Scarlet Skips Review (PC)

When Scarlet Skips first hopped across my path with a contagious smile, I couldn’t quite understand the hype surrounding it. But then, it just sort of clicked, more so given that it was staring at me right between the eyes. It was never going to be a game that would push the boundaries or reinvent the wheel. It was to be a game with a gimmick, a weightless atmosphere, and a blatant focal point that, once established, would form the backbone of an otherwise pointless one-click rogue-like chapter. After I digested that, I could see the point of it, if only just.

Scarlet Skips is a one-button experience that, while evidently comfortable in its simplistic form, takes full advantage of a rogue-like progression system to make an otherwise unnecessary addition to the genre a little more appealing. Without it, you would, in all honesty, have a rather boring game on your hands. Why? Well because, if you were to remove the random abilities and occasional cosmetic, then you would have a game that is, quite simply, about skipping. And I don’t mean skipping through a wondrous world of various biomes and enchanting details, but skipping on the spot, with a jump rope, and with some questionably-placed jiggle physics to tide you over as you knuckle down to earn some extra abilities along the way.

As its title implies, Scarlet Skips is all about tapping a single button to complete jumps. As you master the art of jumping, you unlock various passive abilities, as well as different jump ropes to fool around with. For example, you can set your jump rope ablaze, increase your jumping distance, and add a second jump rope to accrue a greater score. But other than that, what you essentially have is a painstakingly simple one-button game. It isn’t glamorous, and it definitely isn’t a game that keeps ahold of its best moments in the hopes that you’ll eventually find them after several long and painful hours of skipping to the rhythm of a bird song.

As this is, of course, a one-button game, there isn’t a lot for you to master here. Skipping, being a rather elementary schoolyard hobby, is as simple as cardio-based exercises come, meaning you don’t have much to fret about other than, perhaps, your ability to time your jumps correctly. And when it all boils down to it, that is your one and only obstacle here: jumping to the beat of your own drum. And yes, anyone can do it.

To vouch for its simplicity, Scarlet Skips doesn’t make itself out to be something that it so clearly isn’t. With no hidden agendas or paywalls, it opts to keep things to the straight and narrow, with a single objective, a small handful of upgrades, and the one mechanic to master. To that end, it is a game that you could quite easily experience in its entirety in less than five or ten minutes. And I suppose that’s both a blessing and a curse in this case. Evidently, it lacks depth, though it does keep its intentions perfectly transparent. Is that a good thing? I think so? At this point, I guess I’m not entirely sure.

On the bright side, Scarlet Skips is quite the colorful game. While it keeps to the same setting and doesn’t go much further than the single frame, it is, against all odds, a surprisingly vibrant design that leans into its cartoonish elements incredibly well. The character—Scarlet, that is—is contagiously optimistic, and most of her surroundings are teeming with overly excitable critters and small details that complement the overall aesthetic. And that’s a good thing, as it doesn’t have a lot more going for it. No offense, Yerk Games.

If you enjoy gimmicky one-button games that don’t require any prior knowledge or in-game experience to grasp, then you will probably find something that’s worth holding out for in Scarlet Skips. For the record, it isn’t a game that offers more than what it advertises on its box. The jump rope swings around, and you tap the button at the precise moment to complete a jump until you eventually collapse. The score goes up, and you, armed with a few additional perks—a reinforced jump rope that grants you an extra life, for example—work on your skills to ensure that future skips are a little more numerically extravagant. I’d love to tell you that there’s more to it than that, but there isn’t.

Perhaps, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to squeeze a bit of time out of Scarlet Skips. That being said, if you’re hoping for a game that will keep you busy for several hours or so, then you might want to consider looking elsewhere to get your kicks. Clearly, while this might keep you entertained for the first several minutes, it probably isn’t worth sugarcoating it or pretending that it is more than mere digital eye candy. Sorry, Scarlet.

Verdict

Scarlet Skips is essentially on par with every other one-button game on the market, with an idea that is about as straightforward and as pointless as you would imagine it to be. However, to call it a worthless piece of slop might be an exaggeration. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it is a ridiculous game that doesn’t deliver much more than laughable jiggle physics and candy-coated smiles, but to give credit where it’s due, it does provide a viable solution for curbing your boredom for twenty or thirty minutes. Does that make the asking price seem reasonable? Eh, yes and no.

If you have a bit of time to spare and a few pennies to fork out for a cheap and annoyingly simple one-note idle clicker-like game, then honestly, I could think of a dozen different games that would make for a much, much better experience. If, however, you’re easily swayed by oddly bashful characters and sickeningly vibrant settings, then fair enough — take a stab at Scarlet Skips and see what you think. Just don’t expect a cinematic masterpiece, folks.