History YMMV / SkullIslandRiseOfKong

* SignatureScene: The game gained viral attention (and ridicule) upon release [[https://twitter.com/RickDaSquirrel/status/1714014780346806395 for a cutscene]] of Kong encountering a Deathrunner, triggering a memory of Gaw attacking. However, the flashback is visualized through [[SpecialEffectsFailure a single low-quality and poorly cropped still image that blinks on screen for a literal second with no context]], making some theorize it was some sort of pre-visualization placeholder that somehow ended up in the final product.

* ItsShortSoItSucks: Aside from the general poor quality of the graphics and gameplay, the game has no real narrative beyond "clobber everything in your way until you get to the end", and can easily be beaten in under three hours (perhaps not coincidentally, a playtime of under two hours is needed for refunding a game on Platfor,/{{Steam}}). Given the game's linearity and lack of varying environments, it has very little replay value, so this ultimately adds up to a game that could cost you 10 USD for each ''hour'' of total gameplay.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The game released as an extremely buggy and unpolished ObviousBeta, with terrible graphics, bland and confusing set pieces, and gameplay that is dull and repetitive. Many derided its $40 USD price tag, due to both the above factors and the fact it can be easily beaten in less than four hours. Unfavourable comparisons were made between it and ''VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong'', which is, by contrast, considered [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames a strong aversion]], and saying it resembles a throwback to 2000s-era tie-in Platform/{{Shovelware}}.

* ItsShortSoItSucks: Aside from the general poor quality of the graphics and gameplay, the game has no real narrative beyond "clobber everything in your way until you get to the end", and can easily be beaten in under three hours (perhaps not coincidentally, a playtime of under two hours is needed for refunding a game on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}). Given the game's linearity and lack of varying environments, it has very little replay value, so this ultimately adds up to a game that could cost you 10 USD for each ''hour'' of total gameplay.

* ObviousBeta: One of the biggest issues noticeable right away is that the game has textures, environments, and animations that would've looked rough even if the game had released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube or UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. Some have noted ''VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong'', which ''did'' release 18 years earlier on those consoles, looks and plays far better than ''Skull Island: The Rise of Kong''. Frequent model glitching, terrible frame-rates, and lazy cutscenes make it obvious that the game was rushed out the door before it was ready for commercial release.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The game released as an extremely buggy and unpolished ObviousBeta, with terrible graphics, bland and confusing set pieces, and gameplay that is dull and repetitive. Many derided its $40 USD price tag, due to both the above factors and the fact it can be easily beaten in less than four hours. Unfavourable comparisons were made between it and ''VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong'', which is, by contrast, considered [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames a strong aversion]], and saying it resembles a throwback to 2000s-era tie-in UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}}.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: Though the game itself is awful to the core, the cover art (shown on the main page) is very badass looking, showcasing the Kong himself beating up a bunch of dinosaurs. It's like the developers spent most of their budget on the cover art and saved very little for the game.

* ObviousBeta: One of the biggest issues noticeable right away is that the game has textures, environments, and animations that would've looked rough even if the game had released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube or UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. Some have noted ''VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong'', which ''did'' release 18 years earlier on those consoles, looks and plays far better than ''Skull Island: The Rise of Kong''. Frequent model glitching, terrible frame-rates, and lazy cutscenes are other issues that look extremely unpolished.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: Though the game is decidedly the exact opposite, the cover art (shown on the main page) is very badass looking, showcasing the Kong himself beating up a bunch of dinosaurs. It's like the developers spent most of their budget on the cover art and saved very little for the game.
* BileFascination: The game is low-effort licensed shovelware that does a huge disservice to its source material and is clearly just a forgettable cash-grab, but it gandered a lot of attention upon its release due to just ''how'' rushed it was, with many considering it a strong candidate for worst game of 2023, and a number of people checked out the game solely for that.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Gaw and the other Deathrunners are not original to this game, but originally come from the obscure 2005 novel ''Literature/KongKingOfSkullIsland''.

** ''Gollum 2''[[labelnote:Explanation]]After ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'' released to overwhelmingly negative reception, it ended up becoming a major contender for the worst game of the year. Then this game released to possibly even worse reception, causing people to joke that this game is actually a [[{{Sequelitis}} sequel]] to ''Gollum'', [[FanonWelding set in the exact same universe]]. It helps that both are based on movies distributed by Creator/WarnerBros.[[/labelnote]]

** ''Gollum 2''[[labelnote:Explanation]]After ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'' released to overwhelmingly negative reception, it ended up becoming a major contender for the worst game of the year. Then this game released to possibly even worse reception, causing people to joke that this game is actually a [[{{Sequelitis sequel]] to ''Gollum'', [[FanonWelding set in the exact same universe]]. It helps that both are based on movies distributed by Creator/WarnerBros.[[/labelnote]]

* MemeticMutation: "Tiny Kong"[[labelnote:Explanation]]King Kong is known for being about the size of a skyscraper, but since you play as him here, he has been shrunk to the size of a regular gorilla. Naturally, this caused King Kong fans as well as the general public to mock the ape's size.[[/labelnote]]

* BileFascination: The game is a low-effort licensed shovelware that does a huge disservice to its source material and is clearly just a forgettable cash-grab, but it gandered a lot of attention upon its release due to just ''how'' rushed it was, with many considering it a strong candidate for worst game of 2023, and a number of people checked out the game solely for that.

* FandomRivalry: A rather facetious example, given that the "fans" see both games as terrible, but ''VideoGame/SkullIslandRiseOfKong'' has one with ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'', another 2023 video game adaptation of an iconic multimedia franchise (''Franchise/KingKong'' and ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'' respectively) that was poorly made. ''Rise of Kong'' was frequently described as "the next ''Gollum''" from the moment the first previews were shown off, and the "fans" debate which of the two games is worse. [[HilariousInHindsight Coincidentally]], Creator/PeterJackson directed movies featuring both characters (although both games are based on novels, not the films[[note]]''Skull Island: Rise of Kong'' is specifically based off a novelization alternate continuity, independent from the films.[[/note]]), and Creator/AndySerkis played both characters.

* SoBadItsGood: Naturally, it wouldn't get this reception if it wasn't for the akward and poorly made cutscenes themselves.

* FandomRivalry: A rather facetious example, given that the "fans" see both games as terrible, but ''VideoGame/SkullIslandRiseOfKong'' has one with ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'', another 2023 video game adaptation of an iconic multimedia franchise (''Franchise/KingKong'' and ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'' respectively) that was poorly made. ''Rise of Kong'' was frequently described as "the next ''Gollum''" from the moment the first previews were shown off, and the "fans" debate which of the two games is worse. Coincidentally, Creator/PeterJackson directed movies featuring both characters (although both games are based on novels, not the films[[note]]''Skull Island: Rise of Kong'' is specifically based off a novelization alternate continuity, independent from the films.[[/note]]), and Creator/AndySerkis played both characters.

* UnintentionalUncannyValley: Kong himself is prone to making facial expressions that look...''off'', largely thanks to the cheap graphics.

* FandomRivalry: A rather facetious example, given that the "fans" see both games as terrible, but ''VideoGame/SkullIslandRiseOfKong'' has one with ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'', another 2023 video game adaptation of an iconic multimedia franchise (''Franchise/KingKong'' and ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'' respectively) that was poorly made. ''Rise of Kong'' was frequently described as "the next ''Gollum''" from the moment the first previews were shown off, and the "fans" debate which of the two games is worse. Coincidentally, Creator/PeterJackson directed movies featuring both characters (although both games are based on novels, not the films[[note]]''Skull Island: Rise of Kong'' is specifically based off a novelization alternate continuity, independent from the films.[[/note]]).

* FandomRivalry: A rather facetious example, given that the "fans" see both games as terrible, but ''VideoGame/SkullIslandRiseOfKong'' has one with ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'', another 2023 video game adaptation of an iconic multimedia franchise (''Franchise/KingKong'' and ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'' respectively) that was poorly made. ''Rise of Kong'' was frequently described as "the next ''Gollum''" from the moment the first previews were shown off, and the "fans" debate which of the two games is worse.
* ObviousBeta: One of the biggest issues noticeable right away is that the game has textures, environments, and animations that would've looked rough even if the game had released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube or UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. Some have noted ''VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong'', which ''did'' release 18 years earlier on those consoles, looks and plays far better than ''Skull Island: The Rise of Kong''. Frequent model glitching and terrible frame-rates and lazy cutscenes are other issues that look extremely unpolished.

* FandomRivalry: A rather facetious example, given that the "fans" see both games as terrible, but ''VideoGame/SkullIslandRiseOfKong'' has one with ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'', another 2023 video game adaptation of an iconic multimedia franchise that was poorly made. ''Rise of Kong'' was frequently described as "the next ''Gollum''" from the moment the first previews were shown off, and the "fans" debate which of the two games is worse.

* ObviousBeta: One of the biggest issues noticeable right away is that the game has textures, environments, and animations that would've looked rough even if the game had released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube or UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. Some have noted ''VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong'', which released 18 years earlier, looks and plays far better than ''Skull Island: The Rise of Kong''. Frequent model glitching and terrible frame-rates and lazy cutscenes are other issues that look extremely unpolished.