Raskulls Review

Raskulls is a platform game mixed with action and puzzle challenges. Inspiration is taken from games such as Mr. Driller but they should not be compared as the game may look similar but is far from it. The game does revolve around breaking blocks but the variety of ways to do this sets it apart.

The Mega Quest mode is the single player campaign. The game starts with an introduction to the main characters of the game. Like all good stories there is good versus evil, albeit in the loosest sense. A gang of pirate mice, the lovable rogues, are in search of a planet made of cheese, their ship runs out of fuel and they crash land. They find out that Shiny Stones will power their ship and there just happens to be three of those on the planet. Meanwhile, the king of the planet wants to protect the stones so he sends out his bravest subjects to retrieve them. You play as his loyal subjects and must tackle the 60+ levels which are split over three chapters.

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The world map takes on a Super Mario World style layout with branching pathways connecting to one or more levels. There are a wide variety of level modes found, split into essentially action and puzzle style games. I counted eleven individual modes but there are a few more that are similar in design. Depending on the level you may have access to power ups which can be found in boxed presents during the level. These include Flame Charges which will burn through blocks, a Thunder Staff which destroys a short line of blocks and Mega Zap which stuns your opponents. You also have a Frenzy bar which when activated will make you character move and break blocks faster, it can be topped up by collecting boosties or by running through a yellow zone.

The action modes include a Race mode which pits you against two or three other Raskulls where you must race to the end of level and get first place. A Circuit mode tasks you with completing a number of laps of the course before the timer runs out. The Frenzy mode is an all out race to the finish while frenzy is activated, if it runs out you will fail the level. The action style levels are very competitive and they may often take a few retries to learn the best routes as opponents can be fast and time limits can be very tight.

The less action packed but still challenging puzzle modes include Zap in which you must reach the exit by zapping blocks with a limited number of zaps. The Skulptur mode requires you to create the indicated shapes to progress and finally a Bomb defusing mode in which you must carefully defuse the bombs, if anything falls on them they will explode and it is game over! The puzzle modes are great fun to play and there is plenty of scope to improve on the number of zaps used it takes to reach the exit for example.

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The variety of modes works very well and it keeps the game interesting and not too repetitive. Some modes are more difficult than others, but thankfully the branching pathways may offer alternate choices of levels so you can skip them if you want. At the end of each of the three chapters there is a boss which are fairly challenging and will test your skills as your are chased by a laser wielding enemy in one level.

Each chapter has a number of levels which saves your best score or time to a global leaderboard. It adds some re-playability to the game as it urges you to improve on your previous position to either beat your friends or climb the leaderboard. There are also Mega Challenges, indicated by red markers, which have a much harder difficulty. Completing these challenges will unlock new playable characters for use in the multiplayer modes or provide you with some cheats to visually change the game such as big heads, beards and moustaches. Some levels also have a second challenge which are usually based on the previous level but with a time limit. The Mega Quest can be completed in as little as four hours if you work towards the end without distraction, adding on a couple of hours to complete the remaining levels and Mega Challenges. I found this to be somewhat short lived and it felt like the game was over before it really began, I would have liked to have seen more levels to add to the lifespan.

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Both local and online multiplayer games are supported with two modes to play on. The Grand Prix has four cups each consisting of four races and the Quick Race allows for a shorter one race game. Unlocked characters from the Mega Quest, as well as one character from ilomilo and World of Keflings (if you have those two games) can be chosen. Up to four players can race against each other, the races are incredibly fun and it is a non stop action packed seat of your pants event against three other players. The levels are designed well with different pathways and short cuts which allows for some great races. One second you can be in the lead by taking an alternative route, then you reach a choke-point and it ends in an all out battle as you and your opponents collide. The races are often neck and neck which adds to the excitement, they are pure breath holding mayhem and they should keep you playing for some time.

Graphically the game fares very well with a bright and colourful cartoon style used throughout the game. Cut scenes are done well with plenty of humour that eases the tension after a tricky boss. The in game graphics remind me a little of Super Mario Bros, again they are bright and colourful and look great especially during races when the sparks are flying. The music tracks are spot on, fast themes for the races and for the puzzle games a more suspenseful theme that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Pink Panther film. The end credits music is great, without spoiling it too much it features a pirate shanty with a metal instrumental!

Raskulls costs 800 :MSPoints: which is great value for money. While the single player mode can be short, it is fun and challenging while it lasts. The multiplayer does go a hell of a way to make up for single player with great races both locally and online. It has the same draw as classic multiplayer games such as Super Mario Kart and Bomberman which are great for both casual and hardcore gamers.

You can download the demo or purchase the full version of Raskulls on the Xbox Marketplace.