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 contains several references to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, mainly due to the game taking inspiration from various fighting games developed by Capcom, including Heritage for the Future. These references include color palettes, voice lines, special moves and mechanics. Alex Ahad, the game's creative director and lead artist, describes himself as a huge fan of anime, with his style being influenced by series like FLCL and Gurren Lagann.[2] Before the game's release, Ahad said that the style of Skullgirls, as well as the types of moves and poses that he did for the characters, were influenced by JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.[2]
One of Peacock's attacks contains a reference to the series. During her "Shadow of Impending Doom" move, there's a rare chance that a roadroller will drop on the opponent. When this happens, Peacock's companion, Avery, will scream "WRYYYYYY!" before pummelling the roadroller while shouting "MUDA MUDA MUDA!"[3] This is a reference to DIO's iconic roadroller attack, which is also present in Heritage for the Future. In addition, just like in Heritage for the Future, it's also possible for the roadroller to miss it's opponent. The character Valentine also has an attack inspired by DIO. Her "Checkmate Incision" special move is almost identical to DIO's Checkmate attack from Heritage for the Future, in both functionality and appearance. The only difference being that instead of throwing knives, she throws scalpels.[4] In addition, it's also possible to perform an aerial variation of this attack similar to when using The World. 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.[5] 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!".[6] 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.[7]
Gallery
Drawing by Skullgirls staff
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.
References
- ↑ https://twitter.com/o___8/status/1083119207498186752
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Interview: Alex Ahad’s inspirations behind Skullgirls
- ↑ Skullgirls Peacock Road Roller
- ↑ Skullgirls Valentine Za Warudo
- ↑ Skullgirls - The Cutting Room Floor
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7S0iOm_eLw
- ↑ Skullgirls Encore: Meet...Fukua?
