Skul: The Hero Slayer News

Hello Skul Squad,

Here come two new skulls (the Stone Monkey and Grave Digger!) to take part in the assault of Carleon Castle.

The Stone Monkey beats up Carleon soldiers with its clones while the Grave Digger calls upon different spirits to unite the Legion of Death.

Also, the Prisoner will finally get his original form back.

With the help of completely new Quintessences, skulls will continue their way to the Carleon Castle.

Along those same lines, the Quintessences had some issues with balancing and/or didn’t have stunning effects, so we decided to work on overhauling every Quintessence in this patch. We’re also planning on a huge update for skulls, so don’t miss it!

Last but not least, we also added new special event maps and NPCs. Please see below for more detailed information.

*This patch will reset the Auto-Saved data in the previous version.

[h2]Changes[/h2]
[h3]Skulls[/h3]

• New Skulls
  - Stone Monkey
  - Grave Digger
  

Stone Monkey
Rarity: Common
Type: Speed



A monkey demon born on a rock at the top of a mountain in the East.



Grave Digger
Rarity: Common
Type: Power



Well, apparently some drab guy with a coffin was fighting some spirits.

• Added ‘The King’ (Upgraded ‘Prisoner’)
  

The King
Rarity: Legendary
Type: Speed



You... ARE AN INCORRIGIBLE ASS!

• Reduced incoming damage caused by each survival scroll for ‘Prisoner’: 10% → 5%
  

[h3]Items[/h3]

1. Changed status icons for some item effects
   

[h3]Quintessences[/h3]
New Quintessences

• Common
  - Steel Golem
  
• Unique
  - Wisp
  - Hareubang
  - Phantom
  - Banshee
  
• Legendary
  - Balrog
  

• Changed VFXs for every quintessence
  
• Changed effects for every quintessence
  
• Deleted stat bonus for every quintessence in the previous version
  
• Deleted ‘Pegasus’
  

Overwhelming size and incredible power. It feels like the end of the world.

Originally posted by author

Developer Comment: In this update, we focused on both balancing and maximizing the effectiveness of quintessences during gameplay.

[h3]NPC[/h3]

• New NPCs
  - Halfling Girl
  - Magical Slime
  - Odd Dark Priest
  - Frivolous Dark Priest
  - Cynical Dark Priest
  

Originally posted by author

Developer Comment: Most of the priests who worked in the Demon Temple were kidnapped by Carleon. Now you can rescue them to change your skills more often.

Do you want to compare our height???

[h3]Maps[/h3]

1. New Special Event Maps
   
2. Quintessence Sanctuary
   
3. Dangerous Chest
   

Originally posted by author

Developer Comment: The Unknown Boy is now back in-game.

[h3]Other Changes[/h3]

• The master of Quintessences will appear more often in the Black Market
  
• Added animations for every dish
  

Originally posted by author

Developer Comment: The food looks tastier, doesn't it?

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed bug where the Prisoner’s damage decreasing effect from Survival scroll would not properly work on some attacks
  
• Fixed bug where the Evil Druid’s buff ‘Greed’ would not disappear after starting a new game
  
• Fixed bug where the enemies with ‘Freeze’ or time-controlled status would still hit by the player
  
• Fixed bug where Carleon Commander’s soldiers would appear at incorrect locations
  
• Fixed problem where the item ‘Elder Ent's Gratitude’ would not save its current barriers during Auto-Save
  
• Fixed problem where the background image would not properly display in Chapter 1
  
• Fixed problem where the player would jump onto the elevator in the first map of Chapter 4
  

[h3]Text Corrections[/h3]

• Fixed issue where the description for the Prisoner’s skills was incorrect (English)
  

We've fixed a black screen issue in Title Screen (Release 1.2.4) through a hotfix on 5/19.
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Hello Skul Squad,

This update (Release 1.2.4) fixes some bugs caused by the ‘Auto-Save’ system update.

Also, you’ll be happy to hear that the rescued Demon King will always appear in the castle from now on (as long as you’ve saved him of course).

Please see below for more detailed information.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed bug where the Evil Sword: Kirion would duplicate after using ‘Auto-Save’
  
• Fixed bug where both the Clone Stamp and Prince’s Box would have different inscriptions after using ‘Auto-Save’
  
• Fixed bug where maps would provide different rewards after using ‘Auto-Save’
  
• Fixed bug where the Demon King would not appear in the castle after defeating the First Hero
  
• Fixed bug where the bomb-moving recruit would stop when stunned in Dang-Ka Knight maps.
  

This hotfix (Release 1.2.2) fixes the bugs listed below.

1. Fixed bug where the Fox Hunter and Ogre Peddler would keep dropping the same skulls/items over and over again.
2. Fixed issue where the timer wouldn't run when in the Demon Castle, Black Market, "Awaken" Map or on the first map of each Chapter.
3. Made the lighting more uniform in the Demon Castle.
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Hello Skul Squad,

This update (Release 1.2.2) fixes some bugs that affected gameplay and at long last….. we finally added an ‘Auto-Save’ function!! We’d like for you to play Skul whenever and for however long you want without worrying about losing progress.

Please see below for more detailed information.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed bug where some of the control settings would not work in the Menu or Inventory
  
• Fixed problem where a skull’s current item status would not properly show in 21:9 aspect ratio
  
• Fixed bug where the Adventurer would not show up in Chapter 4
  
• Fixed bug where a black screen would appear in place of the Title Screen
  
• Fixed bug where a black screen would appear and the game wouldn’t be playable in some cases
  

[h3]Changes[/h3]
[h3]System[/h3]

• Added ‘Auto-Save’ System
  - You can now quit mid-run and come back later to pick up where you left off.
  
• Increased the loading speed when switching from the Title Screen to in-game maps
  
• Improved the screen transition when switching maps
  
• Increased the loading speed when switching maps and chapters
  

Hey Skul Squad,

It’s been a while since our last Dev Blog, right? ;) Hope you all are doing well!

This Dev Blog will focus on our development schedule for the rest of this year. We can’t wait to build upon what we have so far and make Skul an even more thrilling experience for everyone.
It’s also important to mention that a lot of these decisions were made based on your feedback, even from the Early Access period. We hope the proposed changes/additions are to your liking.
Without further ado…

Here are the proposed changes!


[h2]Updates Planned for Q2[/h2]

[h3]“Continue where you left off” Auto-Save Function[/h3]
Many of you have been asking for this feature for a long time, so we’re currently developing it.
No more need to worry about having to quit mid-run because of some other engagement and losing all of the progress you made. We want you to be able to play Skul whenever or for however long you want.

[h3]Add New Skulls & Improve Existing Ones[/h3]
When it comes to improving existing skulls, we aim to make some of the less fun or difficult to use skulls more accessible and exciting to play with.

[h3]Add New Quintessence & Improve Existing Ones[/h3]
Considering that Quintessence are closely tied to a player’s growth and gameplay we’ve spent a lot of time looking into how to make them even more meaningful and fun to use. And we think the future changes should do just that.

In addition to that, we also plan on adding another field NPC and “special event maps” to boost the replayability even more.

[h3]Launch Switch, PS4 and Xbox One Versions This Summer[/h3]

You’ll finally be able to enjoy playing Skul on other platforms this summer.
And you may not have seen this yet, but earlier today we revealed some gameplay footage from the Switch version in the Nintendo Indie Showcase! All three console builds are pretty far along in development and just need some more optimization and polishing. If all goes well, we may be able to launch them in June. Fingers crossed!

You can check out the video for yourself at the link below.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
**Starts at 16:15

[h2]Updates Planned for Q3[/h2]

We think that you and Skul are getting pretty OP, so we’ve decided to add a New Game+ mode (hard mode)! Let’s see if you can complete the challenge in your own special way.

[h2]Updates Planned for Q4[/h2]

For this update, we’ll be focusing on adding several QoL features such as a stat interface and index for skulls, items and Quintessence.

We’re also currently looking into adding more options for permanent player progression and how to better utilize the Witch Trait system.

Food will also be improved to make it more dynamic and fun.

Please keep in mind that depending on the situation we may have other updates that aren’t currently listed. For example, we would love to do another character crossover!

We’ll do our best to continue to improve Skul and make the best version of it that we can.

Please stay tuned for more updates.

Thank you!
Skul Team

This hotfix should fix the issues listed below.

1. Fixed problem where the steel cage didn't open in the "Dang-Ka Knight" special event map
2. Fixed problem where the door would close again in the "Mystic Ruin" special event map when making certain movements
3. Fixed a language-related error that could cause issues during gameplay
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Hey Skul Squad,

This Update (Release 1.2.0) adds 4 new “special event maps” to the game along with some major improvements to the UI. The new maps in particular should boost the replayability of Skul even more!

We also were able to fix a lot of bugs and text thanks to your feedback. Thanks again for letting us know!
Please see below for more detailed information.


[h2]Changes[/h2]
[h3]System[/h3]
[h3]UI Changes[/h3]

• Increased size of text displayed on the HUD
  
• Increased size of text displayed on the HP Bar of bosses
  
• Changed UI design of the Adventurer's HP Bar and increased size of the text
  
• Changed UI design of the Pause Window and increased size of the text
  
• Increased size of text in dialogue boxes
  
• Changed UI design of the witch trait window and also increased size of text
  
• Changed UI design and increased size of text for pop-up descriptions of skulls, items and food. Also added “See More” option.
  
• Changed UI design of the Scroll and also increased size of text
  
• Increased size of text in NPC speech bubbles
  
• Increased size of text in cutscenes
  

Originally posted by author

Comment from the Developer: We thought the legibility of the text wasn’t great, so we decided to change the UI’s design and increase the size of the text to make everything easier to see/read.

Originally posted by author

“We hope Russian-speakers can forgive us...”

[h3]Maps[/h3]
[h3]4 “Special Event Maps” Added[/h3]

• Dang-Ka Knight
  
• Mystic Ruin
  
• The Gauntlet
  
• Altar of Greed
  

Originally posted by author

Comment from the Developer: These new maps won’t appear very often, but they’ll provide a wide range of rewards if you’re willing to accept the risks involved.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed bug where the final cutscene wouldn’t play properly if you defeated the 3rd phase of the First Hero while he was stunned.
  
• Fixed bug where the number of bone fragments you receive when destroying a skull was sometimes displaying the wrong number.
  
• Fixed problem where the wrong status icon was being displayed when in possession of the ‘Attitude’ inscription.
  
• Fixed bug where the Archlich’s basic attack was being registered as a skill attack.
  
• Fixed problem where the Berserker’s ‘Bone of the Devil’ skill didn’t work properly if your attack speed was very high.
  
• Fixed problem where all grades of the Gargoyle mistakenly didn’t become invincible when swapping heads.
  
• Fixed problem where skulls could still move forward when swapping all grades of the Skeleton-Bomber to the others and it had immovable duration
  
• Fixed problem where enemies sometimes didn’t take damage when hit by all grades of the Skeleton-Spear.
  
• Fixed bug where the projectile would sometimes disappear after using Skul’s ‘Throw Head’ skill.
  
• Changed it so that the effect of the ‘Empire’ inscription no longer makes the flag cover up enemies.
  
• Fixed bug where the cooldown time was mistakenly reset for the ‘Cretan Bull’ item when swapping a non-power type skull.
  
• Fixed bug where the effect for the ‘Rear Blast’ item wasn’t working properly because of the effect for the ‘Gold Mane Rapier’ item.
  
• Fixed bug where the hands of Yggdrasil would not properly show when gathering its energy
  
• Fixed bug where the visual effects of legendary-grade skulls, quintessence and items wasn’t displaying properly after dropping them on the ground.
  
• Fixed problem where interacting with NPCs at the start would affect the frame rate
  
• Fixed problem where entering Settings would automatically reset the current resolution to the default setting for each monitor
  
• Fixed problem where the background pop-ups were still activated when the mini pop-ups were opened
  
• Fixed problem where game background would glitch in both sides in 21:9 aspect ratio
  
• Fixed problem where camera moving would follow a wrong direction in some resolutions
  
• Fixed problem where the death pop-up would not display the items properly
  
• Fixed problem where Dark Quartz and Gold showed white during the interaction with NPCs in some languages
  

[h3]Text Corrections[/h3]

• Fixed issue where the description for the trait ‘Ancient Alchemy’ was incorrect (Japanese)
  
• Fixed issue where the Magic attack showed red in the description for 'Basic Carleon Staff’ (Portuguese)
  
• Polished the flavor text for the item 'Cretan Bull' (Chinese-Simplified)
  
• Polished the flavor text for the item ‘Dark Priest Robe’ (Chinese-Simplified)
  
• Fixed issue where the text was not properly displayed when destroying ‘Savage Altar’ (Spanish)
  
• Fixed issue where ‘Upon Great Success’ was replaced by ‘Success’ in the description for Gambler’s ‘Russian Roulette’ (Korean)
  
• Fixed issue where the skill name for the Destroyer was incorrect (Every language except for Korean)