WithSkigill, the classic RPG skill tree becomes a crowded battlefield

If you’ve played any number of RPGs, you probably know the skill tree as a break from the game’s core action. It’s a place to pause, take a breather, and scroll through a massive visual menu of upgrade options, considering which path of stat and ability tweaks best fits your character and your play style.

With Skigill, indie developer Achromi has taken that break-time menu and transformed it into the playing field for an intriguing Vampire Survivors-style roguelike. And while the Early Access game currently lacks the kind of deep content that will keep players coming back for a long time, it’s still a clever and engaging take on the genre that I haven’t been able to put down for long.

Clear the way, I need +5 armor!

Like Vampire Survivors and its many imitators, Skigill is all about navigating through waves of enemies that converge somewhat mindlessly on your position. The game automatically aims and deploys weapons to carve some safe space through what can be screens full of hazardous enemies, which leave behind coins as they explode in puffs of yellow smoke.

What sets Skigill apart is that skill-tree playing field, which lets you spend those coins on a wide variety of increasingly expensive stat upgrades simply by navigating yourself to the next icon-labeled dot on the branching tree under your feet. Unlike most RPGs, though, the game doesn’t pause at all while you’re picking up the next stat upgrade, meaning you have to stand still for a second or two to confirm your purchase while dozens of enemies continue to march ever closer.