Skies Of Arcadia: Legends (gc)
Skies of Arcadia was originally the best rpg on the now dead Sega Dreamcast system. It was the first original rpg by Phantasy Star creator Rieko Kodama since Phantasy Star IV. Despite its flaws of frequent random battles, long load times, and inconsistent framerate, Skies of Arcadia became an instant rpg classic for the few rpg fans that got to play it.
Now that the Dreamcast is dead, Skies of Arcadia comes to the Nintendo Gamecube in a slightly new form and under the title Skies of Arcadia: Legends. Skies of Arcadia: Legends in the core story, gameplay, and battle elements is the same game. This in fact is a good thing, as it keeps what made the game a classic. The Gamecube version of the game improves on the biggest flaws that plagued the Dreamcast version of the game.
Skies of Arcadia: Legends is an rpg game that is as cliché as it is inventive. Skies of Arcadia takes place in a world of floating islands. People on the planet traverse the planet by airships that are reminiscent of the sea-fairing vessels of planet earths past. Everything from traditional pirate ships to early 20th century battle ships are represented in the world of Skies of Arcadia. The world of Skies is extremely immersive because of the ability to traverse the world of Skies from airship early in the game. This old school free-roaming aspect of the game is really what separates skies from the current crop of very linear rpg’s that plague this generation such as Final Fantasy X and Suikoden III.
The story and characters in Skies of Arcadia are very traditional. Vyse, and his sidekick Aika, are perpetually optimistic air pirates. While the pirate theme for main characters, as well as the game are new, the personalities for the characters are not. The optimism and sense of adventure for Vyse is very similar to that of Hiro Lunar 2, and Aika is very similar in personality to Hiro’s dragon friend Ruby. Despite the use of an rpg cliché of an optimistic hero, Vyse, is probably the most likable character in an rpg game. Vyse and Aika save a mysterious girl named Fina from the evil Valuan empire. Vyse and Aika must help Fina save the world from the Valuan empire and go around in the airship collecting crystals that resurrect giant beasts called giga’s. Vyse, Aika and Fina must collect these crystal’s to stop Valua from resurrecting the Giga’s and ruling the world. The story to say the least is pretty typical for any person who has played any old school rpg, however the charm, pirate theme, and great sense of humor in the game keep the game very fresh. Skies of Arcadia does not pretend to be serious at all and is probably the most fun you will have with a modern rpg.
The gameplay in Skies breaks down into four area’s dungeons, turn based battles, strategic ship-to-ship battles, and exploration. The dungeons that are in skies of arcadia are can be called as “Zelda light”, as they seem to be simplified versions of the type of dungeons you would normally find in Zelda. The dungeon puzzles are not difficult they just use a time-tested formula in a way that works well for the game. The turn-based battles in Skies are about as traditional as you get with everything from super-moves to area effect spells. If you have ever played a lunar game you can get a general idea what the battle system in Skies is like. The battles difficulty range from very difficult to being able to finish a battle in a single turn. Battles happen randomly in Skies of Arcadia, except when you are in towns and villages of course. The frequency and load times of the random battles have been reduced from the original Dreamcast version and this makes improves the game significantly.
There is also “wanted” battles with ner-do-well black pirates. These are battles that are added in to give the player an extra challenge. In addition to the typical turn based battles Skies adds a different type of battle to rpg games, strategic ship-to-ship battles. These battles can be very long, but can also be very rewarding. These battles are epic, and they feel epic. You are either going to love the ship-to-ship battles, or hate them. But the ship-to-ship battles added a degree of variety to the turn based battles in the game, and variety helps improve the game. The last aspect of gameplay in Skies of Arcadia: Legends is exploration. Skies of Arcadia: Legends does exploration better then any next generation Japanese rpg. You are given an airship early on in the game and finding discoveries, which are landmarks in the game, is encouraged from early in the game. Exploration is where Skies of Arcadia: Legends shines, it gives the player a sense of freedom.
Visually Skies of Arcadia is nothing amazing, but the way the game is presented and artistic style of the game is what makes the game stand out. The visuals in Skies of Arcadia were given a consistent framerate and better textures on the Gamecube version, but the game is by no means as visually impressive as Final Fantasy X. The visuals in Skies of Arcadia do their job they create an immersive world.
Skies of Arcadia was simply the best rpg on the dreamcast, and Skies of Arcadia: Legends is now the best rpg on the Gamecube. It is also the only turn-based rpg on the gamecube, but that does not make the game any less brilliant. Very few rpgs are as fun or as charming as Skies of Arcadia: Legends. I highly recommend that any rpg fan who happens to own a Gamecube to pick up a copy of Skies of Arcadia: Legends. The game is one of the best rpgs ever produced.
Categories: Reviews, Role Playing
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