Skullgirls Encore / 2nd Encore
  

 

  
ABOUT:  In the later half of 2013, Lab Zero Games went through severe difficulties while submitting patch updates for Skullgirls due to problems involving their relationship with Konami. In an attempt to expedite the patching process, Lab Zero severed legal ties with Konami. On December 31st, the original Skullgirls was removed from PSN and XBL while the game transitioned to new publishers. The game returned as Skullgirls Encore, marking the beginning of the era funded by Lab Zero's Indiegogo campaign. The first new DLC character was Squigly, and she was followed by Big Band, Eliza, Beowulf and (soon) Robo-Fortune.


Skullgirls Encore features a variety of updates and changes. For starts, Encore features 3 brand new hand-drawn stages, including: River King Casino, New Meridian Rooftops & Rooftops Assault. The bizarre "Typing of the Skullgirls" mode is also new in Encore, where players can actually play with a keyboard, typing words as they fight it out. Some visual updates include palletized hit effects & HUD select portraits, and improved animation on the "Encore Performance" screen. A slew of gameplay and balance changes were also implemented into Skullgirls Encore.

 

 

Skullgirls: 2nd Encore is the final enhancement, originally released on PlayStation 4 on July 7th, 2015. 2nd Encore features all previously released DLC characters, stages, and new modes. The PS Vita version of the title is cross-buy, so owners of the PS4 version will receive the Vita version for free. Along with the new playable characters, 2nd Encore includes a fully-voiced story mode, new challenges, trials & survival mode, plus trophy support. The title also features cross-play with PS4/PS3 versions.

 

 

For the PS4 version of Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, Lab Zero was able to create a driver that enables legacy controller support (later used by other fighting game companies), which allows PS3 fightsticks & controllers to be used on PS4 exclusively for the game. The Nintendo Switch version of Skullgirls: 2nd Encore released on October 22nd, 2019. An Xbox One version was originally planned for 2018/2019, but has been "delayed indefinitely".


 

Page Updated: March 10th, 2023 Developer(s): Lab Zero Games, Hidden Variable Publisher(s): Autumn Games     CyberFront (  Marvelous AQL    (PC) Skybound Games    (Switch) Designer(s): Mike Zaimont    Project Lead & Designer Ian Cox Peter Bartholow Artwork by: Alex Ahad    Lead Artist Mariel Kinuko Cartwright    Lead Animator Jonathan "Persona" Kim Platform(s): PS4, PS3, PSVita, Xbox 360, PC, Arcade, Nintendo Switch Release Date(s): Feb. 11th, 2014             PSN - Skullgirls: Encore Apr. 4th, 2014                 XBL - Skullgirls: Encore July 7th, 2015                 PS4 - Skullgirls: 2nd Encore Oct. 29th, 2015                Arcade Apr. 5th, 2016                 PSVita - Skullgirls: 2nd Encore Apr. 13th, 2016              Steam - Skullgirls: 2nd Encore Oct. 22nd, 2019             Nintendo Switch March 2021                      Steam - Skullgirls: 2nd Encore Season Pass 1 Characters:  Filia, Cerebella, Peacock, Parasoul, Ms. Fortune, Painwheel, Valentine, Double, Marie, Squigly, Big Band, Eliza, Beowulf, Robo-Fortune, Annie (Season 1), Umbrella (Season 1), Black Dahlia (Season 1) Featured Video: Related Games: Skullgirls, Arcana Heart 3, AquaPazza, SNK Gals Fighters, The King of Fighters XIII, Marvel VS Capcom 2, Persona 4 Arena: Ultimax, Xuan Dou Zhi Wang, Under Night In-Birth EXE Late[st], Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR, Street Fighter 5, The King of Fighters XIII, The King of Fighters XIV, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy    Gameplay Engine    Story / Theme    Overall Graphics    Animation    Music / Sound Effects    Innovation    Art Direction    Customization     Options / Extras     Intro / Presentation     Replayability / Fun     "Ouch" Factor     Characters     BOTTOM LINE             First Impression: The original Skullgirls was an instant cult classic... becoming known for its clever art style, wacky character designs, and stylish 2D animation. The 2D sprites clearly ooze personality and charisma... and in an age where seemingly "everything is 3D," a fully hand-drawn 2D game like Skullgirls offers a unique visual experience and enjoyment that you really can't get elsewhere these days. Side Story:  As a competitive 3D fighting game player in 2012-2014 (traveling to tournaments for TEKKEN and SoulCalibur), I was a very busy person in 2012-2014 when Skullgirls was first released... just to offer you some perspective of the time period, from me. Even as a fighting game player who put 4 hours a night (on average) into TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 and other "current gen" fighting games games in the 2010's, I did buy the first Skullgirls to support the devs (because long live fighting games!). I played the original Skullgirls for a few hours... but never commit to playing it regularly (or buying the DLC). Alas, Skullgirls was a game that I ended up "overlooking" in my "actual playing fighting games time" — but it was a game that didn't want to overlook (and didn't actually 'overlook' it since I did write about 25 news articles on Skullgirls updates. lol.) Even though I haven't played much of Encore or 2nd Encore, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the great artwork and character designs... because I do enjoy them. All of this to say... I kinda regret not playing more Skullgirls. However, the GOOD NEWS is... I will finally review Skullgirls: 2nd Encore (the final version of this game) when it comes to Nintendo Switch. The convenience of playing on Switch will make it easier for me to enjoy an aesthetic game like Skullgirls (while I'm traveling). I look forward to finally reviewing the final version of Skullgirls someday.   ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen    Click Here for more Concept Art! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES