Horror shooters and action horror Co-op and multiplayer horror Zombie

Sker Ritual

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Hold Sker Island against endless waves of the Quiet Ones.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (81% of 6,020 reviews); 4.07 of 5 from 2,802 ratings on the PlayStation Store; Metacritic 55 from 9 critics (PS5)
Length: about 30 minutes to 2 hours a run
Players: 1-4
Made by: Wales Interactive
Released: 2024

On PlayStation: one of the PlayStation horror games.

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (PS5, PS4)Xbox (Series X|S, One)

What frightens Hordes of the Quiet Ones, ravenous failed experiments under Elisabeth's control, swarm Sker Island in endless waves; alone or with up to three others you hold them off with guns, Celtic-god Miracle powers and super-charged steampunk weapons, against elites and bosses that hunt you down.
Content: violence, blood, gore, jumpscares, strong language.

Sker Ritual is a round-based co-op horror horde shooter by Wales Interactive, set on the Sker Island of Maid of Sker in 1914. Alone or with up to four players online, you fight endless waves of the Quiet Ones, earn Miracle powers from Celtic gods and super-charge your weapons to survive elites and bosses.

About Sker Ritual

Sker Ritual is a first-person horde shooter by Wales Interactive, published by Skybound Games. It came to Steam in Early Access in October 2022 and was fully released on 18 April 2024 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Its makers call it an FPS spin-off of their stealth horror game Maid of Sker rather than a direct sequel; its story follows that game's evil ending.

It is 1914, and Elisabeth Williams has taken Sker Island and wants to spread her power with a broadcast of the Siren's Song. Her daughter Arianwen opposes her, and you wake to join her. The island is overrun by the Quiet Ones, failed experiments turned ravenous, and solo or in a party of up to four online you fight round after round across the island's maps, from a burning farm and a village at night to a laboratory and a vault behind the Gates of Hell.

The play is old-school round-based shooting with its own twists. Celtic gods grant Miracles as you kill: each drop offers three random upgrades to your shots, melee, grenades or healing, and some give a powerful ability you charge and release. You buy guns and ammo from The Laughing Policeman's booths, gamble for better arms with Lucky, the dog in his bulb-lit kennel, and super-charge weapons into steampunk creations. Each map has objectives, such as finding four cylinders for a vault door or destroying four generators, and hidden Easter eggs.

This is horror you shoot at rather than hide from: the frights are grotesque monster designs, ghosts that appear in front of you and then behind you, and the press of the swarm. Players rate it well on Steam and the PlayStation Store, while critics were mixed: ComicBuzz enjoyed the upgrades and the jump scares, and Bloody Disgusting found it repetitive and missed Maid of Sker's slow-burn ghost story. It suits players who like wave-survival co-op such as Killing Floor 2, more than fans who came for the first game's stealth.

How to play Sker Ritual

Buy it on Steam for Windows, or on the PlayStation Store or Xbox store.
Gather your party first, then pick a map and start solo or with up to three other players online.
Shoot down each wave of the Quiet Ones and survive to the next round.
Choose Miracle upgrades from the Celtic gods and buy arms and ammo at The Laughing Policeman's booths.
Follow the map's objective markers and fight the bosses to end Elisabeth's reign.

Screenshots

Firing a brass steampunk gun at glowing-eyed zombies and a purple-eyed man in a bowler hat in a dark rusty corridor

A pistol shot sends a golden bolt at a burning-headed enemy in a dim wood-panelled study, a bowler-hatted foe behind it

A horned boss with a flaming skull face and a glowing hammer looms over the player's shotgun in a frosty courtyard at night

A horde led by a diving-helmeted creature comes down an overgrown, ruined train platform at night

A double-barrelled shotgun blast in a dark cornfield lit by torches on the Farmlands map, with the round and kill counters

Hooded cultists with torches and an axe advance through Lavernock Point at night while you sabotage four generators

Lucky the German shepherd sits by his bulb-lit kennel in a red stone chamber, where you gamble for weapons

Tips

Combine Miracles from the same gods; the store says devotion to the right ones builds strong combos.
Find Lucky on each map to gamble for a higher-tier weapon.
Save your charged ability for when the Quiet Ones get too close.
Set aside time: ComicBuzz's first run on an unfamiliar map took over two hours, and friends cannot be invited once a run has started.

Questions

Is Sker Ritual co-op?

Yes. You can play solo or with up to four players online, and Steam and Xbox list cross-platform multiplayer.

Is Sker Ritual on PS5 and Xbox?

Yes. It is on the PlayStation Store for PS5 and PS4 and on the Xbox store for Series X|S and Xbox One, as well as Steam on PC.

Do I need to play Maid of Sker first?

No. It is a spin-off rather than a direct sequel, though its story follows on from Maid of Sker's evil ending and is set on the same island.

How long is a run of Sker Ritual?

There is no campaign to finish: each map is a run of rounds and objectives. ComicBuzz's first run took 2 hours and 10 minutes while they learned the map, and runs get shorter as you learn the objectives.

Is Sker Ritual voiced in other languages?

It is voiced in English only, with menus and subtitles in 15 more languages, Welsh among them.