mad about that, eight years later.

I'd be bitter about that as well. That kind of thing is deflating to a fun find.

Aussie- The controls definitely can feel a bit slippery, especially when running. What helped me was when I realized that if I let go of the run button before I hit the ground, he stops on a dime. It made all of the tiny platform hopping way more tolerable.