Call of Duty’s Zombies mode has come far from its humble beginnings as a skeptically received bonus mode in World At War. For some, it’s the whole point of the game, with longstanding appeal vastly outlasting the campaign and even competitive multiplayer’s appeal. Yet outside of a brief iOS mobile port, we’ve never seen Call of Duty let Zombies release on its own. So now Wales Interactive (of Maid of Sker and FMV gaming fame) have taken on the task themselves with Sker Ritual, the co-op FPS spin-off from Maid of Sker.
Let’s get it out of the way that the CoD inspiration for Sker Ritual is undeniable. Similar power-ups, perks, easter egg objectives, and ludicrously over-the-top old-school weapons straight out of the Cold War. Fortunately, as utterly blunt as Sker Ritual may be about this, it’s far from beholden to Call of Duty’s formula.
You aren’t fighting hordes of zombies for a start, but humans twisted into possessed monstrosities known as The Quiet Ones. Their army of occultists features a wonderful spread of enemy designs drawing from Slavic and English lore, such as teleporting banshees, as well as some original opponents like slender men in diving suits who blast beams of scathing light from their helmets.
Then, just as you think you’ve seen everything, along comes the Stalker: a bowler cap-clad brute that towers over you, chasing you across the level. With all the weaving hidden doorways and crevices the Quiet Ones can burst out of in the current map of Lavernock, it’s a thrilling, wonderfully paced ride. You’re never safe for too long, but not so much that you can’t keep pressing further into the swarming horrors.
Everything is distinctly Lovecraftian, with a nice smear of Bioshock-esque dieselpunk contrasted with wonderfully rich lighting. Other than Gotham Knights with the saturation cranked all the way up, there are few games this vibrant yet moody. Every area is evocative, making each arena a memorable battlefield, whether it’s within the bowels of an ancient lab or the cursed village resting atop technological ruins. Each arena loops smoothly into the next, offering new advantages depending on the mobs chasing after you.
Sker Ritual also makes a leap over Call of Duty’s own efforts thanks to making story objectives relatively easy to understand. You still have to think things through and be observant, but you won’t be constantly consulting some guide on YouTube to know what to do next.
Another wonderful addition sure to be of use to both veterans and beginners is the Miracles system. On top of traditional perks, you can unlock modifiers to all your primary abilities. It’s always luck of the draw, with some incredible boons if you’re fortunate, like making your healing serum explode in flames around you, or swapping your ultimate attack’s area of effect blast for invisibility or invincibility; even your combat knife can be amped up to become a devastating weapon.
This isn’t to say Sker Ritual is easy. In fact, I held off writing my impressions on it until a recent patch addressed some balancing for weapon damage and enemy health. Fortunately, the developers at Wales Interactive are regularly engaging with the community, hearing out their feedback to let players vote on how the game evolves in certain ways. It’s not something you see all that often for a game in this style, but I’m all for more studios engaging in an active conversation with their fans to hone in on what makes their titles special.
Just as pleasant a surprise is how much is being offered for free, including a free season pass and new maps planned for every few months on a clear roadmap. The first new map is set to drop this December, and having mastered Lavernock, I’m curious of what’s to come next. Lavernock has you searching for puzzle combinations by blacklight, disabling security systems, harvesting the Quiet Ones for their life essence, and even guiding a baby goat to safety, and I’d like to think they execute the next map with the same level of creativity.
We’ll see how they intend to top this soon enough, but for the time being, Sker Ritual is more than an out of left field co-op FPS sequel to its slow-burn predecessor – it’s a darn good one, filling the niche some might be left wanting for by Modern Warfare II’s lack of zombies.
