Soapbox options allow our particular person writers and contributors to voice their opinions on scorching subjects and random stuff they have been chewing over. As we speak, on the GameCube port’s twentieth anniversary, Alana is determined to see Skies of Arcadia Legends on trendy consoles…
Sega isn’t actually often called an RPG developer, but it surely was nonetheless quietly accountable for creating a few of the better of the style within the ‘90s. Each the Phantasy Star and Shining Pressure sequence have been on the helm of Sega’s RPG drive, and Panzer Dragoon Saga is among the most experimental (and costly) video games within the style. These days, once you consider Sega and RPG, Like A Dragon (previously Yakuza) in all probability involves thoughts. For me, my reply has all the time been the identical and can stay the identical – Skies of Arcadia.
Launched on the Dreamcast in 2000, Skies of Arcadia has a few of the most proficient names in Sega’s historical past behind it. Captained by legendary producer and director of Phantasy Star IV Rieko Kodama (who sadly handed away earlier this 12 months), the sport is among the few RPGs launched worldwide for Sega’s swansong console. Poor gross sales and a late launch on the console noticed the sport fail to satisfy gross sales expectations regardless of a rapturous vital reception. Later ported to the GameCube as Skies of Arcadia Legends – 20 years in the past to the day – it’s by no means seen one other rerelease.
Skies of Arcadia was form of like my Breath of the Wild second. How will you have a BOTW second earlier than that recreation even exists, you ask? Due to the way in which that recreation enables you to discover. Open worlds and exploration are just about the norm these days. Sprawling Skyrim-sized landscapes or enormous, over-levelled monsters roaming the world of Xenoblade Chronicles. Skies of Arcadia, whereas not anyplace close to as open as these video games, captured the essence of exploration completely.
It is smart, actually, given the sport’s story. You’re Vyse, a plucky air pirate who’s a member of the Blue Rogues, a band of Robin Hood-esque pirates who steal from the wealthy (aka the Valuan Armada, basically the Spanish armada) and provides the spoils to the struggling. Collectively along with his finest buddy Aika, the pair rescue a mysterious woman referred to as Fina who’s looking for the Moon Stones all through Arcadia, crystals that may summon weapons of mass destruction. For Vyse, not solely is that this an opportunity to assist the susceptible and save the world, but it surely’s additionally his alternative to exit and uncover the world.
…being a recreation the place you’re truly enjoying as pirates, exploration and discovery change into the 2 cornerstones of the sport.
Actually, most of Skies of Arcadia is fairly iterative of different RPGs. Its turn-based fight is much like others within the style, and the characters – whereas all charming and lovable – are all acquainted RPG tropes, simply executed completely. But, being a recreation the place you’re truly enjoying as pirates, exploration and discovery change into the 2 cornerstones of the sport. While you’re not wandering round cities and dungeons or taking part in turn-based battles, you’re crusing the skies. And as you get additional by means of the sport, you get a brand new ship, get your individual crew, and may improve your vessel to traverse the cloud sea higher. You would possibly begin in a tiny little fishing boat, however you ultimately find yourself with an army-ready ship that may sail excessive above or under the cloud floor and crash by means of stone reefs.
The sport manages to tease the scope of the world so effectively. You find yourself being the identical wild-eyed excited teenager that Vyse is, prepared to find new issues. You’re seeing the world as Vyse does – from small issues like new cities or enemies, proper the way in which as much as whole continents and discovering that the world is spherical. Even the world map that you’ve got originally of the sport solely exhibits a part of Arcadia to you, and as you get additional by means of the sport, it expands, as should you’re sketching it out your self, to disclose model new areas.
The premise of Arcadia is fairly easy – it’s a world break up up into six distinctive ‘kingdoms’ that each one reside beneath a distinct colored moon. Don’t ask me how there are six moons in stationary orbit, however right here we’re. Below the Pink Moon is Nasr, the desert kingdom, which relies on the Ottoman Empire and parts of the Center East. Basking within the gentle of the Inexperienced Moon is Ixa’Taka, which is impressed by Central and South America. Below the Blue Moon is Yafutoma, which incorporates a mixture of Chinese language, Japanese, and Korean cultures. The Valuan Empire is beneath the Yellow Moon and relies on the Spanish Empire. The Purple Moon’s civilisation was worn out hundreds of years in the past, whereas beneath the Silver Moon lies the standard Pirate Isle, Vyse’s residence.
From the world being a reinterpretation of our personal Earth’s previous to the Armada airships being named after star constellations (Cygnus, Delphinus, Auriga, and so forth.), Skies of Arcadia stokes the flames of exploration, curiosity, and surprise. Every continent counts as a brand new, thrilling discovery for Vyse, Aika, and Fina, and the cheerful tone and humorous dynamic between the principle social gathering preserve encouraging you to lap up extra. In a sea of RPGs the place the trendy world and darker subjects turned extra outstanding, Skies of Arcadia was a breath of contemporary air. The world is vibrant and the characters are vibrant, and it feels such as you’re flipping by means of a misplaced Jules Verne novel.
In a sea of RPGs the place the trendy world and darker subjects turned extra outstanding, Skies of Arcadia was a breath of contemporary air.
As thrilling as it’s to look at the world map unravel earlier than your very eyes, it’s the element that makes Arcadia as a fictional RPG world so magical to me. As any respectable sailor does (and we’re ignoring the realities of precise seaborne piracy right here), you’re the individual charting and uncovering the world, and as you sail across the skies preventing enemies, you’ll come throughout hidden landmarks referred to as ‘Discoveries’. You’ll know you’re close to one as a result of your compass will begin spinning like mad, and should you’re like me, it’ll ignite a childlike glee within you.
Discoveries are probably the greatest sidequests in any RPG as a result of no individual is telling you to exit and search them – you possibly can simply go away them or attempt to hunt as most of the down as you need. Issues begin out easy like a hidden headstone for an historic pirate, or the ruins of an deserted lighthouse, however finally, you’ll begin discovering issues like a ghost ship above a lethal black sky rift, or a sky practice that follows a specific path excessive above the clouds.
It’s such as you’re discovering little items of the historical past of Arcadia since as you uncover every one, you get a tiny little blurb about what you’ve discovered together with an annotated sketch or two. There are 88 (89 should you end one different GameCube-exclusive sidequest) of those to seek out, and every one sheds some gentle on the world. The Black Moon Stone expands on The Darkish Rift and hints at a misplaced kingdom, whereas The Grieving Prince is a landmark representing one man’s grief. Cute animals just like the Dheerse come coupled with myths and tales, whereas a Valuan wreck cements the concept that Arcadia is a world that’s nonetheless making historical past and creating mysteries.
You’re not simply accumulating this data on your personal pleasure – although actually, I’m and I be certain I discover each single Discovery each time I play the sport. You name promote these little items of knowledge at any Sailor’s Gild throughout the land. Some Discoveries are value greater than others, and the extra belongings you discover on the market on the planet, the extra your Swashbuckler Score goes up.
You’re additionally in a ‘pleasant competitors’ with one other sailor, Domingo, to seek out Discoveries earlier than him. If he finds them first, their worth decreases massively. In fact, you possibly can clear up that drawback by discovering 30 Discoveries, after which he’ll be part of your motley crew when you’re the captain of the Delphinus. If cash, crewmates, and status aren’t sufficient motivation to seek out each single discovery on the planet, then I don’t know what else is.
There’s nothing fairly like enjoying a recreation the place you’re going locations that even the protagonist doesn’t learn about. Glacia is a whole thriller to each the participant and Vyse, whereas Nasr – whereas all the time a presence within the skies due to its ongoing struggle with Valua – is far greater than you initially anticipate. And whereas Aika wildly fantasises concerning the prospects of what she will be able to do in a few of these areas, at each flip, Arcadia defies your – and the social gathering’s – expectations.
…who would need to purchase a purple lunch box-shaped console, anyway? Effectively, I want extra individuals had.
Skies of Arcadia Legends was a deal with for individuals like me who’d performed the Dreamcast model, but additionally these again in 2002 (or 2003 when it was launched within the West) who hadn’t had the possibility to find a really particular RPG. The N64 had only a few notable entries within the style after Squaresoft jumped from Nintendo to Sony for Ultimate Fantasy, and the GameCube additionally had a really restricted quantity. So Skies of Arcadia Legends was already hitting a little bit of a distinct segment – who would need to purchase a purple lunch box-shaped console, anyway? Effectively, I want extra individuals had.
What Legends introduced for Skies of Arcadia followers was new discoveries, new sidequests, and tremendous bosses. Bounties may very well be claimed to get cash, unknown creatures may very well be discovered within the sky and caught to feed a hungry little bird-like creature (who isn’t little by the tip of the search), and a bounty hunter is definitely after your head. It added further challenges and riches for anybody, outdated and new, to come back and uncover.
So, why oh why is Skies of Arcadia nonetheless caught on the GameCube? A former developer on Skies of Arcadia, Kenji Hiruta, mentioned “I actually actually need to develop the sequel” again in 2020, but additionally said that it actually “relies on Sega”. And Kodama herself mentioned in a 2019 interview with Kotaku that she feels that “Skies of Arcadia Legends accomplished the “director’s reduce” of the title”.
But Sega remains to be acknowledging the sport’s existence, even at this time. Vyse, Aika, and Fina all appeared in 2008’s Valkyria Chronicles (which you’ll be able to nab on the Change eShop), whereas Vyse and a Skies of Arcadia-themed monitor Rogue’s Touchdown can be found in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Reworked. Vyse even has an icon in Sonic Colors Final.
Exterior of video video games, the Skies of Arcadia forged has additionally appeared in Worlds Unite crossover from Archie, and should you’re actually observant within the Sonic the Hedgehog film opening, you possibly can spot slightly snippet of Skies of Arcadia within the Sega emblem on the precise (within the time-stamped video under).
Admittedly, rather a lot would should be performed to shine up Skies of Arcadia Legends — the music high quality suffers and a few of the textures are slightly tough. Random encounter charges are extraordinarily excessive, even for an RPG of that period, and battles are fairly gradual. However Skies of Arcadia appears like lightning in a bottle – just a few different RPGs have managed to seize that feeling of journey like Sega’s RPG did (Grandia, Lunar).
With open-world RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles capturing the magic of bizarre worlds and harmful discoveries, it feels prefer it’s time for Skies of Arcadia to come back again and let everybody uncover (and rediscover) the most effective – and my favorite – RPG world ever.
