Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona

Tackles the task of pulling of a 2D Souls-like, but overall is a bit of an odd mismatched mess

Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona proposes the now customary marriage of metroidvania and soulslike, but struggles to emerge with an originality of its own. Neither its gameplay nor its artistic component help it in this regard. We hope that the developer will make the best of this debut, and that he will come back in the future with more experience and inspiration.

Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona is a truly great effort. Expansive, fun exploration and hard as nails boss fights will please most metroidvania fans. Sure there are some presentation issues which make it a little rough around the edges, and this means it’s not in the same echelons as other gothic metroidvanias such as Blasphemous or The Last Faith, but it’s priced at less than 15 quid which represents great value for what’s on offer!

Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona feels like an echo of some other similar productions, albeit distant from them and with obvious production limitations that ruin the general experience.

Skelethrone is a decent game if you want to play something with a unique difficulty level. Its boss fights are relatively easy unlike most souls-like games, but the mob fights are clearly harder due to its mechanics. It also has major platforming sections that contrast heavily with its very grounded combat. Otherwise, the game is far easier than most souls-like/metroidvania hybrid, so it’s a good place to start if you’re new to the genre.