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League of Legends: Harrowing 2013 Skins’ Review – StrategyZero
Oct 302013
 
Officer Vi and Haunted Zyra
Harrowing 2013

The night’s murmurs carry the whispers and cries of something alien, inhuman. The forces of order will have to investigate the nearby forest, because the trees have darkened and their forms have been twisted lately. There is a presence that is affecting the vegetation and it won’t be long before its influence spreads towards the city. With one step, an officer treads into the darkness and the leaves send the message.

Officer Vi
Officer Vi Splash Art Officer Vi Model
Category: Regular
Price: 975 RP
Concept: Vi as a sexualized policewoman.
Model: New model for Vi and her hextech fists.
Particles: New particles for Denting Blows’ attack speed buff and Excessive Force.
Animations: New recall animation.
Sounds: New siren sounds for Assault and Battery.
Splash Art: To start with, the background has a tendency to be too diffuse and mostly hint at a city of progress. Furthermore, the motorbike covers most of the piece. So, despite its slick design there isn’t much to see. Fortunately, the cameos by Caitlyn and Jinx make it a bit more relevant. Vi’s look, just like her companions is highly stylized but remains appealing; though it presses how believable their poses are. Regardless, the portrayal is effective and eye-catching with some nice use of shading and lighting. All in all, it’s a good splash art with a background that could’ve revealed more about the setting but that, ultimately, adds to the piece.
Rating: Star clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZero
Conclusion: For all intents and purposes, Officer Vi is re-model that exposes Vi’s physical beauty but does little else. The clothes are a clear parody of a policewoman and while Vi looks very attractive that’s all they do. The sunglasses seem a tad too big and the hextech gloves barely hint at the style of a police car. In essence, Officer Vi is a nice looking skin but that’s all it is. The idea seems fitting but the execution is so straightforward that it hardly exploits it as much as it could’ve. For fans of Vi or Halloween, it’s a reasonable purchase but if you expect more than looks then this isn’t the skin you are looking for.

Haunted Zyra
Haunted Zyra Splash Art Haunted Zyra Model
Category: Regular
Price: 1350 RP
Concept: Zyra as an amalgamation of graveyard and plant.
Model: New model for Zyra, her plants, seeds and Rise of the Thorns.
Particles: New particles for her abilities and auto-attack.
Animations: New recall animation.
Sounds: New sounds for her abilities.
Splash Art: The background suggests some sort of mausoleum with several gravestones nearby. However, it’s so blurry that it’s difficult to be certain about most elements. At least Zyra’s depiction is rather clear: her body shows a gruesome mix of roots, tendrils and stone; thus making her both inhuman and magnificent. The lighting is very well done, especially due to the light sources also being part of the piece. Besides, the cracks on the stone and texture of the bark are quite detailed. On the whole, it’s a fantastic portrayal of Zyra set against an unclear setting.
Rating: Star clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZeroStar clip art used in skin reviews at StrategyZero
Conclusion: Haunted Zyra aims to change her origins to a more sinister source. Instead of florid jungle vegetation, Haunted Zyra takes root in a dark graveyard where her twisted tendrils assimilate the present structures. In that regard, the skin is a success: the new models, for her as well as her plants, incorporate vegetal and stone to make an unnatural hybrid. Moreover, the abilities, with their ghastly arms and ominous sounds, add a fitting spectral presence that reinforces her unearthly lethality. On the whole, Haunted Zyra is a skin with a good concept and a fine execution. The price is high but the skin does quite a lot of good things; just not enough to reach excellence considering the expense.

Conclusion

This year’s Harrowing is rather brief in terms of new skins but at least what is offered warrants a good look. Haunted Zyra is undoubtedly the more elaborate of the two skins. The concept is ripe with potential and the extent of the changes allow for a rather appealing and ghastly form for Zyra.

Regardless, Officer Vi stands tall as a cheaper alternative. Both concept and execution are straightforward but the result is attractive nonetheless. It’s certainly a skin that only delivers good looks but, even if it does only one thing, it does it right.

  12 Responses to “League of Legends: Harrowing 2013 Skins’ Review”

  1. I’m not saying I disagree with you, but could you explain why it Haunted Zyra doesn’t meet the quality level of a 1350 RP skin? For example I find the model to be slightly dissapointing, it could’ve had a lot of potential. Overall it is a really good skin but it’s the particles that stand out more than the textures, which seem a little sloppy. The new recall animation is also really good although I was hoping to see her get a new death animation – seeing as death is the theme of the skin, there was a lot of potential for one. Happy halloween guys!

    • Actually, we think that Haunted Zyra is a pretty good skin just that it doesn’t feel as amazing as five stars would warrant. We agree that the model is good but that the particles are what really set the skin apart; the sounds aren’t bad either. However, at this price it needs something more to be really excellent. It’s hardly a bad purchase, especially when on sale, but for 1350 RP the skin does enough and rather well but doesn’t go an extra step to be truly special.

      Happy Halloween too.

  2. Just a FYI, the link to Harrowing 2013 isn’t working on the frontpage.

    Anyway, thanks for the reviews! Always come to check here before buying a new skin.

    • We found a link to the Harrowing 2012 review not working but couldn’t find any others that posed any problems. Thanks for the notice anyway.

  3. hmmm but taking haunted zyra into a 975 price right now in account *after release sale* how would you review her?

    • We do take into consideration the possibility of discounts for skins. Thus, it’s possible to get Haunted Zyra, with enough patience, for only 675 RP when it reaches a regular sale; which seem to be taking their time lately to offer new skins. As such, we think it’s a great skin but still lacks something else to fully justify its price. After all, sans special occasions, 1350 RP is its real price.

  4. Hey which legendary skins gives you the most in game effects like new jokes and taunts and so on?
    Which is your favourite legendary skin and why??
    🙂

    • The older legendary skins are the ones that have the least features while the most recent ones re-use no assets and are wholly new. The newer skins are: Battlecast Prime Cho’Gath, Eternum Nocturne, Aether Wing Kayle, Blackfrost Anivia, Forecast Janna and Zombie Brand.

      The older ones may re-use some animations or particles or even not provide a completely new model. Those are: Gatekeepr Galio, Blood Lord Vladimir, Demonblade Tryndamere, Nunu Bot, Brolaf, Gentleman Cho’Gath and Corporate Mundo.

      It’s hard to pick one favourite but the most recent ones usually are great choices. They all have some issues, some more relevant than others, but they usually feel deserving of their legendary label. Whereas some of the older skins are considered legendary mostly for their new voice-over instead of the extent and quality of the modifications.

      • Thank you 🙂 which of them were closest to get five stars then?

        • Well, those that are at four stars.

          Jokes aside, at this price a skin has to be great in all its features to really warrant five stars. Four stars isn’t a bad rating but all of the legendary skins have one aspect or another that could’ve been done better. That’s were personal preference should come and dictate the real worth of a skin for each person.

          In other words, any of the most recent legendary skins could’ve reached excellence but they all have some issues. In fact, even the older ones could with some extra development. While some have more significant problems than others the truth is that greatness is within their reach they just need work; which would be less for the newer skins.

  5. just a question, how long would the haunted zyra 28% sale be gone? 4 days since launch or until harrowing ends?

    • Actually, there hasn’t been any clear announcement in that regard that we are aware of. It would probably be for four days as other 1350 RP skins but it could very well be extended for the duration of Harrowing to celebrate the event. At any rate you can wait, with a lot of patience, until a regular sale arrives. Regardless, if you want it now, then it’s better to play it safe as there’s no explicitly stated date for the sale to end.

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