Skies of Arcadia Legends

It was an era of adventure. It was the age of Air Pirates.

• JP release: 26th December 2002
• NA release: 27th January 2003
• EU release: 23rd May 2003
• Developer: Overworks
• Publisher: Sega
• NGC Magazine: 90%
• Mods Used: Widescreen Code

Originally a Sega Dreamcast game, Skies of Arcadia on GameCube is a remastered version with some tweaks and changes, improved changes and some extra quests. Unfortunately, not everything is better, most noticeably the music. A different sound engine is used, but the music isn’t properly translated, so it sounds off. Even before I knew this fact, there was something that felt wrong with the music, which is a shame as it’s really good music.

Skies of Arcadia has a wonderfully unique setting: age of pirate style but with flying ships and floating islands. You’ll get to fly around at will, however there are plenty of obstacles that you can’t get past until you get better and upgraded ships. Sailing feels great and it’s lovely to just fly around (when you aren’t being interrupted). It’s a wonderful mix of fantasy, sci-fi and regions loosely based on real-world civilisations, making it a lovely world just to spend time in.

The characters are also quite charming. The main character – Vyse – I wasn’t keen on to begin with, while his friend, Aika, is immensely charming and determined, especially when you pick some of the dumber dialogue choices you can make (which don’t affect your story, but does affect your in-game status). Other characters you meet are also wonderful, including the many NPCs that often have different dialogue throughout the game, plus when you finally get your own, permanent ship, can even join you. The game is worth it for the enjoyment of the world, characters and story alone.

The combat itself is a turn-based RPG, which is something that’s not really my style. This system does some things I do like: progressing through menus is incredibly quick and some battles can be over in seconds. The special moves are a great mechanic, especially as you get to a point where you can pull some off at the start of a battle. Characters also move about and actually hit each other, which makes the battles more visually interesting.

That said, there are also things that aren’t so good. Magic uses up your special move power so it is best left alone, especially as you can get items to cast them without using anything up, and bosses have instant-kill moves that require you to use Aika’s “prevent all magic” ability every turn. A few tactics pretty much become requirements, meaning you can’t explore the system too much. Another huge problem is the random encounter rate, especially when exploring. Considering how quickly you can be plonked into another battle, I’d hate to play the Dreamcast version.

Another type of combat is ship battles, which use a different system. Here, you select four actions in a row, with a few clues about what the enemy will do. These are a great spectacle, but I found it difficult to actually plan anything, especially as the position of your ship can affect what you can do, with you having no control over it. Some battles do have a bit more strategy, done via dialogue, as sometimes you can’t just blast an enemy to pieces.

Dungeons are also a very interesting aspect of Skies of Arcadia. They don’t feel like traditional JRPG dungeons, but something a bit closer to The Legend of Zelda. Each dungeon has unique themes and mechanics, with puzzles to solve. They also feel like 3D environments that you properly explore, sometimes affecting other parts of the dungeon. There’s even one where you have to swap between characters in different parts to affect the dungeon for each other, during a particularly memorable part of the story where the main characters get separated.

There are also more “set pieces” and big events than I expected from this kind of game, and parts of the world can change completely due to what is happening in the story. It gives the game a cinematic quality and makes the world feel very much alive, which adds more to the stakes of the threats you encounter. It’s a testament to the game that I dislike turn-based games so much but still wanted to see the next part of the game.

Skies of Arcadia is an immensely memorable game that is wonderful to experience. While some things aren’t to my tastes, it’s a wonderful universe with tons of great stuff to uncover, and a great cast of characters to meet. If I had to sum up Skies of Arcadia in one word, it would be “magical”.

Fave

Ever listened to a piece of music, watched a film or read a book that makes you smile uncontrollable? Not because it was humorous, but because it raised the hairs on the back of your next and flooded your brain with endorphins. It’s a pleasing feeling that’s as elusive as it is infrequent. Still, you know when it happens because the corners of your mouth raise involuntarily. Skies of Arcadia contains enough of these diamond moments to justify its purchase alone. But it’s not the only reason to indulge – far from it.

Neil Randall, NGC Magazine #81

Remake or remaster?

A remastered version with enhanced graphics and fixed music would be great. Some kind of “rebalanced” version would be great, perhaps with massively reduced random encounters but more “set” enemies. Personally, for selfish reasons, I’d love to see the game remade as more of an action/adventure game.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to buy Skies of Arcadia.

Europe

Japan

North America

GameCube Games by Date

2001: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

2007: Mar, Jun, Aug

gamecube RPG sega skies of aradia