Skautfold: Into the Fray Review – Dark, Gory, and Freakishly Fun

I knew nothing of the Skautfold franchise coming into this review. I’m admitedly ashamed to admit that after playing the latest release in the series, Skautfold: Into The Fray. With enough action and challenge to satisfy anyone, let’s play Skautfold and see just how good it is. I was quite surprised to say the least. With only some minor flaws, the overall delivery of this game was well-received as a newbie to the series.

Introduction – Into The Fray

At first Skautfold: Into The Fray seems to be just another indie game with no outstanding appeal to it. This of course is only at a glance. Once you dive into this dark gore fest you get met by nonstop action and a unique story. Following events from a past that nearly destroyed the empire, the threat looms overhead once more as you take on the role of Hinto, the 3rd Knight of the Britannia empire, and set out to stop an evil princess and a force known as The Fog. With nostalgic graphics and gameplay, an adrenaline-fueled heavy metal soundtrack, and an assortment of awesome weapons you just can’t go wrong picking this title up. Even if you’re usually not a fan of this type of game, I think you could find something to love. It’s challenging, it’s engaging, and it’s got a really cool story!

A mix of demons, soldiers, and even Nikola Tesla stand between you and the safety of the empire. Dominate your way through retro-inspired levels to stop the ritual sacrifice of infants, save citizens, and end The Fog. Oh, and while you’re at it… make sure the save all of the pugs hidden around the game. We must please the pug lord!

The Story – Interesting And Engaging

As I previously stated, I knew little to nothing about the Skautfold games before coming into this review. What knowledge I did compile came minutes before deciding if I wanted to take on the challenge, and what I found was intriguing enough to draw me in. The dark, almost Gothic vibes of the overall game coupled with the late 1800’s setting was an instant draw. The retro-inspired graphics and a story driven by world-ending threats really got me hooked.

Starting off as the 3rd Knight, Hinto, it’s clear that your upcoming mission is a solo quest of destruction and preservation. You are commanded to hunt down an evil princess, who has set free an ancient force called The Fog, and put an end to her and her schemes. As you approach her last known location and begin your investigation, the princess and her bodyguard, the 5th Knight Weiss, ambush you and leave you for dead.

In your dying moments a strange being with an ancient cloak appears, bestows upon you said cape, and imbues you with life-saving powers. Now bound to both the cape and the empire, you resume your mission and set out to feed your new “companion” and stop The Fog. Consuming vitae from your slain enemies, collecting ancient power stones, and stopping ritual sacrifices become immediate goals, with the task of putting an end to evil being your primary goal. Being in control of a gunslinging swordmaster with new ancient powers is just the cherry on top, the story alone makes for a great game overall.

The Gameplay – Intense Is An Understatement

Nostalgia takes the forefront as you give into the pixilated world of Skautfold: Into The Fray. With quite possibly the easiest controls and mechanics of the modern world, and intense, bloody action, there’s no miss when it comes to gameplay. Dash around shooting and slashing demons and evil soldiers and hone your skills while doing so. The gameplay of Skautfold is possibly the best part of this title.

With only 4 buttons to focus on, there isn’t a whole lot of options for combat, aside from switching weapons, you really only do a few specific actions as you zoom around old-school designed levels. While that can sound boring, less is more when you have an decent arsenal of weaponry, including a massive sword, triple barrel shotgun, and even guns like a precision rifle or flamethrower. You also have the option of “kicking” your enemies with the power of your ancient cape, effectively stealing their life force (called vitae) from them to feed the creature inside.

An interesting storyline, intense action, and simple mechanics are really all a game needs to catch attention these days. Skautfold: Into The Fray is the perfect example of how to do the least amount of work and create a classic game. Crafting a unique story may take some thinking in today’s world, with too many similar titles flooding the market. Fortunately for Skautfold, success from the prequels made for an easy delivery. Less is definitely more when it comes to a game loaded with nostalgia and constant, hardcore, combat.

The Graphics and Sounds – Old-School To The Core

Pixilated graphics may be a thing of the past for some, but retro gaming fans as a whole would probably love Skautfold: Into The Fray’s old school vibes. The almost Gothic-inspired scenery, combined with the enemies and action, almost makes it feel like you’re playing a classic Castlevania title. The soundtrack, loaded with intense heavy metal tracks, really fuels the action of the game. While I personally think the music could have been showcased more often within, there’s still really no complaints to be found. I’m a massive fan of playing games that remind me of my childhood visually, and Skautfold: Into The Fray hits that nail on the head.

A surprising array of colors, visual effects that almost defy the pixilated scenery, and enough video game gore to satisfy intense gamers, Skautfold delivers on almost every aspect. Like I said above, the music could have been used more. There are times in the game where you are stuck walking around searching for your next objective in complete silence. In a game where the music fuels the violence, and keeps you sucked in, it can be sort of disappointing to hear nothing at times when you can use a little background noise. Especially when the music is so good. Heavy-metal and nostalgia play a role in why the tunes are so great, but there does have to be a slight penalty for lack of use of such epic sounds.

The Replay Value – Challenging Enough To Want To Get Better

The difficulty of Skautfold: Intro The Fray is nothing to scoff at. Even on normal difficulty you can find yourself stuck on intense battles that may seem impossible to pass at times. This is the fuel to return to the game after beating it. If you’re anything like I am, the harder the game, the bigger the urge to want to master it. With plenty of unique and challenging trophies to collect this game is also a platinum hunter’s dream. Couple the challenge with a story worthy of a playback and you got something good.

I’m already gearing up for another playthrough as I have a very personal vendetta to settle with a few bosses. I also learned some gameplay skills later in the game I want to try to implement in the earlier fights to see if I can get through some of the harder levels more successfully. Typically, I’m not sucked into games I’m brand new to like this, but Skautfold: Into The Fray deserves to get its butt kicked one more time due to the anxiety it put me through!

Conclusion – Worth The Price And Worth A Play

Overall, Skautfold: Into The Fray is a good game. So good in fact that I am already looking into playing the other games in the series. While the game does lose a small amount of points for not implementing its soundtrack as well as it could have been, and very for some very minor flaws in gameplay mechanics (aiming your weapons can be almost too touchy at times, some commands just don’t work in certain areas), it still comes in as a heavy-hitting title. I give Skautfold: Into The Fray an 8 out of 10 for outstanding old-school gameplay and amazing retro-inspired graphics. With a price tag of only $24.99, you can’t go wrong with giving this dark, yet fun, game a try!