This Viral King Kong Game Might Be Worse Than Gollum
Every once in a while, a video game comes along that is so inept, so absurdly undercooked, that it commands the internet's attention. That occurred earlier in 2023, as critics and fans alike gave a great big side-eye to "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum." The fantasy adaptation was notoriously buggy and lacking in features that were teased in early gameplay previews, earning it a reputation as quite possibly the worst game of 2023. Now a new challenger has emerged to lay claim to that title: "Skull Island: Rise of Kong."
Developed by IguanaBee and published by GameMill Entertainment, "Skull Island: Rise of Kong" sees everyone's favorite giant ape avenging the death of his parents (no, really) and battling monsters as he explores the secrets of the titular island. That sounds like it could make for a fun time. After all, Ubisoft Montreal's 2005 "King Kong" game is still seen as an underrated action-adventure title to this day. Unfortunately for fans of King Kong and the MonsterVerse franchise, "Skull Island: Rise of Kong" plays out more like a cheap cash-in than a loving adaptation. The game has quickly become infamous due to gamers sharing clips of its ineptitude on social media, showcasing its low-rent graphics and awkward gameplay. With the game costing $40 brand new, some have even taken to calling it "a complete scam."
Actual cutscene
DO NOT BUY THE NEW KING KONG GAME. IT IS A COMPLETE SCAM pic.twitter.com/6hiCWOSnNc
— Rick (@RickDaSquirrel) October 16, 2023
A viral clip shared by @rickdasquirrel on X (formerly Twitter) shows off the many issues players have found with the game, including jerky movement animations, flat environments, and awkward combat. It all adds up to a perfect storm that fans cannot stop joking about.
Critics and fans lay into Skull Island: Rise of Kong
Some folks are somewhat delighted by the jankiness found in "Rise of Kong." Shortly after posting the first viral clip, @rickdasquirrel shared another video of King Kong awkwardly sliding into a sandpit, joking that it was "game of the year material." Full Squad Gaming's Jake Lucky echoed this sentiment, reminding everyone that the game somehow still costs $40.
New King Kong game looks like game of the year material pic.twitter.com/TXuZYQ53EL
— Rick (@RickDaSquirrel) October 16, 2023
Overall, reviewers have found "Rise of Kong" to be painfully mediocre. IGN's review blasted the game's poor graphics and numerous glitches, noting that character progression occasionally completely resets itself and that enemies will sometimes fail to spawn, making certain sections of the game impossible to complete. Reviewer Phil Hornsaw writes, "'Skull Island: Rise of Kong' is ugly and full of bugs, but the real trouble is that, at its core, it's just boring ... [It's] Rise of Kong is fundamentally disinterested in itself: a giant ape game that doesn't even care enough about what it's doing to make the ape feel giant."
Some fans of kaiju entertainment are looking on the bright side of this disastrous release, however. Some have argued that these viral clips could bring attention back to better games, like the aforementioned "King Kong" from Ubisoft. Others are hoping that this will serve as a wake-up call for the rights-holders to King Kong. "All the negative publicity will force someone to make a truly great Godzilla/Kong game and we can finally rest," one X user posted.