So it may be no secret to many of you that Skullgirls is soon going to be delisted from Xbox Live and PSN services on December 31 of this year thanks to Lab Zero and Autumn Games severing ties with Konami. If this is news to you, then I suggest you check out the explanation from Mike Z himself. As a result of all of this, Mike Z basically had to make a brand new game, which is officially named Skullgirls Encore. If you already own the original Skullgirls, then you do not need to re-buy the game once Encore hits consoles. If you have the PC version of Skullgirls on Steam, then you can already play Encore. You can find other information about Encore on Lab Zero’s website, but let me talk to you about what has actually changed about the gameplay and what you can expect when the new console patch finally hits.
Unlike many other game developers, Mike Z actually interacts with the players of his game on a daily basis to talk about potential balance changes on the Skullheart forums. While Mike Z himself did not exactly mind the length of combos in Skullgirls, he knew that it was an issue that he had to fix. So that is exactly what he fixed in the Encore update with the undizzy system which is explained here. Longer, more damaging combos still exist, but you will really need to make usage of your assists, meter, and counter hits as best as you can to get as much damage out as possible. Overall, the game is now more about resetting your opponent with short combos, which really helps to speed up the pacing of the game.
It’s easier to show than to explain, so if you want to see some match videos of Skullgirls Encore in action then you can check out Keninblack’s Youtube channel (take note that only 3 of the most recent videos on his channel are from Encore, and beware of NSFW language) or my own Encore playlist. If your major problem with Skullgirls was the combo length, then definitely check it out now! If you are on consoles and waiting for the patch… then keep waiting. Mike Z and the Lab Zero team are hard at work getting the patch to you as soon as they can.