SKYHILL brings you a survival/crafting game which combines turn-based combat with a dark and brooding tone.
SKYHILL’s Story
Perry Jason is in a devastated world. After surviving the Apocalypse he wakes up with little recollection of what happened in the massive building he is staying in. Simply staying alive takes precedence but he’ll have to fight off homicidal, mutated humans while doing so. Some of them are truly horrific. But what happened to cause all of this and what it means for you is something you will need to discover for yourself.
Each room has a different set of items, monsters and events.
SKYHILL and Gameplay
Jason is tasked with scavenging a 100 story building for food, weapons and crafting items. Using elevators he can return to his home base where he heals, rests and upgrades various parts of the room. Along the way he has to piece together his recent past and that of the building as well. Events almost as sinister as the apocalypse occurred there.
Story snippets, cell phones and recordings help you understand the game world.
As he searches each room he finds newspaper clippings and audio recordings which reveal pieces of the puzzle. These persist from game to game until the full story is at your fingertips. Roguelike elements insure that you are unlikely to find everything on your first try.
Various perks help you survive one of the most dangerous buildings on earth.
Roguelike Perks and Unlocks
Dying is not the worst thing in the world due to SKYHILL’s unlock system. In fact, dying actually helps you unlock starting bonuses during your future games. There is a significant tree of benefits, some with drawbacks, to unlock over many battles.
Called shots help you defeat even the largest enemies.
Characters also level up over the course of the game, becoming more efficient with weapons. Accuracy is also very important, because you can become a death-dealing machine by hitting specific parts of each enemy.
Traders and other special events liven up the setting.
SKYHILL’s Random Events
Random events are what make this game interesting and quite fun. Each room has a chance to hold something different. Sure, it may be the same old items you are used to but it could also be a trader, a spooky television or even an iconic “hanged man” swaying from the ceiling. We hope that the developers continue to add more of these to the game. Each one livens up a game format that can become somewhat “grindy”.
Each of these panels is quite impressive.
2D Story Sequences
Key parts of the story, as well as random events, are laid out in excellent splash pages. The entire game is done in this style but these sections are perhaps a bit more dramatic than the rest of the game. Each one breaks up the action nicely.
Devour some delicious pet food to survive.
SKYHILL and Comical Undertones
Most of the game has a dark, sinister theme about it. However there are small, wacky segments. Sometimes you just have to pour an entire bag of flour into your mouth or chow down on a patty of butter. Do whatever it takes to stave off the hunger.
Final Verdict 4/5: RPG, Survival and dramatic elements combine to create a very interesting RPG experience in one game. Unique art and an interesting story shore up an efficient combat system. Unfortunately once you’ve seen every random event the game becomes a bit repetitive, keeping this game from a perfect score. We believe after a few updates and/or pieces of DLC it’ll become something truly amazing. SKYHILL is available now for $14.99 USD on Steam. Keep in mind that this is an early build so the game could change significantly.
