Skulls of the Shogun Message Board

Jake Kazdal has had one hell a a career. He's been a Nintendo Gameplay Counselor. Made N64 games. Worked on both Rez 'n Space Channel 5. Made Skulls a The Shogun. Edge has a great story on his journey from artist t' developer that ye really best read.Read more...

After spending most a the year as a Windows Phone 8 exclusive, the mobile version a 17-Bit's wonderful little turn-based strategy game finally makes the jump t' iOS, 'n damn if it doesn't look gorgeous there. Read more...

Post-mortal strategy game Skulls a the Shogun be out now on the App Store, almost a year after it debuted on Windows Phone. Developer 17-Bit also released the game for Windows 8, Windows, Xbox 360, 'n later Steam, but today's arrival brings the game t' iPhones 'n iPads for the first time, priced at $5.

17-Bit's Jake Kazdal told Pocket Gamer the iOS games be based on the Steam version the studio released in the summer. That means the tweaks 'n additions t' that port be in the iOS version, including the extra episode 'n Tanuki monk unit.

As for multiplayer, the iOS port supports real-time "pass-'n-play" on one device, as well as asynchronous turn-based battles online. Like other versions the multiplayer be cross-platform compatible, albeit only with Steam.

We be big fans a 17-Bit's take on a samurai's afterlife, awarding Skulls a the Shogun the full five stars in our review. As Jess put it, "Skulls a the Shogun be joyful, cheeky, 'n like most memorable experiences, it be best with mateys."

Working in the fast-moving field a electronic gaming journalism can be dangerous. If I’m not watching the latest trailer for Gunface Organ-Splatter: Uncensored Edition, I’m likely t' be quivering in a corner because the latest trailer for Gunface Organ-Splatter: Uncensored Edition contained one too many close-ups a quivering viscera. Such things be not ideal viewing through the hazy veil a an insomniac’s hangover. Today, I thought I be safe. Skulls a the Shogun’s launch(ed on an OS people want t' use) trailer surely wouldn’t trouble me nerves? Click below for children eating skulls 'n losing all a their flesh.

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Skulls a the Shogun be Now Available on Steam!

Enter the Samurai Afterlife 'n join forces with vibrant ghost-samurai warriors, magical animal monks, 'n mustachioed samurai generals in a fast-paced, arcade-inspired blend a arcade action 'n turn-based strategy!

Rampage through 24 levels in an epic single-player campaign or battle up t' 4 players at once on spectacular multiplayer maps, both locally 'n online!

The common, popular narrative be that companies like Microsoft be eeeeevil. All they want be money! Or something like that. Maybe it be not so clear-cut? This quote in the image above comes from a piece on Rock Paper, Shotgun on 17-BIT Studios, developers a Skulls a the Shogun. The article describes the trials 'n disappointments that came with developing a game exclusive t' Microsoft products. Instead a having that exclusivity result in more exposure 'n sales, the move resulted in complications 'n an empty bank account. "They came across as though they be institutionally incompetent," 17-BIT explained. "I think they’re not really set up t' be a decent publisher. I do feel slightly bad saying that, because there be people there who worked hard on our behalf, but at the same time there be systemic problems with the way that division be setup 'n run.” a course, the developers knew they be taking a gamble that involved releasing a game on a bunch a new products—it be probably not fair t' put all a the blame on Microsoft. Still, it be kind a impressive how incompetent Microsoft sounds, at least when it comes t' doing well by indies. ye can read specifics here; it be well worth a read. Granted, we've already gotten a taste a ineptitude outside a indie publishing—look at the whole Xbox One debacle. t' quote our own Kirk Hamilton on it: The company seems t' lack the sort a leadership that would've stopped this kind a cluster*crag* from transpiring in the first place. From the moment the Xbox One be announced, it be messaging has been a mess a corporate-speak, contradictions 'n vaguely menacing obfuscations, wandering around aimlessly 'n pissing off everyone it stumbles into. Compared t' Microsoft, Sony appears poised 'n ready, a company with seemingly strong leadership 'n a number a clearly defined goals. They've set out t' win over developers 'n land exclusive games 'n content, they have a robust indie recruitment strategy, 'n they seem t' take their customers very seriously. (Or, at the very least, they take courting their customers very seriously.) Microsoft, with their bumbling TV-TV-Sports-Call a Duty announcement event, weird pre-E3 info-dump 'n let's-not-mention-the-elephant-in-the-room E3 press conference seems t' be more a a leaderless bureaucracy. So maybe "evil" be too strong a word? What do ye think? The Sorry Saga a Skulls a The Shogun & Windows 8 [Rock Paper, Shotgun]

In 2008, Skulls a the Shogun collaborator Borut Pfeifer 'n developer 17-bit Studios cut a deal with Microsoft t' launch their game simultaneously across XBLA, Surface tablets 'n Windows 8. Pfeifer had some reservations about working with Microsoft, but at the time, he thought getting onto a console could mean instant success. As the years dragged on, the bureaucracy a working with Microsoft complicated development 'n hit the team financially - Microsoft didn't pay them on time, 'n they had t' take out a loan, Pfeifer told Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

"t' be fair, we knew we be kind a making a deal with the devil," Pfeifer said. "Probably one a our biggest mistakes be thinking in 2008 terms, where it be like, 'If ye want t' be on console ye've got t' be a console first,' 'n that be just not true any more."

As a publisher, Preifer said that Microsoft Studios never tried t' interfere with Skulls a the Shogun creatively, but that branch had deep-rooted problems.

"They came across as though they be institutionally incompetent," Pfeifer said. "I think they be not really set up t' be a decent publisher. I do feel slightly bad saying that, because there be people there who worked hard on our behalf, but at the same time there be systemic problems with the way that division be set up 'n run."

Microsoft doesn't hate indie developers, Pfeifer said. "There be people there, like Chris Charla, the portfolio manager a XBLA - though that be probably changing, because XBLA be going away - who be great champions, but as a whole, it be not that Microsoft loves or even hates indies. it be just that they be an indifferent machine t' it all."

An expanded edition a Skulls a the Shogun launches on Steam in July, 'n the beta be available now with pre-orders. On XBLA, we found Skulls a the Shogun t' be an absolutely enjoyable experience - so much so that we gave it a perfect score.

After the Xbox One reveal, we asked a handful a independent developers what they thought Microsoft said t' them with the presentation: "It be sort a weird," be the overall summary. Before even that, we asked a larger handful a indies what they thought a Microsoft in the current generation, 'n received a mixed response.

“When people call Microsoft ‘evil’, it’s kind a an undeserved compliment. t' be evil, ye have t' have vision, ye have t' have communication, execution…”

Rewind three years, t' the Eurogamer Expo, London, October 2010. The staff a Rock, Paper, Shotgun be discussing which game from the Indie Arcade we would decree t' be our game a the show. Messhof’s sadly still-private swordfighting micro-epic Nidhogg ultimately took home the trophy, but we be a hair’s breadth from giving it t' Skulls a the Shogun. This colourful 'n witty turn-based strategy game starred undead Samurai, 'n deftly condensed 'n remixed what can be a hoary old genre into something fresh, fast 'n thoughtful. When I played the game then, it seemed slick 'n surely not far from completion. I anticipated being able t' play it just a few months later. I anticipated it finding itself a great many fans on PC. For many 'n complicated reasons, I be wrong.

It’s now June 2013, six months after Skulls’ Microsoft-exclusive release on Windows 8, Microsoft Surface 'n XBLA, 'n I’m talking t' Borut Pfeifer a Plush Apocalypse, one a a small collective a developers who collaborated on the game. He be wrong too.(more…)

I’m going t' have a full interview about the strange, sad tale a how/why excellent TBS Skulls a the Shogun so bewilderingly ended up as a Windows 8 exclusive, 'n how it all went so, so wrong, up on the site tomorrow. Meantime, let’s share the good news – this ace, very funny 'n tight undead Samurai battler be now free from it be Microsoftian chains, 'n will arrive on Steam & Humble for any PC that can handle it next month. 'n thank God for that.

It’ll have brand new stuff on it be old bones too.(more…)

Skulls a the Shogun, which we rather liked, now has a lower price on Xbox Live Arcade, Windows 8 'n Surface. The Xbox Live Arcade version has dropped t' $10, while the Windows 8 'n Surface versions can be had for $7 apiece. The Windows Phone version, however, be still five bucks.

The savings best help pay for the inevitable dental work associated with eating skulls.

#review I want t' tell ye that Skulls a the Shogun be excellent. More »

When shoguns 'n knights collide, somebody's bound t' lose an eye. At the VERY least.

Full disclosure: I've never died before. I have no idea what the afterlife looks like, where it be located, who runs it be admissions process or if it even exists. I just don't. However, if an afterlife does exist, I'd be totally fine if it resembled the fantastical environment in Skulls a the Shogun.

The entire game takes place in a Japanese warrior's afterlife, with bright Asian line art, a cast a mystical characters 'n a betrayed general out for revenge. Somewhere along the development process, Skulls a the Shogun could have transformed into a gritty, deep commentary on the futility a life 'n honor, but thankfully it be cheerful, Saturday-morning art style saves it from tumbling too far down that dark rabbit hole. In the end - 'n I do mean the end - Skulls a the Shogun be joyful, cheeky, 'n like most memorable experiences, it be best with mateys.

So the next time ye see yer best buddy, clap a hand on his shoulder, look deep into his eyes 'n say, "we be going t' the afterlife." 'n don't forget t' smile.

Undead ancient Japanese warrior-themed. indie strategy game Skulls a the Shogun has been in development for four million years, 'n be finally released yesterday for PC, Xbox 'n Windows tellingbone. Well, only for Windows 8 PCs. Yeah, controversy/insanity. But what about the turn-based strategy at the heart a it? I’ve only gone 'n played it so I can tell ye.(more…)

#skullsoftheshogun Children visit Davey Jone's locker. I promise that isn't as horrible as it sounds. More »

The real-time strategy genre goes t' Charm School.

Skulls a the Shogun will launch at a special introductory price on January 30. Both the Windows 8 'n Windows Surface versions will launch at a reduced $10 (normally $15), while the Windows Phone version will be available for $5, down from it be normal $7.

The timing on the promotional launch place be vague at the moment - the press release past the break says the discounts will last for a "limited time." A day in dog years? Less than 12 parsecs? The length a the Japanese feudal period, roughly seven centuries?

(Don't worry, we'll let ye know when it be over.)

Sometimes, I wonder what I’d be if all me superfluous life fluff be stripped away, 'n I be left with me barest essentials. Would I end up a lover? A fighter? A frozen, naked coward? It’s tough t' say, but I quite like Skulls a the Shogun‘s (extremely literal) supposition. Stripped a me skin, muscles, eyeballs, 'n blood, I’d be a samurai. A skeleton samurai. Fighting for vengeance 'n honor, using all the tactical knowledge still bouncing around in me half-rotted undead brain. Happily, I’ll soon have the chance t' live that flesh-free dream, seeing as Skulls a the Shogun’s coming out at the end a the month.

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#microsoftsurface If ye've got a device with a MIcrosoft logo on it, ye'll be able t' play 17-Bit's action/strategy title, Skulls a the Shogun. The long-brewing game—playable on Xbox 360, PC, Surface 'n Windows Phone, complete with asynchronous turns—will be out at the end a the month. Come for the great music 'n fun character designs. Stay for the lightning-fast tactics battles. More »

It finally has a date for XBLA, Windows 8, Surface - 'n it be this month.

FINALLY.

Skulls a the Shogun be launching simultaneously on XBLA, Windows 8 on PC, Windows Surface 'n Windows Phone on January 30. With a launch platform lineup like that, we be not even going t' complain that it didn't come out alongside Windows 8 as 17-Bit teased last year.

Skulls a the Shogun will run 1200 MS Points ($15) for XBLA, Windows 8 'n Surface, 'n $7 for Windows Phone via the Windows Phone Marketplace. The game has up t' four-player local or online multiplayer, 'n for the first time on Microsoft platforms, it supports asynchronous, cross-platform gameplay. What's more, it will be localized in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese 'n Russian. A little extra time goes a long way, apparently.

For a look at Skulls a the Shogun from the developer's point a view, check out it be Joystiq Indie Pitch.

Here's yer high-concept, catch-all elevator pitch for Skulls a the Shogun: samurai zombies meets turn-based strategy, 'n a dash a Words With mateys thrown in for flavor. 17-BIT's charming top-down strategy title captures the action-flavored flow a the Advance Wars series, though it ditches the grid-based world in favor a more natural radial movement. The whole package comes together around an ambitious multi-platform release that features asynchronous multiplayer match-ups 'n a meaty, multi-hour campaign.

Don't let the "multi-platform" thing fool ye. Skulls be 100 percent a Microsoft exclusive. ye'll simply be able t' play it on anything that runs Windows or some approximation a it. Xbox Live Arcade, YARRRR, but also Surface tablets, Windows Phone devices, 'n Windows 8 PCs via the new operating system's app store.

As ye might have read in our earlier previews or our recent Joystiq Indie Pitch, the 10-15 hour campaign casts players in the role a a recently deceased samurai lord from feudal Japan. Horrified at being forced t' wait in line for half a millennium before being admitted into the afterlife, our General Akamoto takes matters into his own hands. He enlists an army a zombie Ronin t' fight by his side 'n sets out t' carve his way into the great beyond.

#skullsoftheshogun The next big game from Microsoft will let ye earn Achievement points on yer phone. 'n yer Xbox 360. 'n even yer Microsoft Surface. 'n it be not a shooter. More »

Indie developers be the starving artists a the video-game world, often brilliant 'n innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded 'n more prone t' writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We like that. This week, Skulls a the Shogun lead designer Jake Kazdal discusses developing a game for four platforms at once, 'n what happened t' that "launch alongside Windows 8" promise. What's yer game called 'n what's it about?

Skulls a the Shogun be an arcade-strategy game coming t' XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 'n Windows RT (Surface) very soon. it be an original title, developed by a small team a highly experienced AAA developers over the past 3.5 years. it be a mash-up a tactical turn-based strategy, with a feel that be very arcade-like 'n action-packed. No grids, very few menus 'n quick, snappy rounds give it a very unique 'n charming aesthetic, easy for action gamers t' adapt t', but with all the depth a good strategy game lover needs.

Why did ye choose t' go exclusively Microsoft? be there any chance a Skulls a the Shogun launching through Steam or anywhere else?

Microsoft's XBLA group be full a old mateys 'n co-workers from me past in this industry, they be close by so we can zip over there for lunch 'n meetings, 'n they have me favorite game console, along with a phone 'n a tablet 'n a new operating system.

For a micro-studio like us t' be able t' launch on four platforms simultaneously be a vast incentive. We own the IP 'n would like t' do more with it in the future (not only gaming) but Microsoft be the publisher for these versions 'n that has kept our hands quite full for now.

Skulls a the Shogun be coming t' just about everything Windows 8; Windows 8 PCs, Windows 8 phones, Windows 8 tablets. Oh, 'n Xbox. The turn-based strategy game supports cross-platform play across all those Windows, a nifty feature PAX Prime attendees can sample for themselves this weekend.

Skulls a the Shogun comes crashing through all those Windows on October 26.*

*when Windows 8 launches

Microsoft's Surface be launching on (or near) October 26, according t' a recent Securities 'n Exchange Commission filing. "The next version a our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series a Microsoft-designed 'n manufactured hardware devices," the report reads.

The Surface launches in two flavors: Surface for Windows RT 'n Surface for Windows 8 Pro, the latter carrying beefier specs (it be basically a full-on computer). it be unclear if both will launch simultaneously, 'n no pricing has been set on the two varieties a Surface. At least one game will be available at launch - Skulls a the Shogun - with others expected alongside it.

The Seattle Indies Expo be hosting a plethora a playable indie games at the Digipen Institute a Technology Redmond campus, from 10 a.m. t' 5 p.m. this Sunday. Sunday Sunday Sunday, t' be exact.

SIX will have Skulls a the Shogun, Mark a the Ninja, Perspective, Super Amazing Wagon Adventure, The Bridge 'n a slew a other under-the-radar games t' play, as the Powerthirst announcer in the above video demonstrates. Admission t' SIX be free, but getting yer hands on some a these games before any a yer mateys be priceless.

Knock dudes off edges 'n hold up a strong defense t' protect yer general.

Skulls a the Shogun may have tickled yer angry bone when 17-Bit announced that the turn-based battler will be a Windows 8 exclusive, but there be some benefits t' that decision. Foremost, as the developer told us, it means getting t' launch simultaneously on PC 'n Xbox. 'n now, another rather nice silver lining has made it be way out from behind all the rage clouds: Skulls a the Shogun gets t' be the first game with cross-platform multiplayer between PC, Xbox, phone, 'n tablet. I can’t think a anyone else who’s done that yet, so I suppose that makes this a pretty big deal, huh?

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