Based on Welsh folklore, Maid of Sker is best described as first-person survival horror. According to Matt’s review, it is subtle and nuanced. Sker Ritual is a spin-off that changes up the genre a little bit: it is an intense round-based zombie survival first-person shooter. That sounds significantly less subtle/nuanced and a little too shooty-shooty to me, but hopefully I’m wrong. Sker Ritual has been in Early Access for PC for about a year and a half now, and it is now confirmed for a full launch this April.
The Quiet Ones have returned. Players will face hordes of enemies (both new and familiar), supercharged Elites with unique powers, upgradeable steampunk weapons, spine-chilling masks, and mysterious story objectives. The story is from writing talent behind Maid of Sker, so that’s good… but also Battlefield 1, and that’s meh. I’ve read of Sker Ritual being described as Resident Evil plus Call of Duty, which makes sense based on what I’ve seen.
Sker Ritual is designed both for playing solo, or playing co-op with up to four online players. The intensity of hordes are scaled depending on the number of players; for example, there would be more enemies with four players and less with two players. There doesn’t appear to be any couch co-op though, so if you need to make some new friends to play with you can check out the Sker Ritual Discord.
There are new Elites on Sker Island, each bringing a unique set of abilities that will force players to change their playstyle, change their location, or enlist the help of teammates. There are recognisable enemies, yes – but there are also many new faces (and some no-faces).
Here is a story trailer from a few months ago:
Sometimes when an enemy is killed, it will drop a powerful Miracle. A Miracle drop offers a choice from three random upgradeable powers. There are slots for shooting, melee, grenade, healing, and Ultimate. Each Miracle is bound to a Celtic God and they vary in rarity, core attributes, and power. Weapons come from The Laughing Policeman’s booths around the map; there is also the ability to have unique upgrades done for bonus buffs and visible steampunk elements.
Developed and published by Wales Interactive (who makes some great FMV titles, if that’s up your alley), Sker Ritual will be released for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series on April 18. There will be versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released at a later date.
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