Arcadia-n Nights?
Sky Oceans: Wings For Hire is a homage to JRPG classics! Set in the open skies, experience adrenaline-filled turn-based dogfights as you take the role of captain and unite a party of rag-tag sky pirates setting upon an unforgettable, touching journey. Take the role of Glenn Windwalker as you assemble your team of sky pirates and fight against the ‘Alliance’. Fight adversaries within the open skies in strategic turn-based dog fights. Tactically plan attacks and adapt your strategy to the ever-changing scenarios! Unlock new special moves & equipped your team with the best possible chance of victory! Assemble a party of rag tag air pirates and upgrade airships with new special abilities as you progress through a winding narrative! Manage resources and expand your airship departments strategically. Do you have what it takes to be captain?
A first glimpse of Sky Oceans: Wings For Hire and I was instantly reminded of Skies of Arcadia. I missed out on the Dreamcast, so I waited to get the GameCube version, Skies of Arcadia Legends. Sky Oceans does try to capture this setting and it does it quite well, but is there more to it than that?
Besides the visuals and setting, they are very different games. On the ground, you’ll walk around towns, collect quests and push the story forward, but in the skies you’ll be flying your airship and engaging in turn-based dog-fights. It took me a while to get the hang of things, but it soon became second nature. The intro is a bit on the slow side, so it takes a while for things to get going…but once they do, you’re in for a good time.
I will say that I did find the camera to be a bit wild at times when walking/running around towns, but other than that I didn’t have a problem with the controls. Flying takes a minute or two to get down, but you’ll get comfortable with it quickly. The turn-based combat is handled well and you can choose to engage some fights by shooting at them while flying your airship in real-time, you can also set difficulty parameters in the main menu to make the game easier or tougher for yourself. There are no difficulty trophies, so you can pick your poison without fear.
The story is pretty good and it did get me through to the end. The visuals are charming, while the framerate is consistent and the soundtrack is impressive. I didn’t come across any glitches either, so overall it’s done well in terms of performance. I will say that the towns aren’t as detailed as I would have liked and some textures look quite dated, but that’s the only complaint I have about the visuals.
The Verdict
Sky Oceans: Wings For Hire does well to capture the nostalgia of Skies of Arcadia, while not letting its shadow stand in the way of what it sets out to do. For a fan of JRPGs, this does not disappoint.