Skullgirls
Skullgirls (スカルガールズ, Sukaru Gāruzu) is an 2D fighting game developed by Lab Zero Games[a] and published by Autumn Games.[b] The game was first released in April 2012 with two expansions, Skullgirls Encore and Skullgirls 2nd Encore, being released from 2014 to 2015. A spin-off mobile game, titled Skullgirls Mobile, was later released in 2017.
Although created by American game directors Alex Ahad and Mike Zaimont, the game takes heavy inspiration from popular Japanese fighters. Most notably Darkstalkers, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future.
Summary
Skullgirls features various references and homages to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, mostly due in part to the game taking inspiration from the Capcom games like Heritage for the Future. As such, there are many attacks and mechanics in Skullgirls which are directly based on those that appear in JoJo.
During Peacock's "Shadow of Impending Doom" attack, there's a rare chance that a steamroller will drop onto the opponent. When this happens, time will stop and Peacock's companion, Avery, will scream "WRYYYYYY!" before pummelling the roadroller while shouting "MUDA MUDA MUDA!" until it explodes.[1] This is a reference to DIO's iconic Roadroller move in Heritage for the Future. Just like Heritage for the Future, it's also possible for the roadroller to miss it's opponent. Valentine also has a attack named "Checkmate Incision," which functions the exact same as DIO's Checkmate move—except instead of throwing a barrage of knives, she throws scapels.[2] It's also possible to perform an aerial variation of this attack. Celebella's "Diamond Deflector" attack causes her to renact Jotaro Kujo's win pose from Heritage for the Future, with her hat Vice-Versa mimicking Star Platinum. A man who looks like Jotaro can also be spotted as an NPC in the background of the River King Casino stage.
Finishing the match with any Blockbuster attack in Skullgirls will cause the background to change and display a portrait of the defeated character with a pained expression on their face. This is a reference to Heritage for the Future's portrait effect for when a character is retired by a special move. The shaders that Skullgirls uses for its portraits in-game are also internally labelled as "JojosDeathPortrait" in the game's files.[3] The game also features alternate announcers. While using the Real Soviet announcer, voiced by creator Mike Zaimont, there's a chance he'll say (in Japanese) "Time has stopped" (時よ止まれ, Toki yo tomare) when the game as is paused, and "And now, time resumes" (そして、時は動き出す, Soshite, toki wa ugokidasue) when the game is unpaused. These are both are references to the phrases DIO says when stopping time.
Skullgirls Encore
The second DLC character Big Band was added on April 22, 2014, during a fundraising campaign for Skullgirls Encore. One of Big Band's signature attacks, "Satchmo Death Blow," unleashes a devastating flurry of Brass Knuckles similar to Star Platinum—except instead of shouting "ORA ORA ORA!," he shouts "TUBA TUBA TUBA!".[4] By winning 26 matches with this attack, you can unlock a hidden "Heavy Metal" palette referencing Jotaro Kujo and Star Platinum's colors from Heritage for the Future. This is further referenced in Skullgirls Mobile, with the same attack being named "Going Platinum" and the quote being "ORAORAORA!" while using the same colors.
The third DLC character Eliza was added on September 30, 2014, during a fundraising campaign for Skullgirls Encore. Her additional "Stand Out" palette, available in the color palette pack DLC, are a reference to DIO from Heritage for the Future, with her Sekhmet form and servants as The World. While in her Sekhmet form, Eliza is capable of performing a flurry of attack similar to The World. During her taunt, Sekhmet exclaims "I have no weaknesses!" ( わたしに弱点はない！, Watashi ni jakuten wanai!), which is a reference to Yoshikage Kira. In the patch notes for her release, the developers referenced one of DIO's more familiar quotes.[citation needed] In Skullgirls Mobile, Eliza also references DIO's quote, "How many breads have you eaten in your life?"
In the reveal trailer for the April Fools character Fukua, Brain Drain asks a dog to leave and says it should come back once it learns how to "manipulate sand or something," which is a reference to Iggy and The Fool.[5]
Gallery
Drawing by Skullgirls staff
- Eliza dio.png
Celebella's "Diamond Deflector"
Jotaro NPC "River King Casino"
Artwork by Alex Ahad
Heavy Metal (Skullgirls Mobile)
Stand Out (Skullgirls Mobile)
Notes
- ↑ Formerly known as Reverge Labs.
- ↑ Formerly co-published by Konami. Also published by Marvelous and Arc System Works in Japan.
