Mike_Bracken's Full Review: Skies Of Arcadia Legends for GameCube
Unfortunately, many people didn’t own a Dreamcast. Sega’s little white gaming box was a magnificent machine that just never got the mainstream love and respect it so richly deserved. A glance through the library of titles released seems to bear this out even more—there was, quite simply, some fantastic games for Sega’s last console.
Perhaps none was more fantastic than Overworks’ RPG, Skies of Arcadia. Released late in the DC’s life-cycle, SoA was a game a that a lot of gamers missed out on—which was a shame, because it was one of the best console RPGs in recent memory.
Fortunately, Sega and Overworks have resurrected SoA, porting the title over to the GameCube and enhancing it with some new features and story elements while giving it a spiffy new title to boot. This ‘director’s cut’ now bears the title Skies of Arcadia Legends, and believe me when I tell you that it is easily the best RPG currently available for the ‘Cube (which is sort of like saying George W. Bush is the best president currently living in the White House—but trust me, this game is much better than that).
While at its core, SoA is a traditional RPG—complete with all the trappings of the genre like fetch quests, turn-based battles, and so forth—what really sets it apart is a combination of the execution and the aesthetic vision that colors the title.
Set in world where pirates fly around in a sea of sky, landing occasionally on floating islands of terra firma, SoA just looks different than most of the other RPGs out there. While the move away from a traditional ‘world’ seems rather minor when reading about it, the way it’s presented in the game makes for an almost wholly unique experience. What appears to be a minor cosmetic change at best has a much more profound effect on the player—making what should seem safe and traditional feel much more new and daring. It’s an odd feeling, honestly—I know that it’s not anything blazingly new, but I can’t help but be impressed by it anyway.
And that sentiment is one that gamers will feel time and time again throughout Skies of Arcadia. While the game is a largely traditional affair, it tweaks convention just enough to give everything a fresh spin. In a sea of RPGs that bring little in the way of innovation to the table (in terms of gameplay, narrative structure, or even aesthetic design) this game, quite simply, stands out.
For those who’ve been fortunate enough to play the Dreamcast incarnation of the game, there’s enough new material here to justify a replay. Some new plot details and other elements have been added, and while they don’t radically change the story, they do enhance it a bit.
Perhaps the best bit of news is that the game’s random encounter rate has been lowered. The Dreamcast version’s major flaw that it was filled with countless random battles. Overworks heard the complaints, and there are now fewer random encounters (and monsters that give more experience) in the game. However, as a trade-off, it seemed to me as if a lot of the fights in the game had become more difficult. Because of this, Skies of Arcadia Legends may be a bit daunting for the RPG novice.
Unfortunately, while the game got some enhancing, the graphics didn’t.
Visually, SoA is looking a little rough around the edges. There aren’t any major graphical imperfections—but more a case of the graphics looking dated in comparison to today’s crop of games. This shouldn’t be an issue for the hardcore RPG crowd, though—we’re used to games not always having the best graphics.
The title makes up for it with an excellent battle system. Once again, things seem rather traditional with a standard turn-based system, but it works quite nicely. The inclusion of a series of ship vs. ship battles seems equally interesting, although the full potential is never truly realized.
Boss fights are suitably epic, with large monsters featuring a variety of devastating attacks to test your mettle. Once again, though, the encounters seem a bit harder than they were on the Dreamcast—necessitating a fair amount of level-building on the part of the player to overcome the majority of the game’s enemies. This can be a bit disappointing when one just wants to advance the plot, but those looking for a challenge in today’s world of overly easy RPGs should find the fights here a welcome change of pace.
Ultimately, Skies of Arcadia Legends is a game that is greater than the sum of its parts. While it seems to be a rather formulaic title with dated graphics, there’s just something magical about the experience that transcends simple gaming. If you’re at all interested in RPGs, then you need this game in your library. Forget about the traditional battle system, the dated graphics, or the required level building--Skies of Arcadia is simply too good a game to pass up.
Experience a full 3D world with a highly imaginative storyline, including new plot details and improved character graphics. Use over 70 weapons and 36...More at Amazon Marketplace
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