Analysis of Sker Ritual, the zombie formula of Call of Duty returns with force

Almost four years ago, Maid of Sker was published, an interesting first person survival horrorwhose mechanics related to sound They were very original. The protagonist of the game was almost defenseless and at the mercy of the enemies he faced, although they were mostly blind and could only detect him if he made noise. Its excellent Victorian setting with a Steam Punk touch It was very attractive, and although it was a short title with certain edges to polish, it was a game to take into account for fans of the genre. In its subsequent update patch to the current generation, a wave combat mode where the player was now allowed to use firearms, completely changing gears and leaving stealth behind in pursuit of more direct action. This mode was germ of this spin off called Sker Ritual, that concerns us today

This new proposal of Wales Interactive comes to pick up the baton of the Zombies mode that worked so well in various installments of the Call of Duty saga. It is inevitable to establish parallels with said mode. In four different scenarios, and together with up to three other players onlinewe will have to resist waves of terrifying enemiesof difficulty, resistance and increasing number with each new wave, as we try to Overcome a series of objectives on each of the four maps. We can face this challenge alone, although the game is designed to be played cooperatively online, being infinitely more satisfying in this way.

In our first games, prior to the launch of the title, the sensations were unbeatable, and the sensation turned out to be that we were facing a very worthy heir to the Call of Duty Zombies. Most of these games were played alone, since it was very difficult to find other players. It has been precisely once the game was launched, and having more experiences with other online players where we have seen the seams of the game. And it is a real shame, because The base is very good, and of course playing with friends we are facing one of those extremely enjoyable experiences that will make us spend very entertaining afternoons and evenings.. Despite this, the future of the game is at the mercy of Wales Interactive fixed a disastrous matchmaking to the point that it removes the desire to return to the game, and that ultimately a community of players is formed that makes its existence viable in case of not having friends to share it with, because The single-player experience becomes frustrating as the hours go by.

Call of Zombies

At all times it is something secondary, but the plot of the game connects directly with the ending of Maid of Sker, specifically its bad ending, becoming canonical. We are going to reveal much more to you in case you have not played it, you simply should know that the game has a Victorian setting with drops of Steam Punk, and confronts us with grotesque enemies out of a nightmare where a strange creature possesses every being. alive who hears their terrible song. Throughout the four maps We will visit scenarios such as the old hotel where the previous game took place, dark laboratories where grotesque experiments are being carried out or a derailed train.

The key of the game is to survive countless waves of enemies of increasing difficulty and number. We can limit ourselves to looking for a good place to equip ourselves and try to withstand the attacks of the scourge of the horrendous creatures, although the most interesting thing is try to advance through the levels fulfilling a series of objectives that the game sets for us. The different areas of the map are blocked by doors, which are opened by spending points obtained by massacring enemies. These points are also used in buy and upgrade weapons, character upgrades and even resurrection tokens, so they will have to be used wisely. The objectives that the maps give us range from searching for some containers, filling them with a strange substance and connecting them to a strange device, destroying a series of machines that prevent our passage, “herding” lambs for a sacrifice or eliminating enemies in a full point to gather your aura, among many others.

Although these objectives add variety to development, In many cases it is not very clear what we should do specifically, or how to get to the indicated point, a fact that is burdened by cumbersome indications and a level design where in many cases it is not clear which areas we can move through and which ones we cannot. This is aggravated by the continuous scourge of enemies, becoming insane in the advanced waves. Except for very experienced and highly skilled players, it is very complex to complete the objectives of the level if we do not start doing it in the first rounds and we achieve objectives quickly, becoming torture to achieve it from wave 25 onwards, let’s not talk about high difficulty levels or playing alone, where it is a torment to try to achieve these objectives.

It is because of that The experience is very much at the mercy of the group with which we face a map. Playing with friends, in an organized way, is a real pleasure. But, despite the fact that the title has cross-play between the different platforms, the player base that we have found is very scarce, and on many occasions we have played games where chaos and disorganization reigned completely, with players trying to resist waves separately at their own pace without collaborating with the achievement of objectives, making their achievement almost impossible.

Otherwise, The playable base is excellent. He Control of the character and weapons is very satisfactory, the aiming and handling of the weapons works like a charm, and the sensations with them are forceful and credible. The character has a melee attack and a grenade, as well as the possibility of using magic attacks. All of this is obtained and Improves randomly through miracles, some improvements that we obtain as we overcome rounds, and that, being random, add a layer of uncertainty to each game. We will also find points on the maps where we can refill ammunition, improve the character and weapons and acquire new tools, spending the points obtained by eliminating enemies, points that, as already mentioned, we must also spend if we want to advance through the scenarios.

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A very improvable Matchmaking

Along with its dependence on who we play with and its current small player base, the game’s main problem comes from a player matching system that is a total disaster. In the first instance, it does not allow us to start a game and have other players join us. He always makes us wait in a lobby, and it is when other players enter the lobby that we are allowed to vote to start the game. This process sometimes makes you wait a long time for a game to startwhen the option of starting to play alone and adding players as a possibility would have been more logical.

But even more serious is the fact that When the player hosting the game disconnects, the game ends immediately and none of the other players gain experience for the game. The fact has come to pass that after almost two hours of mission, having finished it, the host disconnected during the small cinematic scene at the end of the level and the rest of us did not get any prize after a supreme survival exercise. At this point it is unacceptable that if the host disconnects, said role is not immediately and normally passed to another of the players in the game and the game continues normally. Any option for Sker Ritual to establish itself as an option to consider in the genre requires Wales Interactive to fix this disastrous Matchmaking. There is hope here for a game with potential and for an interesting community to be created around it, but they must solve this problem. The title has cross-play between PC and Xbox.

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Spotty performance

We also see certain need for improvement in graphical performance that does not reach perfection necessary in a title of this magnitude. The game looks good, but it is not a graphical marvel that justifies certain drops in the frame rate that it occasionally suffers from. The graphic finish is similar to that of Maid of Sker, displaying an attractive and dark steampunk setting mixed with horror and supernatural elements. For the fruit of a small independent developer, it is a more than optimal result.

Looking to the future, there are announced various content updatesthe two most interesting being two new totally free maps that will be published in the months of July and October. The support of the developer and community is vital for a title that has excellent foundations to establish itself as a most attractive option for those looking for experiences similar to Call of Duty zombies, or cooperative multiplayer experiences like Vermintide 2, Darktide or Killing floor 1 and 2.

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