HomeXbox 360AchievementsRaskulls - XBLA Review

Raskulls – XBLA Review

Game Name: Raskulls
Platforms: Xbox 360
Publisher(s): Xbox LIVE Arcade
Developer(s): Halfbrick Studios
Genre(s): Family, Platformer
Release Date: 12/29/2010
ESRB Rating: E10 (Everyone 10+)
Price: 800MSP (10$ USD)

Story
Raskulls is a bone-shakingly crazy action platformer for Xbox Live Arcade! Embark on an action-packed adventure in the Raskulls Mega Quest, starring the lovable yet completely self-centred King, tough-but-fair Bonesaw and the unlikely hero Dragon. Save the world and unlock Achievements in the single player Mega Quest spanning three chapters and over 60 levels! Take your platforming prowess online around the world, or simply on the couch with friends in Raskulls Multiplayer! Raskulls is here to stay, so it’s now your quest to jump, fall, swim and bash your way through every inch of the rich Raskulls world!” [Via Xbox.com]

The Pirats (not misspelled, they are Rat Pirates; hence Pirats) have crash landed on the Raskull’s planet and now need a power source to leave. They devise a plan to steal the shiny stone (which is definitely part of the plot). The Raskull king then decides to hold a contest to figure out who is trying to steal the shiny stone. It is up to you to attempt to stop the Pirats from stealing the shiny stone as you play as Dragon, Ninja, and the King himself.


Gameplay
The gameplay in Raskulls is extremely simple but tons of fun at the same time. Anyone can pick it up and enjoy it. The game is a platformer that requires you to run through courses breaking blocks, using power ups, messing with the other players, and getting to the finish line first. Each level is designed perfectly to slow down whoever is in the lead and give everyone a chance to catch up. While playing with my little brother, he was always on my tail and every race was exciting because it was so close. Most other games my brother is unable to keep up, but the ability for him to keep up and have fun as well shows the brilliant design put into the game.

The Mega Quest is the main story and it comprises of 3 chapters, but a whole bunch of missions to complete. You can run through it pretty quickly by taking the shortest routes and the easiest missions, but it will take a while to complete everything. You can unlock a bunch of characters through the Mega Quest to play with in multiplayer and you can even get cheats that unlock fun little extras for within the game. The story is hilarious, and if you take the time to read through all the cutscenes and watch them fully you will enjoy yourself thoroughly.

Multiplayer in this game is hectic and brilliantly fun. Play online or with friends on the same couch. There are tons of characters to pick from and although the characters are only aesthetic, each has their own unique look and personality and everyone should be able to find a character they like. The levels are also designed in such a way, that the players are regularly smashed together as they all frantically try to gain the lead and then the level splits up again with shortcuts and multiple paths. Multiplayer is a lot of fun, but sadly the amount of multiplayer levels is pretty small, and a larger selection would’ve been nice. There are currently 16 levels, each lasting for about a minute or two; luckily the game is fun enough that replaying the levels over and over again isn’t bad at all.


Audio & Graphics
The audio isn’t amazing but it keeps the pace of the game at a good speed. There is also no voice acting, so you will have to read all the text during cutscenes. Most of the audio will be covered up by you laughing with friends or yelling at them because they just stunned you and stole the win. The game is a lot of fun, and the audio is barely noticed.

The graphics are somewhere between 2d and 3d, and the humor is great. The developers did a good job at creating hilarious cutscenes, and funny one liners that are said by all the characters through text. The art style is cute, and the character designs are pretty cool. The level designs are also brilliant and designed in such a way to constantly rebalance the odds by halting the players in front so anyone in the back has a small window to catch up in.


Achievements
The achievements are fun and encourage playing with friends in multiplayer a lot. If you are having trouble getting 4 people down for a grand prix, just plug in some dud controllers (instruments work too) and then just win with the profile that you want to have the achievement. Getting all the medallions in the game will take a while, because they aren’t that easy and many of the missions have even more challenging versions once you get the first medallion. Overall, the basic achievement list is nice and awards quite a few achievements for just enjoying yourself; however, to get them all you will have to persevere, but it is a fun kind of perseverance. There are also 2 avatar awards, and to get them you must beat some of the bonus missions that you unlock as you progress through the game.
Below is the achievement list:

  • Bone On!!10 Win a race in Mega Quest!
  • Cheaters Never Prosper20 Defeat that dastardly Thief at the end of Chapter 1.
  • Flip Out20 Unleash your power and defeat the boss at the end of Chapter 2.
  • Hail to the King25 Complete the Mega Quest and bring peace to the Raskulls.
  • King Of Bling25 Collect every Medallion in the Mega Quest.
  • Tell Friends About This Game10 Win a four-player local Grand Prix match – and don’t forget to brag about it!
  • Five Times a Raskull20 Win 5 Xbox LIVE Grand Prix matches!
  • Smarty Pants…20 Win by jumping off another Raskull to an out of reach finish. (Local or Xbox LIVE multiplayer)
  • Flame Grilled10 Hit three other Raskulls with a single Flame Charge.
  • Uncomfortably Energetic!10 Keep a single Frenzy going for 10 seconds. (Excludes Mega Quest bosses and “Stay Frenzied” races.)
  • Accomplished Blocksmith20 Destroy 20,000 blocks across all modes. (That is, the small blocks that make up the big blocks.)
  • Zuppercut!10 Launch Raskulls upwards with the Thunder Staff 10 times. (Local or Xbox LIVE multiplayer.)

The Avatar Awards Are:

  • A Giant King Mask – Be the King of the Raskulls!
  • Raskulls T-Shirt (Male/Female) – It has Shapeasaurus on it!

Overview
Raskulls is a fun platformer with plenty of humor and is accessible for the whole family. Young and old alike can sit down and enjoy this game with its easy to master controls and competitive gameplay. You have to read all the cutscenes, but they are definitely worth it and a lot of the times you can understand what is going on by just looking at them without reading. Overall, the game is a lot of fun and while it gets challenging at the end, nothing in the game is over the top impossible. I wish there had been more levels in multiplayer but the ones they provided supplied my brother and I quite a few hours of entertainment. Sadly the game is a bit short overall, but it is a fun experience the whole time.
I give Raskulls
9-0-capsules-out-of-10


 

Cross-Title Extra Content:
Raskulls is one of the Three titles being released as part of Microsoft’s “Games for the Holidays” Promotion. By getting an achievement within either of the other two titles in the promotion (A World of Keflings and IloMilo) you can get exclusive ingame content for Raskulls.

  • By getting an achievement in A World of Keflings you can play as a Kefling in Raskulls’ Multiplayer.
  • By Getting and achievement in IloMilo you can play as one of them within the multiplayer of Raskulls.
<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–> <!–[endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–>Game Name: Raskulls
Platforms: Xbox 360
Publisher(s): Xbox LIVE Arcade
Developer(s): Halfbrick Studios
Genre(s): Family, Platformer
Release Date: 12/29/2010
ESRB Rating: E10 (Everyone 10+)
Price: 800MSP (10$ USD)

Story
Raskulls is a bone-shakingly crazy action platformer for Xbox Live Arcade! Embark on an action-packed adventure in the Raskulls Mega Quest, starring the lovable yet completely self-centred King, tough-but-fair Bonesaw and the unlikely hero Dragon. Save the world and unlock Achievements in the single player Mega Quest spanning three chapters and over 60 levels! Take your platforming prowess online around the world, or simply on the couch with friends in Raskulls Multiplayer! Raskulls is here to stay, so it’s now your quest to jump, fall, swim and bash your way through every inch of the rich Raskulls world!” [Via Xbox.com]

The Pirats (not misspelled, they are Rat Pirates; hence Pirats) have crash landed on the Raskull’s planet and now need a power source to leave. They devise a plan to steal the shiny stone (which is definitely part of the plot). The Raskull king then decides to hold a contest to figure out who is trying to steal the shiny stone. It is up to you to attempt to stop the Pirats from stealing the shiny stone as you play as Dragon, Ninja, and the King himself.

Gameplay
The gameplay in Raskulls is extremely simple but tons of fun at the same time. Anyone can pick it up and enjoy it. The game is a platformer that requires you to run through courses breaking blocks, using power ups, messing with the other players, and getting to the finish line first. Each level is designed perfectly to slow down whoever is in the lead and give everyone a chance to catch up. While playing with my little brother, he was always on my tail and every race was exciting because it was so close. Most other games my brother is unable to keep up, but the ability for him to keep up and have fun as well shows the brilliant design put into the game.

The Mega Quest is the main story and it comprises of 3 chapters, but a whole bunch of missions to complete. You can run through it pretty quickly by taking the shortest routes and the easiest missions, but it will take a while to complete everything. You can unlock a bunch of characters through the Mega Quest to play with in multiplayer and you can even get cheats that unlock fun little extras for within the game. The story is hilarious, and if you take the time to read through all the cutscenes and watch them fully you will enjoy yourself thoroughly.

Multiplayer in this game is hectic and brilliantly fun. Play online or with friends on the same couch. There are tons of characters to pick from and although the characters are only aesthetic, each has their own unique look and personality and everyone should be able to find a character they like. The levels are also designed in such a way, that the players are regularly smashed together as they all frantically try to gain the lead and then the level splits up again with shortcuts and multiple paths. Multiplayer is a lot of fun, but sadly the amount of multiplayer levels is pretty small, and a larger selection would’ve been nice. There are currently 16 levels, each lasting for about a minute or two; luckily the game is fun enough that replaying the levels over and over again isn’t bad at all.

Audio & Graphics
The audio isn’t amazing but it keeps the pace of the game at a good speed. There is also no voice acting, so you will have to read all the text during cutscenes. Most of the audio will be covered up by you laughing with friends or yelling at them because they just stunned you and stole the win. The game is a lot of fun, and the audio is barely noticed.

The graphics are somewhere between 2d and 3d, and the humor is great. The developers did a good job at creating hilarious cutscenes, and funny one liners that are said by all the characters through text. The art style is cute, and the character designs are pretty cool. The level designs are also brilliant and designed in such a way to constantly rebalance the odds by halting the players in front so anyone in the back has a small window to catch up in.

Achievements
The achievements are fun and encourage playing with friends in multiplayer a lot. If you are having trouble getting 4 people down for a grand prix, just plug in some dud controllers (instruments work too) and then just win with the profile that you want to have the achievement. Getting all the medallions in the game will take a while, because they aren’t that easy and many of the missions have even more challenging versions once you get the first medallion. Overall, the basic achievement list is nice and awards quite a few achievements for just enjoying yourself; however, to get them all you will have to persevere, but it is a fun kind of perseverance. There are also 2 avatar awards, and to get them you must beat some of the bonus missions that you unlock as you progress through the game.
Below is the achievement list:

· Bone On!!10 Win a race in Mega Quest!

· Cheaters Never Prosper20 Defeat that dastardly Thief at the end of Chapter 1.

· Flip Out20 Unleash your power and defeat the boss at the end of Chapter 2.

· Hail to the King25 Complete the Mega Quest and bring peace to the Raskulls.

· King Of Bling25 Collect every Medallion in the Mega Quest.

· Tell Friends About This Game10 Win a four-player local Grand Prix match – and don’t forget to brag about it!

· Five Times a Raskull20 Win 5 Xbox LIVE Grand Prix matches!

· Smarty Pants…20 Win by jumping off another Raskull to an out of reach finish. (Local or Xbox LIVE multiplayer)

· Flame Grilled10 Hit three other Raskulls with a single Flame Charge.

· Uncomfortably Energetic!10 Keep a single Frenzy going for 10 seconds. (Excludes Mega Quest bosses and “Stay Frenzied” races.)

· Accomplished Blocksmith20 Destroy 20,000 blocks across all modes. (That is, the small blocks that make up the big blocks.)

· Zuppercut!10 Launch Raskulls upwards with the Thunder Staff 10 times. (Local or Xbox LIVE multiplayer.) 

The Avatar Awards Are:

· A Giant King Mask – Be the King of the Raskulls!

· Raskulls T-Shirt (Male/Female) – It has Shapeasaurus on it!

Overview
Raskulls is a fun platformer with plenty of humor and is accessible for the whole family. Young and old alike can sit down and enjoy this game with its easy to master controls and competitive gameplay. You have to read all the cutscenes, but they are definitely worth it and a lot of the times you can understand what is going on by just looking at them without reading. Overall, the game is a lot of fun and while it gets challenging at the end, nothing in the game is over the top impossible. I wish there had been more levels in multiplayer but the ones they provided supplied my brother and I quite a few hours of entertainment. Sadly the game is a bit short overall, but it is a fun experience the whole time.
I give Raskulls
9/10

 

Cross-Title Extra Content:
Raskulls is one of the Three titles being released as part of Microsoft’s “Games for the Holidays” Promotion. By getting an achievement within either of the other two titles in the promotion (A World of Keflings and IloMilo) you can get exclusive ingame content for Raskulls.

· By getting an achievement in A World of Keflings you can play as a Kefling in Raskulls’ Multiplayer.

By Getting and achievement in IloMilo you can play as the one of them within the multiplayer of Raskulls.