New King Kong title is dubbed the worst game of 2023
2023 has been an amazing one for games, with the likes of Tears of the Kingdom, Starfield, and Spider-Man 2 vying for the crown as console-exclusive games of the year. That's before we get to multi-platform releases for Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur's Gate 3, and more.
Unfortunately, it's not all been chart-topping successes that'll be remembered for years to come.
For every great release, we've had a Redfall, Forspoken, or The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Giving these a run for their money as the worst game of 2023 is Skull Island: Rise of Kong.
Skull Island: Rise of Kong is on track for 2023's worst game
There have been a lot of King Kong movies since the iconic 1933 outing, with more recent takes like Peter Jackson's 2005 adventure and 2017's Kong: Skull Island proving there's still a lot of love for the IP. Sadly, the first King Kong game in 18 years doesn't look like it's onto a winner.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie wasn't exactly a AAA banger, but when compared to the latest release, it looks like The Witcher 3. In IguanaBee's Skull Island: Rise of Kong, you play as the titular gorilla, who goes on a tale of revenge against those who killed his parents, beating them up with kung fu.
Although Skull Island was revealed earlier in the year, it's been going viral since its release on October 17. One particular clip shows Kong fighting a brightly-coloured dinosaur, with ridiculous cutscenes and abysmal graphics.
It's lured others to the title, with clips of dodgy gameplay and ludicrous plotlines. YouTuber MKIceAndFire has showcased hours of gameplay, and safe to say, it's coming across a lot better than it is on Twitter. Still, that hasn't stopped Skull Island: Rise of Kong being roasted online.
Skull Island: Rise of Kong could be the new Gollum
Following the disappointment of Gollum, Skull Island: Rise of Kong is being compared to Daedalic Entertainment's Lord of the Rings adventure. One critic joked, "Are we really being blessed with a second Gollum game in the same year?"
Another added, "This game looks like they hired a team that makes deceptive mobile game ads but made them make it for real," while a third said, "I'm trying to find the words on how to describe this I'm hesitating to call it bad because it feels like that would have to make me admit that it's an actual video game."
Not everyone was against it, as someone else wrote, "Important to note guys. Very likely the devs were not given enough time and did not want to release it like this. No dev wants to release something this embarrassing." Still, we've got to agree with the consensus of "Gollum redeemed."
Twitter account King Kong Perfect Shots pointed to the $40 price tag and described it as "low-effort shovelware." Just when you thought that bizarre Switch clone of The Last of Us was the jankiest game you'd see in 2023, along comes Kong to pummel the competition.
