OMGJeremy

Humpday Gaming: Skullmonkeys (PSX)

Jesus Christ how have I not put Skullmonkeys in this thing before? I am in sheer shock and disbelief that I somehow have never included one of the best platformers made for the PSX – and one of my personal favorite games of all time – on this site. Apparently I have not. Well, let’s rectify this problem real quick: hey guys, you ever hear of Skullmonkeys? No? Well fuck off, because it’s the best damn platform game you never played.

It should quickly be noted that Skullmonkeys is actually a sort of pseudo-sequel to the Neverhood, a PC adventure game. It stood out with its incredible use of claymation for its visuals, creating a strikingly awesome looking setting that was – and remains – incredibly original. The game also used great, great humor throughout, and had some of the most memorable characters and scenes that you’re likely to find in any game. Including your mostly silent hero Klaymen, as he went about his mostly random quest to awaken a giant robot to save his world. It sounds insane (and oh man it is) but there was a great, sorta naive personality in Klaymen himself that helped ground the insanity into something that was palatable over the course of a whole game. If you’ve never heard of it, then it may be worth your time to check out the video below:

Amazing, right? You bet your ass it is. Now take all of that and throw it out the window, because its sequel could not be further from the adventure game you just saw. Just look:

Skullmonkeys takes the setting and characters from the Neverhood, and then somehow manages to stretch it out into a massive platform game worthy of the most hardcore of motherfuckers. You still play as the mostly child-like Klaymen as he is once again pushed into saving his little slice of space he calls home from the same evil Klogg that threatened it in the first game. This time though, the game isn’t relying on narrative and puzzles to push you through. Instead focusing on rock solid platforming over the course of its many, many levels. The game still retains its great claymation look, while still giving you the same great humor in its cutscenes that made the first game’s characters come to life. It doesn’t hurt that they are still some of the funniest to be found in a game:

So does the game have any problems? A couple, I suppose. One being that the game is just super long. Even though the game offers a ton of variety with its various worlds and play mechanics, it can start wearing on you after a while. We’re talking dozens of stages and secret levels throughout the game. Also at some point about halfway through all those stages, the game gets pretty damn hard. It’s at this time that you’ll either give up, or grit your teeth and keep truckin.’ For the few of you that make it to the end: congratulations. You just earned a ton of game rep from anyone that has pushed all the way to an awesome last boss that makes the effort feel justified (although the ending is kind of a letdown). Other than that though, it’s hard to find fault with it. Especially when you have controls this tight. So at least when you do die, you know it wasn’t the game’s fault for being half-assed.

Now this is usually the part where I would tell you to rush out and play this little-known gem as soon as possible. Problem is, is that the game is pretty rare. Mostly thanks to you assholes that never bought it. Sometimes, you can find it on eBay for a decent price from someone that doesn’t know any better. But otherwise you may just be shit out of luck. At least until someone sees fit to re-release it on PSN. When that day comes though, you should probably do yourself a favor and play Skullmonkeys. At least for a few levels. It’s one of the few games out there that’s worth playing just for the experience.