Games of the week – Skelattack, Maneater, Potata: Fairy Flower and SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit
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Skelattack
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Platformer
Price: £15.99
Funny bone
Here you are, fresh from death and starting your next chapter as a skeleton, unaware of everything from your living times and tasked with protecting the underworld from humans. Skelattack puts you in the role of Skully, equipped with nothing but a sword, though you can learn some magic and acquire special abilities, such as an amusing boomerang feature using one of your ribs. This aesthetically-pleasing platformer is good fun to play, along with amusing dialogue – and we love his bat friend Imber, who plays their role in this tale too. However, it is let down by a strange balance of difficulty. Wall jumping is key to moving forward, yet it is awkward and landing on spike traps result in instant death (if that’s possible for someone already dead?). Conversely, you can confront bosses whose attacks aren’t equally as fatal in the first hit, which makes no sense.
Skip to the end: Satisfying 2D platforming with good humour and visuals to match, scuppered by disproportionate difficulty levels throughout.
Score: 7/10
Maneater
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Genre: RPG
Price: From £34.99
Revenge has never been so bloody
As the name might suggest, Maneater is ridden with blood and gore, as you play a shark on a battle of vengeance against humanity – and just about anything else that lives and breathes – beneath and above the sea. While the narrative is short of depth, it’s not all senseless. You take control of a female bull shark, who must evolve and survive in an open world after her mother was killed by hunter Scaley Pete. Expect to feast on swimmers and come face-to-face with tougher predators who you must battle. There is a sense of progression, as you level up to confront bigger beasts among the waves, but the twisted entertainment of munching your way through everything in your path quickly becomes repetitive all the same. The good-humoured narration of the entire affair reminds us this is far from a serious game, and it is completely in touch with that. There were also some nice pop culture references hidden around the expansive coast, which we won’t spoil.
Skip to the end: Maneater may be feisty in nature but the action becomes repetitive after a period, leaving you thirsty for something more. It is, however, pretty unique in all its absurdity.
Score: 7/10
Potata: Fairy Flower
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Platformer / Puzzle
Price: From £10.99
Flower power
This platformer, puzzle, fantasy blend sees you play the role of friendly witch Potata, who goes about a rather typical journey through her magical world, after she picks a flower that a fairy was living in, which results in the petals blowing into the wind. The graphics and artwork are cute and charming – and easily Potata: Fairy Flower’s saving grace when compared to the rigid writing of the game’s narrative. Combat elements play out fine but the puzzles can be problematic, with zero in the way of explanation which leaves you scratching your head a bit – there is the option to exchange some of your goods for help from a nearby assistant but these didn’t always prove too resourceful.
Skip to the end: Lack of explanation for puzzles and fairly standard platforming and narrative fail to match up to Potata: Fairy Flower’s pleasing artwork.
Score: 6/10
SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit
Platform: iOS
Genre: Arcade
Price: £4.99 per month with Apple Arcade
Plankton strikes again
The Krabby Patty secret formula is under threat from Plankton once more. It’s up to Spongebob to chase him down, in this Sonic-like arcade game, which is accessible for all the family. The premise is simple, as are the controls that go with it – race to keep up with Plankton by jumping obstacles and swiping to smash through barriers, while collecting coins along the way, as well as special burger flippers. The graphics are super sharp and impressive for a smartphone title, topped off by the voice cast of Spongebob favourites from the TV series and entertaining scenes. It is, however, pretty short, relying on you going back to collect coins you missed as a source of longevity – but it’s undeniably one the children will love.
Skip to the end: Short but easy to play arcade title for Spongebob, as well as spot on graphics and familiar voices from the TV show is enough to make Mr Krabs proud.
Score: 7/10
