Raskulls
Encyclopedia
Raskulls is an action
platform game
video game independently developed by Halfbrick and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360
via Xbox Live Arcade
. It was released on December 29, 2010. In Raskulls players must navigate through platform-based levels filled with blocks of varying shape and size. The characters must use their brick-breaking wands to create the fastest route to the end of the level.
Raskulls received above average reviews from critics; it currently averages 75/100 at aggregate website Metacritic
and 77.23% at fellow aggregate site GameRankings. Reviewers praised the comic character design, humorous dialogue and emotions, and overall gameplay. Many reviewers praised the number of game modes and the multiplayer component as well, however some reviewers felt the game would not keep its novelty as it aged. Initial sales were high, with over 19,000 units sold during the month of its release.
platform game
where players must move through platform-based levels filled with blocks of different shapes and sizes. The objective is to complete the level in the shortest time possible. The Raskulls possess block-breaking wands, and the key to gaining an advantage is by using the character's wand against the blocks to create the most efficient path through the level. When blocks are destroyed, remaining blocks fall and like-colored blocks combine in large blocks. When four or more gray block come into contact with each other, all touching gray blocks explode.
The single player campaign, known as Mega Quest, takes places over three game worlds. Players navigate from stage to stage using an overworld
layout, similar to Super Mario World
. Once a level is selected, the game switches to a side-scrolling, platforming game. The game consists of ten game types which include Ammo Scrooge and Bomb Disposal. Both offensive and defensive items can be acquired during gameplay to traverse through levels and defeat opponents. One such item, known as Boosties, can be collected within each level which fill the character's Frenzy bar. When Frenzy is activated, the Raskull is powered with super speed while the Frenzy energy depletes. Multiplayer is either online via Xbox Live or up to four players locally via splitscreen
. In addition to attempting to get the best time in a match, players can also use wands and powerups to throw other players off course or into environment hazards. Players can also level up
their characters after multiplayer matches.
The Raskull king sends the Raskull known as Ninja to recover a previously unknown second Shiny Stone from an ancient tomb, under the condition that the latter does not take anything else. Along the way, Ninja encounters Wizard, who opens the door to the temple for him in exchange for a beverage called Jungle Juice; a mummy Raskull who assists in navigating the tombs; the Pirat henchmen Scurv and Barney, who are also searching for the second Shiny Stone; and the Temple Guardian, who attempts to incinerate Ninja with a laser that is reflected back by a mirror that Mummy finds. Stealing the second Shiny Stone from under Captain Turncoat's nose, Ninja is successful in his mission, and the king himself then sets out to recover the first Shiny Stone from the Pirats.
During his journey he encounters opposition from some territorial Raskulls. The king is forced to complete each of the challenges given to progress. Also, Scurv and Barney try to drive him to insanity by hiding under a block and an antique vase, respectively. He eventually arrives at the Pirats' downed ship, which landed near an active volcano called Mount Madness, and recovers the first Shiny Stone only to find out that Captain Turncoat has stolen the second from his castle. The two run into each other on their journey back to their homes. During an initially awkward conversation, the king suggests a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors
to see who gets both Shiny Stones, but is forced to battle the Pirat captain as he pilots his choice, which turns out to be "ship with lots of cannons". When the machine is defeated, Turncoat pulls the second stone from King. This enrages the latter enough to engage in fisticuffs with the former, only to have both Shiny Stones escape their grasp and fall into a pool of lava. The lava erupts, sending the king, the captain and the Pirat's ship flying upward. The captain kicks the king back to the ground and boards his ship as it reaches orbit. As the ship continues to gain momentum the crew discovers that the molten lava is actually cheese, indicating the Raskulls' planet was the cheese planet they were searching for. King falls back to the ground in front of his subjects, who sat watching the battle. However, just after King comments on the battle being a "'cheesy ending'", Dragon reappears and throws a brick into King's face, knocking him out.
via Xbox Live Arcade
on March 27, 2009 at the Game Developers Conference
in San Francisco, California
. Two promo images accompanied the press release and featured King and Dragon, two of the main characters. Following the initial reveal, character profiles were distributed among the gaming media to demonstrate the game's art style and humor. A teaser trailer was also released on May 13, 2009 which took a satirical view on traditional game trailers featuring "epic" music and bold statements, whereas the Raskulls teaser shows an abrupt change in tone as King is shown flexing his muscles in front of a mirror accompanied by elevator music. On June 12 2009, Halfbrick released the first official trailer for Raskulls. The trailer shows various levels, characters and gameplay modes, including snippets of multiplayer. The game was originally slated for a Q3 2009 release, however this was later pushed back. In mid-2009 Halfbrick held a contest in which community members could design their own Raskull based on a template given by Halfbrick. The winning entry was a police-themed Raskull which was added to the game.
In February 2010, Halfbrick posted a poll in order to choose the official cover for the game. The winning box art was announced on March 2, 2010. On May 21, 2010, a Raskulls tournament took place at the Mana Bar
in Brisbane, Australia. It was next shown at Penny Arcade Expo East
in Boston, Massachusetts in April 2010, where it was again made playable to conference attendees. A second tournament at the Mana Bar is scheduled for December 23, 2010, where winners received a free copy of the game upon its release. Raskulls is slated for release on December 29, 2010. The game is also featured in Microsoft's Games for the Holidays promotion. As part of the promotion, additional content is made available if players also purchase A World of Keflings or ilomilo
. Players can also use the mascot from Destructoid
, a video game blog, which can be unlocked during the game's Mega Quest campaign. Raskulls was released for the Xbox 360 on December 29, 2010. On January 26, 2011 Halfbrick released a downloadable content
pack entitled Raskulls Reinforcements 1. It contains four new playable characters; three Raskulls, Viking, Spaceman and Kitten, and one Pirat, Barney.
described Raskulls as "Mario Kart
+ Castle Crashers
+ Bomberman
". It has also drawn comparisons to Mr. Driller
. It has been praised by various members of the video game media. David Hinkle of Joystiq
felt that the blending of genres in Raskulls could be a "dangerously fun combination". Destructoid
's Jim Sterling also praised the game in previews, stating that it may be one of the "hottest XBLA titles this year."
, two aggregate websites. Individual scores for the game varied between the 60-100% approval range. It received an Editor's Choice award from Peter Eykemans of TeamXbox
who praised the re-playability factor of the game. Gamer Limit's Chris Carter gave the game a perfect score and stated that it is "one of the best puzzle games I've ever played." Initial sales were high, with over 19,000 units sold during the month of its release.
The reviewer from The Sixth Axis praised the game's humor and "cute graphics". Gamer Limit reviewer Chris Carter agreed and said the game has a "strong sense of humor" and "cutscenes [that] are adorable." Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot
also praised the game's humor. He stated "the comedic timing is done exceptionally well" and added Raskulls is "a game overflowing with quirky touches." 1UP.com
's Chris Pinga also praised the humor; he called it "a lot of Saturday-morning style cartoon goofiness [...] and a good deal of fourth-wall-breaking, self-referential jokes."
Mixed views were given in regards to gameplay. Many reviewers felt that the overall gameplay mechanics were solid, however some reviewers felt that it was at times repetitious. Joystiq
reviewer Garratt Martin felt the game had solid mechanics and well designed levels. Dakota Grabowski of GameZone
praised the game's puzzle mechanics. Grabowski stated that the "best portions of Raskulls are when the game slows down and asks players to solve puzzles." Grabowski did however feel that the game may not be able to hold a player's interest long-term. The reviewer from Gaming Bits lauded the number of game modes available. He further felt the levels were "fresh, well designed and fun to play."
Mike Rose, reviewer for Strategy Informer, lauded the split-screen multiplayer, but noted that the online play needed adjustment. He gave some examples of his online experience; "if a player leaves partway through a race, they are not penalised, and you don't gain the experience points [...] only one other player stuck around until the end of our race - and that's only because they won!" Reviewer Bryce Zubriski of GamesRadar
felt that the game's Mega Quest was short in length, but gave high remarks towards the developer's decision to provide various event types and to provide a "high energy level" during gameplay to keep players interested.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game independently developed by Halfbrick and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
via Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. It was released on December 29, 2010. In Raskulls players must navigate through platform-based levels filled with blocks of varying shape and size. The characters must use their brick-breaking wands to create the fastest route to the end of the level.
Raskulls received above average reviews from critics; it currently averages 75/100 at aggregate website Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 77.23% at fellow aggregate site GameRankings. Reviewers praised the comic character design, humorous dialogue and emotions, and overall gameplay. Many reviewers praised the number of game modes and the multiplayer component as well, however some reviewers felt the game would not keep its novelty as it aged. Initial sales were high, with over 19,000 units sold during the month of its release.
Gameplay
Raskulls is an actionAction game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
where players must move through platform-based levels filled with blocks of different shapes and sizes. The objective is to complete the level in the shortest time possible. The Raskulls possess block-breaking wands, and the key to gaining an advantage is by using the character's wand against the blocks to create the most efficient path through the level. When blocks are destroyed, remaining blocks fall and like-colored blocks combine in large blocks. When four or more gray block come into contact with each other, all touching gray blocks explode.
The single player campaign, known as Mega Quest, takes places over three game worlds. Players navigate from stage to stage using an overworld
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
layout, similar to Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
. Once a level is selected, the game switches to a side-scrolling, platforming game. The game consists of ten game types which include Ammo Scrooge and Bomb Disposal. Both offensive and defensive items can be acquired during gameplay to traverse through levels and defeat opponents. One such item, known as Boosties, can be collected within each level which fill the character's Frenzy bar. When Frenzy is activated, the Raskull is powered with super speed while the Frenzy energy depletes. Multiplayer is either online via Xbox Live or up to four players locally via splitscreen
Split screen (computer graphics)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of related graphical and textual information on a computer...
. In addition to attempting to get the best time in a match, players can also use wands and powerups to throw other players off course or into environment hazards. Players can also level up
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
their characters after multiplayer matches.
Synopsis
The game is set in the fictional world of the titular characters, the Raskulls. An evil race of intergalactic buccanners known as the Pirats have crashed-landed on the Raskulls' world in their search for the cheese planet. As the Pirats seek a source of fuel for their ship, their leader, Captain J. Turncoat, learns of the Shiny Stone; an object with incredible power. The Pirats fail in an attempt to steal the stone, and the Raskull King devises a plan to catch their enemies. A tournament is created in which the winner will receive the Shiny Stone as a surprise. The original plan goes awry; the Raskull named Dragon sends a royal decree to Knight, who winds up getting beaten up by the Pirat henchmen. As per the contingency plan, Dragon emerges the victor of the tournament, but as he claims his prize the second place competitor, revealing himself as Captain Turncoat, punches Dragon in the face and makes off with the Shiny Stone.The Raskull king sends the Raskull known as Ninja to recover a previously unknown second Shiny Stone from an ancient tomb, under the condition that the latter does not take anything else. Along the way, Ninja encounters Wizard, who opens the door to the temple for him in exchange for a beverage called Jungle Juice; a mummy Raskull who assists in navigating the tombs; the Pirat henchmen Scurv and Barney, who are also searching for the second Shiny Stone; and the Temple Guardian, who attempts to incinerate Ninja with a laser that is reflected back by a mirror that Mummy finds. Stealing the second Shiny Stone from under Captain Turncoat's nose, Ninja is successful in his mission, and the king himself then sets out to recover the first Shiny Stone from the Pirats.
During his journey he encounters opposition from some territorial Raskulls. The king is forced to complete each of the challenges given to progress. Also, Scurv and Barney try to drive him to insanity by hiding under a block and an antique vase, respectively. He eventually arrives at the Pirats' downed ship, which landed near an active volcano called Mount Madness, and recovers the first Shiny Stone only to find out that Captain Turncoat has stolen the second from his castle. The two run into each other on their journey back to their homes. During an initially awkward conversation, the king suggests a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
to see who gets both Shiny Stones, but is forced to battle the Pirat captain as he pilots his choice, which turns out to be "ship with lots of cannons". When the machine is defeated, Turncoat pulls the second stone from King. This enrages the latter enough to engage in fisticuffs with the former, only to have both Shiny Stones escape their grasp and fall into a pool of lava. The lava erupts, sending the king, the captain and the Pirat's ship flying upward. The captain kicks the king back to the ground and boards his ship as it reaches orbit. As the ship continues to gain momentum the crew discovers that the molten lava is actually cheese, indicating the Raskulls' planet was the cheese planet they were searching for. King falls back to the ground in front of his subjects, who sat watching the battle. However, just after King comments on the battle being a "'cheesy ending'", Dragon reappears and throws a brick into King's face, knocking him out.
Development and marketing
Raskulls was announced for the Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
via Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
on March 27, 2009 at the Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Two promo images accompanied the press release and featured King and Dragon, two of the main characters. Following the initial reveal, character profiles were distributed among the gaming media to demonstrate the game's art style and humor. A teaser trailer was also released on May 13, 2009 which took a satirical view on traditional game trailers featuring "epic" music and bold statements, whereas the Raskulls teaser shows an abrupt change in tone as King is shown flexing his muscles in front of a mirror accompanied by elevator music. On June 12 2009, Halfbrick released the first official trailer for Raskulls. The trailer shows various levels, characters and gameplay modes, including snippets of multiplayer. The game was originally slated for a Q3 2009 release, however this was later pushed back. In mid-2009 Halfbrick held a contest in which community members could design their own Raskull based on a template given by Halfbrick. The winning entry was a police-themed Raskull which was added to the game.
In February 2010, Halfbrick posted a poll in order to choose the official cover for the game. The winning box art was announced on March 2, 2010. On May 21, 2010, a Raskulls tournament took place at the Mana Bar
Mana Bar
Mana Bar is the first Australian cocktail bar and video gaming lounge located in Brisbane, Australia within its biggest night-life and entertainment district, Fortitude Valley. The bar held its opening event on 20 March 2010. The bar allows visitors to play current generation gaming consoles free...
in Brisbane, Australia. It was next shown at Penny Arcade Expo East
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
in Boston, Massachusetts in April 2010, where it was again made playable to conference attendees. A second tournament at the Mana Bar is scheduled for December 23, 2010, where winners received a free copy of the game upon its release. Raskulls is slated for release on December 29, 2010. The game is also featured in Microsoft's Games for the Holidays promotion. As part of the promotion, additional content is made available if players also purchase A World of Keflings or ilomilo
Ilomilo
ilomilo is a puzzle game developed by SouthEnd Interactive and Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on Windows Phone 7 on November 8, 2010 for AT&T customers...
. Players can also use the mascot from Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
, a video game blog, which can be unlocked during the game's Mega Quest campaign. Raskulls was released for the Xbox 360 on December 29, 2010. On January 26, 2011 Halfbrick released a downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
pack entitled Raskulls Reinforcements 1. It contains four new playable characters; three Raskulls, Viking, Spaceman and Kitten, and one Pirat, Barney.
Reception
Pre-release
In a preview of the game Cinema BlendCinema Blend
Cinema Blend is a website founded and run by Josh Tyler dedicated to news and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films, movie projects, Television Shows, and a newly founded Music section which covers album reviews, band interviews and daily news from the industry. It combines gossip from...
described Raskulls as "Mario Kart
Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games...
+ Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a beat 'em up console video game independently developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
+ Bomberman
Bomberman
Bomberman is a strategic, maze-based computer and video game franchise originally developed by Hudson Soft. The original game was published in 1983 and new games in the series are still being published to this day. Today, the commercially successful Bomberman is featured in over 70 different games...
". It has also drawn comparisons to Mr. Driller
Mr. Driller
is a series of video games developed by Namco. Mr. Driller puts the player in the role of a driller moving down through screens of blocks, having to keep his air supply from running out while avoiding being squashed by falling blocks...
. It has been praised by various members of the video game media. David Hinkle of Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
felt that the blending of genres in Raskulls could be a "dangerously fun combination". Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
's Jim Sterling also praised the game in previews, stating that it may be one of the "hottest XBLA titles this year."
Post-release
Raskulls received above average reviews from critics, with several critics giving very positive reviews. It currently averages 77.23% at GameRankings and 75/100 at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, two aggregate websites. Individual scores for the game varied between the 60-100% approval range. It received an Editor's Choice award from Peter Eykemans of TeamXbox
TeamXbox
TeamXbox is a gaming media web site dedicated to Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. While the majority of content is Xbox and Xbox 360 related, the site occasionally covers general technology and other video game news....
who praised the re-playability factor of the game. Gamer Limit's Chris Carter gave the game a perfect score and stated that it is "one of the best puzzle games I've ever played." Initial sales were high, with over 19,000 units sold during the month of its release.
The reviewer from The Sixth Axis praised the game's humor and "cute graphics". Gamer Limit reviewer Chris Carter agreed and said the game has a "strong sense of humor" and "cutscenes [that] are adorable." Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
also praised the game's humor. He stated "the comedic timing is done exceptionally well" and added Raskulls is "a game overflowing with quirky touches." 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Chris Pinga also praised the humor; he called it "a lot of Saturday-morning style cartoon goofiness [...] and a good deal of fourth-wall-breaking, self-referential jokes."
Mixed views were given in regards to gameplay. Many reviewers felt that the overall gameplay mechanics were solid, however some reviewers felt that it was at times repetitious. Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
reviewer Garratt Martin felt the game had solid mechanics and well designed levels. Dakota Grabowski of GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
praised the game's puzzle mechanics. Grabowski stated that the "best portions of Raskulls are when the game slows down and asks players to solve puzzles." Grabowski did however feel that the game may not be able to hold a player's interest long-term. The reviewer from Gaming Bits lauded the number of game modes available. He further felt the levels were "fresh, well designed and fun to play."
Mike Rose, reviewer for Strategy Informer, lauded the split-screen multiplayer, but noted that the online play needed adjustment. He gave some examples of his online experience; "if a player leaves partway through a race, they are not penalised, and you don't gain the experience points [...] only one other player stuck around until the end of our race - and that's only because they won!" Reviewer Bryce Zubriski of GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
felt that the game's Mega Quest was short in length, but gave high remarks towards the developer's decision to provide various event types and to provide a "high energy level" during gameplay to keep players interested.