Skinsational- Apex Legends Halloween Event
By: Tom Ryan
Tags: Halloween, Gaming, Respawn Entertainment, Apex Legends, Ea

Halloween is definitely the time of year when these games pop off in terms of cosmetics. Why not? This is the one time of year that people can really pop off and be something different. Gaming characters are no exceptions. So how have Respawn’s characters transformed?

13. Pathfinder Wrapped Up 1/5

I feel like the idea of a Mummy is kind of underdone for Halloween. Think about it; Pharaohs would have had an awful rule, had their inside scooped out and put into jars and then cursed any of those who disturbed their slumber. That is a pretty horrific life- and afterlife! Sadly, none of that is captured in this skin. Pathfinder has a green undercoat with some poundshop bandages wrapped around and called it a day. The silhouette hasn’t changed at all which could be easily done with some draping maybe using bandages to make a sort of cloak over the shoulders or at least having them hang off of the body. The only thing this skin has going for it is that it’s free.

12. Octane Wildfire 1/5

This skin is really lacklustre for me. Certain parts are lit up in that vivid Halloween Orange like the teeth on the mask and spider web on the torso but that’s really it. There’s really no prevailing theme and nothing that really stands out. It’s not made a return this year and I don’t think it’ll be missed.

11. Wattson Winged Menace 2/5

This skin actually reminds me a lot of the Vampire Symmetra Skin in Overwatch with the colour story and makeup. The bright colour palette of the base skin have been swapped for the much darker red and black synonymous with the classic vampire. A few shiny bat stickers have been added to the skin and her face is now much paler with a red lip and black fringe. Basically, it’s a dark palette Wattson with some bats stuck on. On the way to retrieving this image, I found a really amazing fan made Frankenstein’s Wife skin and that would’ve fit perfectly! Hopefully a new addition next year. In the mean time however, you may want to save your coins.

10. Revenant From the Deep 2/5

One of the new skins to this event and extremely lacklustre. How you gonna take the scariest character in the game and dress him up with some pound shop accessories? Apart from a headscarf and a few painted of features nothing has really changed. I like the yellow skull that shows decay. Other than that, this just looks cheap. The scariest character in the game and this is his Halloween skin?

9. Loba Banshee Queen 2/5

They’re really holding out on giving Loba a legendary. I feel like Loba’s design works well for epic skins though. There is a lot of black space rarely interrupted for the moving print to ride on. Having said that I don’t like this print. The luminescent blue on parts of this skin with those pupiless eyes all on top of that painted blue skin really give that eerie idea of a ghost. But I wanted more. I would’ve preferred this print to be that same blue to reinforce the monochromatic idea. Otherwise, these clip art ghosts really don’t work for me. I would’ve preferred either a more cartoony bordering on anime idea or a horrific image for more of a statement. Either way, we’re still waiting on that Loba Legendary. This skin just feels like a missed opportunity especially since we basically just saw this on the Aftermarket. She could’ve been some kind of queen spirit evoking tragedy similar to Miss Havisham of Great Expectations! Her attitude could’ve definitely sold that.

8. Lifeline Green Widow 3/5

The best recolour of this event. At the time, this was the first in a long line of recolours for Lifeline. The change in her skin colour to green is striking. The little details like the contacts, running mascara makeup, matching headband and ankle bracelet make this more than a simple recolour. The webbing pattern on the torso is minimal but effective. There’s definitely more they could’ve done to this skin, namely by adding some actual spiders into this skin. I struggle to get the spider queen vibe a little because of that. Nonetheless, for the price that this skin is returning at, not a bad one to pick up.

7. Mirage Old Town 3/5

So I feel like on Halloween you take one of two routes. You either make it yourself or get something right out of a packet and say, ‘I’m good to go.’ Mirage went down into the costume department and picked up the package, ‘Funny Cowboy’ and called it a wrap. This is so literal. There’s the hat, the sheriff badge, the red neckerchief, the blue button shirt underneath, it’s all very typical Wild West. I like the cowhide chaps as that’s a little less typical. I also like the more quirky theme for Mirage as that suits his character. It’s definitely the weakest of the Legendries but considering this is a stand alone in the store, maybe worth picking up.

6. Wraith Mistress of Evil 3/5

This skin is Wicked. Literally. Definitely Elphaba inspired with the green makeup and traditional pointy witch’s hat. This look straight out of the bag too though. Everything is a little too clean and I would’ve liked there to be a bit more roughing up in the skin showing some wear. I do like that shade of purple that matches Wraith’s signature colour and gives this look a sense of darkness and mystery. Having said that the purple patterned tights and the purple scarf are a little too ready-to-wear. The brown pointy shoulder pads look old-timey and match the hat making for a very classic witch. There are other features that look good on the skin but disappear close up because of how minute they are. The necklace matches the face and gives me a reference to the Wizard of Oz and the corset is interesting as it’s less visible from head on. Because of Wraith stance in game, these are going to be practically invisible over that huge hat. Overall, not a bad skin but Wraith has definitely had better.

5. Bloodhound Protector of the Patch 4/5

When designing a skin for Bloodhound there are so many features to keep in mind. Above anything else there’s that iconic mask that needs to remain in some form. Respawn didn’t shy away from the challenge in this inclusion of a giant orange pumpkin with an eerie yellow glow evocative of Halloween night. This is a Scarecrow skin but it gives a Jack-O-Lantern idea as well. As if that wasn’t enough, the hat with the hanging lights push it even further and look mystical in a way. The brightness of the head is balanced out by the darkness of the body. This grey colour scheme on the body balances out the head. The clothing is in tethers with a tear in the middle where straw seems to be escaping. This is the kind of wear that I would’ve liked to have seen from the previous two skins. The attention to detail with the pumpkin crafted knee guards adds a touch of humour. The overall effect of the skin is one of a floating Jack-O-Lantern emerging from the darkness and coming for your win! My only issue with pumpkin themed skins is that they really are only for one time of year. But for this time of year, this is the perfect skin to use and definitely worth picking up.

4. Bangalore La Catrina 4/5

Wow. This is so outside the box. The immediate reaction to a Halloween theme is to go dark and the designers of this skin did the exact opposite yet it still gives Halloween vibes. The makeup is on point. The black skin with the painted white skull, blue around the eyes for the full on Dia De Los Muertos fantasy. The body is so bright and colourful to embrace the holiday. Dia De Los Muertos is more of a celebration of life and that’s represented in the striking red, orange, blue and green. The fabric choice looks light in weight and bright to match the Mexican climate. The roses on the shoulder pads and head evoke a gothic idea and a real beauty too while still looking similar to armour in placement. A lot of people don’t get Halloween from this skin and see disappointment in the lack of terror represented. I say that that the outside nature of this skin is exactly why I would like it inside of my collection.

3. Crypto Deadly Byte 5/5

Refined horror perfection. If Dracula was a nineties kid, never really got over his teen phase so he keeps buying the trench coats, puts on that dark makeup and stalks around moodily. Everything goes together in this skin and it gives me a pretty fashionable look with a nod to the Victorian era that Dracula came from. To peel back the layers, this dark blue makeup that goes against the black coat stands out and successfully shows him as being undead. This black chin strap that looks like a sort of decay looks modern white further the undead theme. The combed back hair is a copycat of Dracula and shows attention to detail. The coat itself is very simple with the accented red lining evocative of blood. The material looks padded and shiny seeming modern. The ruffle white shirt underneath that strategically peeks out around the wrists and chest as well as the brown waistcoat are typical of Victorian era while being a little provocative. In summary, the way this skin works well as a Victorian era Vampire while somehow looking modern in some ways provides a clean and fresh look at Vampires. One of Cryptos best skins by far.

2. Gibraltar Monster Mash 5/5

This is a graveyard smash. Painted skin is definitely a trend this event but if it works then why not? I love that Gibraltar is shirtless here. It’s authentic, it draws attention to the effort of that painted skin and it promotes body positivity. Plus Gibraltar probably comes from a very hot place in line with his backstory so why would he not be shirtless? There’s more fabric on the bottom half of the skin with the purple pants harkening to Hulk and that green utility belt. But where there is less fabric on the top half, there is cold hard steel. The addition of tubes, shoulder guards, a collar, a kind of battery, all present the impression of iron defence which is so central to this legend. Nice haircut too. It’s nice that they didn’t shave him bald this time. Special mention for the huge iron sign shield that tells the whole story of his escape from wherever he was created and the Biohazard reference on it too.

Caustic The Last Laugh 5/5

Probably the most iconic Caustic skin and the one that started a long line of clown themed skins for this legend in events to come. This skin makes me want to main Caustic. It’s grotesque and somewhat sinister. Every part of this skin is a feature and makes complete cohesive sense. The mask has been painted white to look like a clown face and then contoured to give it this bizarre shape that looks alien. They could’ve easily gone with the huge comic red nose but refrained so that it avoids a more comedic look that could distract from the rest of the skin. The outfit itself has nods to the Elizabethan era. The neck ruffle, bellowing sleeves and pants that cut at a weird length as well as that fleshy puce colour all evoke discomfort. Then the clash with this neon green curly hair that looks like vomit. All of this should look so wrong but looks so grotesquely right. Even as someone without coulrophobia, I get the horror through the grotesque image together in front of me. It’s a unique take on a clown over just a bright red nose and big shiny boots.

Overall: These skins hold up. One of the better overall collections in the game for sure. I’m a little disappointed that there are no new legendries this year and just recolours. This bundle idea is controversial. Instead of just buying a skin I want for a high price, I have to buy that an a recolour I’m not going to use for an even higher price. I realise this was a bit of a long one so let me know if you’d like me to leave some epics out. What do you think of this collection? Are you a fan of this Bangalore skin? Was I too harsh on the Mirage skin? Let me know!