Hello Skul Squad!
This Development Blog will introduce one of the coolest things about the upcoming 1.0 Version of Skul: The Hero Slayer, the upgraded skulls!

As you already know, Skul can swap his skull to take on the form of one of his fallen demon brethren and make use of their special powers.
But due to his inexperience he wasnt able to take full advantage of their abilities.

However a spider demon called Arachne is looking to help each skull reach its full potential.
Nobody knows why she has agreed to help, but her eight legs are imbued with magic silk that can breathe new life into skulls and transform them in magical and interesting ways.
"Its a pity how those skulls ended up in the hands of a weakling skeleton such as yourself. Theres so much untapped power within those skulls..."

That video gave a quick overview of our thought process regarding the skull upgrade system.
We also think that every single aspect of our game deserves our fullest attention, so we did a lot of research to make sure that each upgraded skull stayed true to the original but also was a ton of fun to play.
This allowed us to succeed in transforming the playstyle and visuals for each skull through the upgrade system.
Just like in the video, you can see that the Skeleton-Spear can be upgraded from its base Common form and amplify its special ability to charge forward.
You may then be wondering, how about Unique grade skulls that are already quite extraordinary? How will the upgrade system affect them?


Lets take the Ninja for example. The nimble Ninja is the only skull that can triple jump or dash which makes it an aerial combat artist of sorts.
But when upgraded to the Ninja Master, it becomes more agile than any other skull in the air which gives it a big advantage when going against the Adventurers.


We actually removed the Ninjas ability to triple jump.
Instead the Ninja Master will have a new ability called Substitution Jutsu.
When using this ability while jumping, an exploding log is summoned and the Ninja teleports in mid-air.
Rather than just simply working on the triple jump, we thought it would add a more strategic layer to the fights overall if done this way.


The Ninja Master can zip around in any direction you want, but only once in a row for each.
Not only does this significantly boost the Ninjas mobility, but it allows for some pretty sweet combos that can deal more damage in short spurts.
But we dont think that this makes the Ninja Master an Aerial Attack Ace so to speak ;)

Just like the base Ninja skull, the Ninja Master can have a maximum of two skills. But heres where it gets interesting. its arsenal of skills changes when its in the air!




The Ninjas swap skill has also changed from Phantom Drive to Fire Style: Fire Breath Jutsu.
When swapping with the Ninja Master on the ground, it breathes out fire and finishes it off with several explosions to make it even spicier.
If swapping in the air, it uses the Water Style: Sludge Bomb Jutsu skill and launches poison-laced projectiles towards enemies on the ground.




Flash Slash is a skill focused on mobility and charging forward.
The Ninja Master takes it up a notch though by being able to change direction up to 3 times when using the skill.
If used while in mid-air, the Ninja Master teleports behind the closest enemy and absolutely slices them to shreds with a lightning-fast combo.




The Numerous Blades skill is all about throwing good old fashioned shurikens, but it can leave the Ninja open to attacks from the back and long-range.
The Ninja Master is able to overcome these weaknesses though.
If used while in mid-air, the Ninja Master throws 3 exploding knives. This skill can also be charged several times and if the cooldown time is managed well the amount of damage dealt can be maximized.




The Phantom Drive skill is all about dealing heavy multi-hit attacks along with your clone. However just like Numerous Blades it leaves you vulnerable to attacks from behind and ranged attacks.
The Ninja Master can attack multiple enemies within a set range by summoning several clones of itself.
And if done in the air, it summons 8 of itself and can hit enemies in a large radius.




The Wheel Shuriken skill sends out huge shurikens that penetrate enemies and is great for dealing with mobs.
But the Ninja Masters shurikens are even bigger and can pull nearby enemies closer to it.
If used in the air, 3 wheel shurikens are summoned that revolve around the affected area.

The Ninja Master is difficult to control and if a mistake is made, it can result in getting swarmed by enemies and not being able to use a skill when you want to.
However once you get the hang of it, youll truly become an aerial combat force to be reckoned with.
Like we said previously, were doing our best to make sure each new upgraded skull is fun to play but stays true to its original/base form as well.
That being said, we do have another good piece of news to share with you.


Skul: The Hero Slayer was selected as the Best Overseas Game at the IndiePlay 2020 Expo and also the Top Indie Game for Korean Games 2020.
It really means the world to us to see how many people enjoy playing our game and these awards are just the icing on the cake.

[quote=author] Also, you may have seen that the Steam Awards is currently taking place. Wed really appreciate it if you could vote for us as the Sit Back and Relax Award ;)https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/nominations/76561199006886376?k=11209032490807525876 [/quote]


Well keep doing our best to create the best game that we possibly can.
Thank you!