Raskulls is the second game in the Games for the Holidays promotion and seems to be garnering the least press. Raskulls was developed by Halfbrick Studios, the studio behind hit games like Fruit Ninja and Monster Dash. Their games are usually filled with plenty of charm -- Raskulls is no exception -- but is Raskulls also filled with a tasty strawberry filling? No. It's a game, not a doughnut.
I didn't love Raskulls and I didn't hate it; I am completely indifferent about my entire time with the game. There is fun to be found, but that fun is accompanied by a feeling of repetition. I use the word 'feeling' because the game does switch things up quite a bit, but I never felt like I was actually doing something different.
Bright Colors? Check. Double Rainbow? No check.
The "story mode," called Mega Quest, is structured much like a classic Mario game as you move from level to level in a traditional overworld. The gameplay varies from races against opponents to races against the clock, with new elements thrown in every now and again, along with the occasional puzzle. Some levels are a breeze, while others can be a challenge. After a while, it all felt too repetitive for my tastes. The multiplayer, however, is a lot of fun and can be reason enough to buy the game. The only issue is the issue that plagues all games with multiplayer: will there be a community? I obviously can't answer this, but Raskulls is unique enough to have a chance.
Gameplay aside, there are things I love about Raskulls. The humor is delightful and something that can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages; there is a reoccurring bit with a brick that I rather enjoyed (nice payoff too). The music is good, but nothing memorable or comparable to something like Pac-Man CE DX's menu music. The visuals are, for lack of a better word (inside joke), cute and the character design would be well-suited for plush toys -- I mean, if Angry Birds can get their own plushies, why not Raskulls?
I can imagine you're likely sitting back in your comfy chair thinking, "well, I can't tell if he's recommending the game or not!" All I can say is that my experience with Raskulls was enjoyable at first, but I soon got tired of doing the same thing over and over again and was happy when I reached the end; happy that the game was over. If you don't see yourself getting into multiplayer, you would be better off waiting for the inevitable sale.
