User:HumanxAnthro/sandbox/Skeleton Krew

Skeleton Crew is a shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Core Design for the Amiga, the Amiga CD32, and the Sega Genesis.

Gameplay
In 2062, Monstro City is being invaded by Psykogenix, a series of kryogenic mutations created in a plant that has just been taken over by scientist Moribund Kadaver's company Deadly Enforcement Aggressiveness Destruction Incorporated (DEAD Inc.). The Military Assertainment Department (MAD) sends in special operatives to combat them. Only one survives and is near death, revealing a Psyko Machine located in Kadaver's Dead 1 laboratory. MAD then assigns the Skeleton Crew, consisting of Rib, Joint, and Spine, to end DEAD's Psykogenix rampage and defeat Kadaver.

Skeleton Krew is an eight-way isometric shoot 'em up video game with six levels, each containing zones with different missions. The player enacts one of the titular trio's three members, which can be changed between levels. The three characters have distinct weapon and abilities; Joint is the most immune to damage, but also has the weakest ability to dodge.

Reception
Amiga Actions Steve called Skeleton Krew one of the best Amiga shoot 'em ups, and Video Games & Computer Entertainments Gabe Soria claimed it was "one of the most playable, solid games to be released for the Genesis in quite some time". On the other hand, Amiga Format's Steve McGill spewed multiple derogatory adjectives: "Tedious, annoying, banal, boring, drab, dreary, dull, humdrum, irksome, laborious, lifeless, monotonous, prosaic, prosy, soporific, tiring, uninteresting, vapid, wearsome".

The most praised aspect of Skeleton Krew was its graphics and audio. GamePro's Scary Larry described as the graphics "sharp" and "distinct", also praising the smooth animation and detail of the playable character sprites. Paul Mellerick of Amiga Power and Amiga Computing critic Jonathan Maddock pointed to the art style's compliment to the atmosphere and mood, its chunkiness and its similarities to comic books, big-budget films, and the science fiction genre. Mellerick praised the style for being unique yet not too inordinate. Another common point was the diversity in design and look between levels. Touches noticed by Soria in his review included the elevator shaft's green sewer water and the brimstone rivers and dead-end ramps of a stage he summarized as M. C. Escher's version of hell. Mellerick mentioned differences in enemy and object design, and Maddock noted the big alterations in color palettes, although felt it could have been more varied with the enemies.

Skid, a critic for GameFan, went as so far as to call the music better than Doom (1993). Maddock, a strong supporter of the audio of Core Design's games during what he perceived to be a poor era for music in computer games, lauded the soundtrack's contemporary hip hop genre, noting the drum's big thump-y sound and atmospheric soundscapes. Scary Larry praised the soundtrack, although criticized the sound effects for being repetitive.

The gameplay divided critics. Scary Larry called Skeleton Krew a "fast-paced, fun game" with hours of playability, recommending it to fans of Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993) and Soliders of Fortune (1993). Al Manuel of Electronic Gaming Monthly found the action-heavy gameplay welcome in a 3D isometric environment, which he felt was associated much with more slow-paced video games. The monotonous nature was the most common complaint from critics, such as Electronic Gaming Monthly's Ed Semrad who otherwise enjoyed the game for its intense action. Mellerick and Amiga Format's Steve McGill argued the experience amounted to little more than traversing a linear route and shooting. Mellerick disliked its lack of other areas to explore, low number of weapons, and enemies not actively attacking the player, thus being easier to bypass than to shoot. McGill suggested sub tasks, collectibles, and an "incentive to make progress" should've been incorporated. Mellerick was also bored by the two-player mode, joking that "the only element of competition comes when you see a pile of 'K' ash lying on the floor and both race to loot as much as you can". Maddock and a Amiga User International critic, although stating it would satisfy fans of shoot 'em up games, brought up issues. Maddock argued that while certain parts of Skeleton Krew were challenging and addicting, it lack differentiation from other products of its genre, and other types of gamers would lose interest. Amiga User International also brought up that the final product had less variety than was marketed in preview coverage.

Reviews of the CD32 version noted control differences from the disk version. Mellerick found the CD32 controls inferior, due to an inability to lock a weapon's shooting direction while moving as was possible in the disk version; achieving something similar meant facing an awkward process where two buttons had to be held at the same time, resulting in incorrect shooting directions and accidental weapon switching.