Sker Ritual

Featured Welsh Content

Like the first game, Maid of Sker, Sker Ritual takes place on the fictional Sker Island in Wales. The real-life Sker House, made famous by The Maid of Sker novel, as well as the Welsh-named folklore tale Y Ferch o’r Sger, were some of the inspirations behind the original game’s plot and setting.

One of the main characters is the daughter of the antagonist, named Arianwen, a Welsh name meaning “white, fair, silver, blessed”. In Welsh legend, Arianwen was a saint and one of the daughters of fifth-century Welsh king Brychan Brycheiniog.

Notes found throughout the game reference creatures from Welsh folklore, such as the Cyhyraeth.

One boss enemy is called Canwyll Corph. With flames atop his head and shoulders, he references the Welsh mythical version of the will-o’-the-wisps, also known by other variations of the name, such as canwyll corff or cannwyll gorff, and translates to “corpse candle”. Seen as an omen of death, these bright lights’ size and colour differed depending on the unfortunate victim they would manifest before, and they even followed the path of the funeral procession that would take place.

Another boss is the mythical sea creature Y Cracen, whose name is simply Welsh for “The Kraken”.

One of the masks that can be worn by the player in Sker Ritual is the Draig Terror, with “draig” being the Welsh word for “dragon”. A red dragon player icon is also obtainable. These features bear a strong resemblance to the Welsh dragon, Y Ddraig Goch, seen on the flag of Wales.

As in Maid of Sker, reimaginings of famous Welsh hymns feature in Sker Ritual, including Calon Lân (A Pure Heart), Suo-Gân (Lullaby) and Ar Hyd Y Nos (All Through the Night), all performed by Welsh singer Tia Kalmaru.

The game was created by Welsh developer Wales Interactive, and features Welsh subtitles for in-game dialogue.

Videos for Sker Ritual