Sky is literally the limit
“Indie” or Independant games are games that are usually developed by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial support of a large game publisher. As the game developers have the freedom to do as they choose, they usually focus a lot on innovation and also indulge in risk-taking as opposed to AAA titles. One such game that focuses on innovation and freedom is Sky.
A beautiful game indeed (Image Credits: Youtube)
Officially titled “Sky: Children of the light”, Sky is a “social indie adventure game” developed and published by Thatgamecompany. Initially released of iOS on July 18, 2019, Sky officially soared (pun intended) to Android on April 7, 2020. A version for the Nintendo Switch is also slated for Summer 2020.
So what exactly is Sky about?
You are a child of light. As such, you are given the ability to visit and explore a magical kingdom armed with a cape that gives you the power of flight. The kingdom consists of 7 realms, each themed around a different stage of life. In addition, there is also a Home that serves as a central hub to connect to all 7 realms.
When playing Sky, you will undoubtedly come across “spirits”. These are entities whose mortal remains are no more but exist in an ethereal form. Each of these spirits will ask you to follow their footsteps, akin to a quest. Following through each spirit’s quest will reward you with cosmetic and gameplay-affecting items in return for in-game currency. In addition, you can also find “lost stars” that give you “winged light”. Think of it as energy for your cape of flight. Collect enough Winged light and you can increase the level of your cape. Doing so increases your cape’s maximum “wing energy”, allowing you to fly farther.
Throughout your flight, you will also meet other players, or children of the light. You can interact with these individuals and unlock new abilities such as chat and sending gifts as your friendship grows. But that’s not all. The mystical world of Sky also has numerous cosmetic items to collect including capes, masks, hairstyles, hats, pants, playable musical instruments, expressions, and more. These items can be obtained using in-game currency.
My experience with Sky
If you’re the type of person who loves exploring in game rather than getting your hands dirty, then Sky is the perfect game for you. To be quite honest, I was stunned by both the visual quality as well as the audio of the game. The graphics are just amazing and the accompanying music will keep you hooked for hours on end. In fact, when I first started playing Sky on my phone, I ended up playing for 3 hours at a stretch and only stopped because my phone battery died. I was so glued to the game, that I forgot and actually swiped away at the battery low indicator. In short, the game is brilliant.
Speaking of graphics, Sky has a number of modes for graphics settings. These include a low resolution energy saving mode, default mode (30fps), High performance mode (60fps), and High Def mode (30fps). High performance mode is the way to go if you want super-smooth gameplay, but that also takes a major hit on your device’s battery life. Depending on your device’s graphics chip, you might not get a constant 60fps at all times either. High Def mode increases the graphics fidelity of the game but also locks the game to 30fps.
One thing that I noticed when playing Sky was that my Poco F1 tended to heat up quite a bit so you might want to retreat to an A/C room or attach a small fan to the back of your phone/tablet if you plan on spending multiple hours in the magical kingdom. Also, while the onscreen controls are relatively easy to use when you’re flying through the sky using your cape, I found that using a controller makes it a lot easier to navigate especially if you have to change directions constantly. But that doesn’t mean that the controls in Sky are bad. They are actually quite good. It’s just that a controller makes it better.
Honest opinion
Truth be told, I absolutely love Sky. It shares a lot of gameplay elements from games such as Legend of Zelda. The graphics, music and overall gameplay really do their work to envelop the player and make them believe that they are actually in the game. In terms of gameplay, there are ingame transactions with real-world money but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Sky either. In fact, you can pretty much play the game in its entirety without spending a single cent on the game. However, as the game is an indie title, you could consider making a small donation so that the developers know that their hard work is appreciated.
In short, Sky is a brilliantly developed and equally brilliantly executed mobile game. The graphics are top notch and the music will have you wishing that it was the soundtrack for your life. If you’re in the mood to check out a new game that is chilled out, then definitely check out Sky.