Review: Skulls of the Shogun is a fun, funny strategy game

April 20, 2013

Slay my foes, and then eat their skulls? Well, that's hardly sporting. Or sanitary. But the horde of undead foes I'm facing in 17Bits' Skulls of the Shogun certainly won't hesitate to tap into the unparalleled power that a calcium-rich snack will offer, so it's a case of getting them before they get us, really. And who doesn't enjoy crushing the occasional skull? As befits a turn-based strategy game, securing resources is the linchpin for success. And Skulls offers no shortage of resources to manage, some less obvious than others. The most important is rice—rice paddies are strewn about the game's single- and multi-player maps, and while the dead don't have much need for food (besides skulls, but I'll get to that) haunting rice paddies will allow you to stockpile the rice you'll need to acquire resource number two: soldiers. Can't have much of an army without soldiers; haunt a shrine, and you'll be able to spend rice on the game's three primary units: infantry, cavalry and archers. Infantry will form the backbone of your army, offering decent attack power and strong defensive capabilities. Cavalry have meager defenses, but their expansive movement range allows them to dive in and out of combat quickly, helpful for capturing buildings or harassing enemies. And then there are your archers: their powerful attacks are devastating and the extra range means they can only be counterattacked by other archers, but they can't hit enemies in melee range, so you'll need to keep them protected. And no one needs to be protected as much as your general—he's a powerful fighter in his own right, but once he's slain it's game over. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2035809/review-skulls-of-the-shogun-is-a-fun-funny-strategy-game.html#tk.rss_reviews