29. Skies of Arcadia
Thank you! Had you played Tales of Vesperia before?Originally Posted by chionos
Skies of Arcadia is about a group of Sky Pirates, in particular a young man named Vyse and a young woman named Aika, when they discover a young woman named Fina being chased by the evil empire type entity. They don't know why she's being chased, but they're determined to protect her and things become even more personal when the empire arrives at the Sky Pirate hideout.
The game plays like a lot of RPG's. You get in to random encounters where you fight enemies and can use magic and items and stuff. Something different about this game is the element stones which allow you to change the element on your weapons with just the push of a button during the characters turn, allowing you to deal more or less damage to the enemies. The element of your weapon at the end of the fight will also determine what type of spells your points go to. The world map is traversed by airship, and you gain access to new locations with ship upgrades that come throughout the game. There are a total of 6 playable characters, and some characters you can recruit to your cause later on (that aren't playable).
General impressions:
Sharky loves this game so he highly recommended I try it for this list here. I'd tried it briefly before but stopped very shortly in because I was worried Aika was going to turn in to one of those characters I hate. I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case at all. This game, despite technically being post-apocalyptic, is absurdly positive, happy and cheerful, which was pleasant to see. The main character, Vyse, is ridiculously upbeat and happy, never succumbing to depression despite quite a few situations where no one would blame him. It was refreshing to have such an upbeat game, almost like being a child again when all the kids shows are just so happy no matter what. That isn't to say the game doesn't have depth, it does, but it deals with it in a different way than a lot of games.
Story:
The story starts out pretty stereotypical good guys vs bad empire, and for the most part it stays that campy, but it has some hidden depths to it. (SPOILER)Along the way we learn that the world of Skies of Arcadia is actually after a massive apocalypse, we learn the heartbreaking story of why Drachma hunts that whale so much, not to mention the actual scene with the whale later on that is truly heartbreaking. One of the moments that touched me most is when Vyse and crew arrive on a town that used to be full of opportunity but now lays forgotten, the people have given up on life, their dreams. They're sad and miserable and hate their lives. At first it's easy to see why, they were promised things they never got, they lost a lot of people, and they were left stranded out there. But then Vyse shows up and tells them how much they could accomplish despite their crappy circumstances, and it really hits you and makes you think about all the opportunities people let go to waste because they don't at least try. That's a message I've kept with me since, and it is a special game that will give something like that to you.
Gameplay:
The gameplay was overall pretty good. I liked the added elements to the weapons and how the characters learned their abilities. It had a lot of fun sidequests, and you could do some fun stuff like customize your HQ and your flag. I'm always a fan of recruiting people thanks to Suikoden. The negatives for me would have to be the dungeons, which can be very long and annoying, and the ship battles. I did not like the ship battles, especially since some of them last forever. I'd say gameplay is this game's weakness, but it was still fun.
World:
The world is pretty unique in that it takes place on islands in the skies. I also enjoy how the areas are affected by the different moons. You have the forest, the desert, the ice area. Each one brought a lot of diversity so you didn't feel like you were staring at the same thing over and over again, which I really liked. The downside is a lot of the towns felt rather small.
Characters:
The characters are just as campy as the story! But still very likeable for the most part. They're all so happy and positive no matter what happens to them. This game is also pretty unique in that almost every NPC has their own look.
Favourite character: Fina NbBQ8Eu.jpg
Honourable mentions: Vyse, Aika nvk1KXF.jpgO86mtRe.gif
The main three were my favourites. It might be because they had a lot of time to develop. Like I said, they're all just so happy and upbeat and they don't let anything stop them or keep them down. They're determined, kind, and they care deeply about each other. It's really something I admire.
Overall if you're in to dark and edgy, this game isn't for you. It's bright and happy, it's a lot of fun, it's got some cool customization, it's got airship battles, and it has a lot of heart. I'm glad I gave it a chance because it really is a great game.
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