| Temple Glider | ⇦ Preceded by | Sky Serpents | Followed by ⇨ | Enemy 585 |
Sky Serpents is an action-platform game released on October 22, 2010. The player becomes a Slayer that wants to beat his father's record at slaying giant beasts called sky serpents.
Controls
Left, right - Move
Up arrow key - Jump
Down (When standing on a segment) - Hold on
Spacebar (When standing on a serpent) - Slice sideways
Key combinations
Spacebar (Midair) - Spin Slice
- Spacebar (When holding on) - Stab down
- Left, right (When directly next to a serpent's segment) - Hold on
- Up arrow key (When directly below a serpent's segment) - Hold on
Introduction
Slayer: Hey old man!
Norse father: Son, you need to start showing me some respect!
Slayer: Pff! Whatever, listen I've decided to take on your slaying record!
Norse father: ?
Hahahaha!!! Are you sure you wouldn't be more at home helping out your mother?
Slayer: Real funny dad! I'll show I'm better than you when I smash your record and slay 15 sky serpents!
Just make sure you're alive for when I get back! Later!
The Slayer runs away
Norse Father: ...15 serpents! Sometimes I worry about that boy!
Levels
In each level, the Slayer drops down onto a Sky Serpent that's flying in the sky. The Serpent will move in a predictable, constant fashion. The goal of each level is to defeat that level's Serpent by damaging its exposed purple segments, which turn dark blue when destroyed. If the Slayer falls off, he will lose one life and be thrown back into the air for another chance at killing the Serpent. Each Serpent can move at different, sometimes varying speeds, and most utilize some form of special defense, be it fire, spikes, glue, and more. When the Slayer succeeds at killing a Serpent, that Serpent plummets down and turns to stone, crumbling to pieces in the air.
Level 1
- Main article: Orange dragon serpent
The first Serpent has no defensive abilities. Defeating it is very easy, as all the player needs to do is go to each segment and destroy it. The only risk in this level is falling off, which, due to the Serpent's slow speed and lack of abilities, is likely to not occur.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 1 |
Level 2
- Main article: Green dragon serpent
The second Serpent has the most basic and prominent defensive ability, which is covering its weak segments. Like the previous Serpent, this one is slow as well, and has no other unique abilities.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 2 |
Level 3
- Main article: Hammerhead serpent
The third Serpent has the first "active" defensive ability: bubbles. Whenever the Serpent's weak segments are destroyed, it shoots out bubbles out of the holes in its body. Touching those air bubbles will trap the Slayer in one place until he breaks free by pressing the spacebar a total five times. There is no limit to the time the Slayer can stay inside a bubble.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 3 |
Level 4
- Main article: Piranha serpent
This serpent's ability is to fire shots of goo out of the holes in its body. Like the bubbles of the previous Serpent, the goo immobilizes the Slayer. Similarly, the player needs to press the spacebar a total of fire times to break free, and there is no limit to the time the Slayer can stay stuck in the goo. The difference between the two is that, while the bubbles completely immobilize the Slayer, the goo sticks the Slayer to the Serpent's body.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 4 |
Level 5
- Main article: Worm serpent
This Serpent's ability is to grow spikes from the holes in its body. Each time a weak segment is destroyed, the nearest hole will produce a spike that will damage the Slayer upon direct contact. Those spikes can be avoided by jumping over them.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 5 |
Level 6
- Main article: Bird serpent
This Serpent is short and fast, which can lead to falling off many times. Whenever a weak segment of its body is destroyed, it shoots out electric spheres from the holes in its body. The spheres follow the Slayer, and disappear after a few seconds of fast chasing.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 6 |
Level 7
- Main article: Spider serpent
This is the only serpent that the Slayer cannot hold on to. Instead, the Slayer has to rely on his sideways swipes and spin slices to damage the exposed weak segments. Whenever its weak segments are destroyed, it shoots out stationary balls of fire from the holes in its body. The balls will stay in one place and do not move, and the Slayer will receive damage upon contact with them.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 7 |
Level 8
- Main article: Warthog serpent
This Serpent has the ability to grow spikes when its weak segments are destroyed, but, bizarrely, it takes them back inside at the next time a weak segment is destroyed. After a total of five destroyed weak segments, the Serpent will have grown, taken back, re-grown, taken back again, and re-grown its spikes.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 8 |
Level 9
- Main article: Red dragon serpent
The red dragon serpent is, arguably, the most difficult to defeat. Although it has many, many weak segments that are constantly exposed and can all be destroyed in just two hits, its ability adds a high risk to each one destroyed; whenever a weak segment is destroyed, each hole in its body shoots a long and thin flame. Due to the Serpent's many weak segments and its movement patterns, getting damaged on the first try is nearly guaranteed. A recommended safe yet slow method is to destroy each weak segment, one by one, and staying directly on it to not be burned by the flames that shoot out of the holes to the Slayer's left and right.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 9 |
Level 10
- Main article: Ice dragon serpent
This Serpent's way of obstructing the Slayer is to have a slippery body, and spikes that are grown from the start. The spikes are found on only one side of the Serpent's body. This adds danger to the Slayer's fine-tuned movements, as there will be additional movement even after the Slayer should have stopped moving.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 10 |
Level 11
- Main article: Eel serpent
This Serpent's main defense is sending electric shocks from its head throughout its body. In addition, whenever a weak segment is destroyed, the holes in the Serpent's body will suck the Slayer into them if he gets close. Like the other immobilizing defenses, the Slayer will need to press the spacebar a total of five times to escape.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 11 |
Level 12
- Main article: Red warthog serpent
This Serpent is similar to both the Spider Serpent, in that it shoots balls of fire whenever a weak segment is destroyed. The difference, however, is that this Serpent switches between covering alternating segments. Whenever a weak segment is destroyed, the hole directly after it, and all holes on the same side, will shoot out a ball of fire. This hazard can be avoided by attacking only one side and waiting out each phase that would put in danger the side the Slayer is currently on.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 12 |
Level 13
- Main article: Dragon serpent
This Serpent's way of protecting itself is by shooting toxic gas from the holes next to its exposed weak segments. Whenever a weak segment is destroyed, the next one will be revealed, and the holes next to it will start shooting toxic gas.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 13 |
Level 14
- Main article: Volcanic serpent
This Serpent's main defense is its burning body; holding onto a segment for too long will cause the segment to explode and damage the Slayer. The segment will not disappear this way.
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 Sky Serpents - level 14 |
Level 15
- Main article: Octopus serpent
This Serpent tests the Slayer's ability to dodge electric spheres, toxic gas, spikes, and extremely varying speeds for one final showdown. A slow initiation will not work as well as a quick rush of blows and hurried dodging.
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 Nitrome Sky Serpent Level 15 |
Ending
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This navigational box contains a spoiler. Click [show] to open the box. |
| Slayer: I did it! I did it! I beat your record!
Norse Father: Really?.....I didn't think you would be able to find so many! I thought I'd killed most of them round these parts years back! Slayer: You better believe it 15 and counting! You only managed 14 and spent your whole life doing it! Norse Father: Pft!......Hahahaha! Slayer: What's so funny? Can't take seeing your record smashed by me at such a young age? Norse Father: No no.....that's not bad for a young pup! But..... Slayer: But what?..... Norse Father: My record isn't 14, it's 140!...Really boy if you had showed me some respect and listened to me more you would know that! Slayer: ...... Norse Father: Son? Slayer: ...... Norse Father: Son you ok? Not like you to be lost for words! Slayer: .......140? Norse Father: You don't look too well there son Slayer: 140! Norse Father: Haha well maybe you will get there!... One day! | |
Beta elements
Discovered in the files of Sky Serpents are three unused attacks: a large bubble, fire joining then exploding, and what seems to be a type of gas attack. The bubble has two corresponding sprites, which when animated give the appearance of a bubble with the below dark part rippling. This weapon may hint at an unused serpent, as a large bubble does not fit as the weapon of any other sky serpent in the game, and may point at a cut water serpent.
What is presumably a fire attack has five frames, which when animated together produce an animation of a few bits of fire forming, swirling, then expanding out and shrinking. This was likely intended as a possible beta attack for the Red Dragon Serpent, as it fires out fireballs that also explode (somewhat).
The final presumably unused attack is a sphere of what seems to be some sort of poisonous gas.
Trivia
- Sky Serpents is likely inspired by Shadow Of The Colossus, as the player climbs onto giant creatures and strike weak spots to kill it in both games. In addition, the only enemies in both games are those giant creatures. Furthermore, both types of creatures creatures spew black blood when damaged.
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