Skautfold: Into the Fray

Into the Fray is a fast-paced top-down action shooter created by Steve Gal and published by Pugware. Released on Steam in 2019, the game represents a notable stylistic shift within the larger Skautfold universe. While earlier titles in the series leaned heavily toward exploration and Souls-inspired action, Into the Fray instead embraces the intensity of arcade-style combat. The result is a hybrid experience that combines twin-stick shooter mechanics with gothic horror storytelling, creating a compact but energetic game built around reflex-driven combat and a dark alternate-history setting.
The narrative takes place within the same grim fictional world introduced in earlier Skautfold titles, where the Angelic Empire of Britannia exists in a distorted nineteenth-century reality plagued by supernatural forces. In this chapter of the saga, a violent uprising erupts on the Isle of Portland, threatening the stability of the empire. Reports suggest that the rebellion is not merely political but tied to strange phenomena emerging from an unnatural fog that spreads across the island. The player assumes the role of a royal operative dispatched to investigate the chaos, only to uncover a much deeper conflict involving cult activity, eldritch influences, and the growing corruption of the land itself.
Rather than presenting its story through lengthy cutscenes, the game unfolds through a mission-based campaign that gradually reveals pieces of the larger mystery. Each mission sends the player into a different section of the island, ranging from abandoned streets and military strongholds to underground tunnels and eerie coastal locations. As players advance through these missions, they encounter both human insurgents and grotesque supernatural entities influenced by the mysterious fog. The fragmented storytelling approach encourages players to pay attention to environmental details and scattered narrative clues, slowly assembling the truth behind the island’s collapse.
Gameplay is where Into the Fray truly distinguishes itself from other entries in the franchise. The camera shifts to a top-down perspective, transforming the experience into a twin-stick shooter where movement and aiming are controlled independently. This control scheme allows for fluid combat where players must constantly maneuver through hostile environments while targeting enemies from multiple directions. The pace is significantly faster than previous Skautfold games, emphasizing quick reactions and aggressive tactics rather than slow, methodical exploration.
Combat revolves around a mix of melee and ranged attacks that can be used in combination to handle different types of enemies. Firearms provide rapid bursts of damage from a distance, allowing players to thin out enemy groups before they get too close. Meanwhile, melee weapons offer powerful strikes capable of eliminating opponents quickly at close range. Balancing these two approaches becomes essential, as some enemies are easier to handle from afar while others require direct confrontation. The ability to switch between these styles on the fly creates a dynamic rhythm in combat encounters.
The battlefield itself often plays an important role in combat strategy. Many areas contain environmental hazards or interactive elements that can be used to the player’s advantage. Explosive objects, narrow corridors, and strategic chokepoints allow players to manipulate enemy movement and reduce overwhelming odds. Because enemies frequently attack in groups, understanding the layout of each area can make the difference between survival and defeat.
One of the more interesting features of the game is its inclusion of multiple gameplay modes designed to appeal to different types of players. A “Pure Mode” removes character progression entirely, focusing exclusively on skill-based combat where success depends solely on the player’s reflexes and tactical awareness. In contrast, the RPG mode introduces character upgrades and progression systems that allow players to strengthen their abilities over time. This dual design allows the game to cater both to players seeking a traditional arcade challenge and those who prefer a sense of gradual character growth.
Enemy design also contributes to the intensity of the gameplay. Players encounter a variety of opponents ranging from armed rebels to grotesque creatures spawned by supernatural forces. Some enemies rely on brute force, charging directly at the player, while others attack from a distance or attempt to overwhelm the player through numbers. On higher difficulty levels, enemies may even fight among themselves, creating chaotic battles where the player must adapt quickly to shifting conditions on the battlefield.
Visually, the game adopts a retro pixel-art style that pays homage to classic action titles from earlier gaming generations. Despite the relatively simple graphical approach, the art direction successfully conveys the bleak atmosphere of the Skautfold universe. Dark environments, ruined structures, and blood-stained battlefields reinforce the sense that the island is collapsing under both political and supernatural pressure. The combination of pixel art and moody lighting helps maintain a strong gothic aesthetic throughout the experience.
The sound design complements this dark tone with a soundtrack that blends ominous ambient music with energetic combat themes. During intense battles, the music builds tension and emphasizes the chaotic nature of the gameplay. Sound effects for gunfire, melee strikes, and explosions are sharp and impactful, giving combat encounters a satisfying sense of weight. Even without extensive voice acting, the audio design helps immerse players in the grim world of the game.
Despite its engaging mechanics, the game does have some limitations. The difficulty can be quite unforgiving, especially for players unfamiliar with twin-stick shooters. Enemies often attack in large numbers, and mistakes can lead to quick defeat. The aiming system may also require some adjustment for newcomers, particularly during hectic encounters where enemies approach from multiple directions. Additionally, the overall campaign is relatively short, meaning experienced players may complete the story in a modest number of hours.
However, the game compensates for its shorter length with replay value. Multiple difficulty settings, alternative gameplay modes, and branching narrative outcomes encourage players to revisit missions and experiment with different strategies. The fast-paced nature of the combat also makes repeated playthroughs enjoyable, especially for players who enjoy refining their skills and improving their performance.
Ultimately, Into the Fray stands as one of the most action-oriented entries within the Skautfold series. By shifting the gameplay toward a twin-stick shooter format while preserving the franchise’s dark gothic themes, the game offers a distinctive blend of arcade combat and supernatural storytelling. Its intense gameplay, atmospheric world, and flexible gameplay modes create a memorable experience for players who appreciate challenging action titles with a retro aesthetic.
Rating: 7/10

Good isometric shooter with excellent style and atmosphere. The plot thickens even more, and it pushes you straight into the next game. It is a hard game, and the healing mechanic is very tough, but when you get used to it, there are no critical moments where you would quit. Alas, sad that you cannot get other endings if you received the A ending without replaying the whole game. Enjoyed it and preparing for the next one.

Skautfold: Into the Fray is a very good lovecraftian, top down shooter and a way better sequel for Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity then Usurper was, but let's get into this story. It has only been a year since the citadel incident in London unfortunately nothing is ever quiet in the empire for too long, for the sons of Washington; a rebel group has made a counter-attack attacking the very heart of the empire.
The rebels are located on Portland Island, the very same island where the Berelaii’s Manor incident took place and more troubling than that is the rebel group is led by none other than by princess Lillian the daughter of former King Guildford and niece to queen Eleanor. Something must be done unfortunately sending a massive army would only be a sign of weakness, so Queen Eleanor sends the sharp shooting marksman the third knight Hito, his mission is simple defeat the rebels and bring back the princess to the capital, but just like the fourth knight and the queen herself complications arise and Hito is severely injured, but thankfully a mysterious cyborg is able to save his life with a living cape, now with his newfound supernatural power the third knight must fight the S,O.Ws and the eldritch horrors in order to end the uprising before it’s too late.
Now then let's get into the likes, the story is very good like the previous games it has a good sense/use of world building, we find a bit out about the sons of Washington and the world itself, we also get to find out what the king tried to wish for in the first game and the story also does a good job in setting up for the fourth game in the series as well as the last game. It also takes a little bit of souls like inspiration were you find out about the story and stuff through clicking on certain objects and talking to certain people.
The gameplay is very good, way better than Usurper, here it feels a lot more balanced and fair, also since you're playing the third knight Hito if you played the first game you'd find out that he uses guns, so over the course of the game you'll be picking up different types of weapons which means this is more of a shoot em up then the previous two games.
The gameplay also does a good job in keeping you on your toes especially in much more harder play throughs while still being fair, also Hito has a super dash that allows him to dodge enemy attacks, but using that dash drains your stamina so you really have to learn to master that as well memorizing enemy attack patterns. Also unlike the second game, this game has a way to heal basically when you fight an enemy and they're near death you can do a super kick and you're able to get health, but in exchange for health you can’t pick up any ammunition drops, so there's a level of strategy you have to implement which I found to add to the balance of this game.
Lastly another good thing about the gameplay after you beat a level you don't immediately start a boss fight, no in fact after beating the level you can go back to the hub area and upgrade your character and refill your ammunition before trying to challenge that boss that was a very good idea, especially in particularly hard levels. The weapons were good each one had their own unique looks, you start with your standard pistol, shotgun and rifle, but we also get more unique weapons like a flamethrower, a Tesla gun and even a railgun that was quite fun to use and it all requires a strategy and mastery of the dodge mechanic and memorizing enemies movements.
The characters were very good each one is well written with some unique personalities, the third knight is very good he's definitely more straight down to business kind of guy and has a bit of a dry sense of humor, but definitely has more human moments like his reaction to the final boss is just gold. He kind of feels like a more traditional knight, but he uses guns more than a sword. Howard and his demon friend were still delightful, I liked the image of Howard’s demon just sitting in a bar enjoying a drink with humans, it's both absurd and adorable. But I have to say my favorite character happens to be princess Lillian, I don't know she's cute and I also feel bad for her as I come to understood why she did what she did, it doesn't make it right but it's understandable.
The enemies and bosses are very good, the game does reuse a lot of enemies that were in the previous two games, but there are also some new enemies as well like the sons of Washington with their guns, I also liked the bosses they have their own unique looks and they're hard, but fair for the most part it just requires practice.
The pixel graphic art style is still very good like with the other two games the creator really took it to the extreme with interesting set pieces, nice uses of colors and designs. The levels are very good, the over world itself has a sort of old school final fantasy kind of look too it and a lot of the levels is a bit detailed with some interesting set pieces that help each place stand out. The music is okay it's nothing really to write home about, it's just stuff you can download for free.
Now this game is a horror game but I won't say it's scary it does have some creepy moments, especially when you get to the Asylum part but this is more of an action game than a horror game and it doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
Now then let's get into the dislikes, okay there are some bugs in the game nothing really game breaking though. One thing that felt weird to me was the fact that there is no new game plus mode, after beating the game the first time I expected there to be a new game plus like in the first two games, but not here which would have been a bit helpful for getting the last three achievements.
Also after you beat an area you can't go back to it, so if you missed finding a pug or picking up a ye stone, that's basically gone forever until you replay the game from the beginning.
And while I did praise the overhead map’s look, it can be a bit cumbersome as your just bumping into buildings and stuff, it takes a bit of time to get around.
Alright with that finally done Skautfold: Into the Fray is a very good lovecraftian, top down shooter and a way better sequel for Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity then Usurper was, it has a very good story, very good gameplay, very good characters and just even more stuff to like about this game. So I definitely recommend this game if you weren't exactly a fan of the usurper then I think you'll definitely find this game much more manageable and enjoyable to play.