Skulk Hollow

Skulk Hollow is an asymmetrical duel in which one person will lead an army of cute foxes, while the other side of the conflict takes on the role of the big, bad Behemoth. The foxes to win must block all the guardian’s abilities using they brute force. The huge guardian must meet his goal or simply squash the furry leader. Ready for a little BAM BAM?

Gameplay

Each player’s turn structure will look more or less similar. We’ll play cards to move around the map, use our various abilities and deal damage. However, each faction has its own unique abilities. Therefore, I will describe my impressions from both sides so that you have an idea that only one of them is interesting(UPS! A little spoiler?).

Cunning Foxes

Foxes must be cunning. After all, they can’t run up to a huge colossus that will squash them with its boot or tentacle like some Leming. We will start our battle in the castle with 1 of our guards. At the beginning of the game we will choose a King or Queen, who will provide us (or not) with some ability. In their turn, the foxes will try to sneak up on their opponent and jump on him like some unleashed sandworm. There they will stab with their swords to block the guardians’ abilities. They can also shoot arrows from a distance, but that would be enough of our special attacks. The foxes’ deck also contains several different warriors that we can summon to the battlefield. The knight is fairly sturdy and can quickly jump on his opponent. The rogue can attach himself like Velcro to any part of the monster. The archer shoots from a distance.

Playing as foxes I felt such monotony. Because my gameplay looked the same every time. All I did all the time was approach, jump and stab. A bit like in a movie with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. I was definitely not looking forward to another tomorrow. Leaders who had some special abilities(3 of them) didn’t help me much either. Because these abilities didn’t bring anything that interesting to my gameplay. Yes there were some moments when I made some cool move thanks to collecting a lot of crystals. However, I can count all the moments of excitement on my one furry paw. Playing as Foxes is just OK.

Colossally good fun

Being a big stone guardian is fun and easy. We crawl around the map, occasionally squish something, and if our backs itch, we scratch and knock off a few tails. We won’t even hear a pleading cry for help. Each giant has its own special abilities and a unique way to win. The big not-so-caring bear makes bam bam with its paws trying to leave as many wet spots on the map as possible. The octopus thunders enemies with its tentacles, and the bird of prey wants to land and glide.

Playing with sentinels is simply great. It’s indeed massively fun. We walk, punch things and try to win. We may have fewer actions to perform but I really like the fact that each colossus provides a different gameplay experience. If I could I would play only them.

Tough is the life of a Guardian

I just love to play as those stone monsters. But that doesn’t mean they are stronger at all. Because of the fact that foxes can store crystals for additional actions, the balance of gameplay can be quickly disrupted. It also all depends on who you play with. My cute bear likes to when there are a lot of foxes on the map because it’s easier for him to squash them. On the other hand, when we play as foxes against another huge rival, we can spam our tailed warriors as much as we can, not looking at their rapidly decreasing population. Then it’s also easier to prepare for an epic turn in which we simply destroy the wardens practically with one attack. The colossus won’t even have anything to defend itself with….

I can’t help it

Well this is where something occurs that disappoints me about this game. In Skulk Hollow I can’t just move around or do some specific action. I have to rely on what I draw from the cards. Unfortunately, because of this, I often took a discard action to draw cards to do anything at all or to at least try to defend myself. That’s why foxes have it a little easier because by storing energy it’s easier for them to make a massed attack. Because of this „searching” for specific cards, the gameplay can get paused and we don’t even have the opportunity to move it forward. Still, foxes are in a better situation because by playing warrior cards we reduce the number of them in our deck, which makes it more likely that we can draw something needed more often.

Quality and Components

In terms of components, Skulk Hollow is simply superb. We have nice fairy tale illustrations, colorful foxes, and great, unique boss meeples. We can also fit all the components in separate boxes, which will make it easier to set up the game for the future. Insert is also very good. Here I have nothing to complain about.

Summary

I really like the concept of Skulk Hollow. An asymmetrical duel where we climb up huge monsters and try to bring them down. It had to work, right? Unfortunately, I feel such a slight dissatisfaction with what this game offers me. The actions are quite simple because we mainly move around, hit things and that would be it. The only positive thing for me was playing as a huge monsters. The gameplay with them is simply better but often made more difficult by the foxes’ ability to store crystals and by unlucky card draw.

Final verdict: Sometimes you’ll do nothing if you can’t do anything.

Pros

• Visually beautiful
• Asymmetrical guardians
• Great game concept

Cons

• Balance of foxes
• Can’t do something I would like to do because of bad card draw
• Game can drag a bit
• A little too shallow gameplay