Way on back in the days when eight-bit computers ruled the scene, I was frustrated by many a text role playing game. While I enjoyed the heck out of a lot of them and even solved a few, I was always annoyed that there were no graphics to depict what was happening. Every RPG made back then attempted to create a detailed, interactive world, but the fact the player could never actually see that world seemed a bit lacking.

Skies of Arcadia is right in line with what I always hoped an RPG could be. You've got an absolutely huge world offering many quests and things to see and do. There are plenty of monsters to fight, places to hunt for treasure and valuable items and a lot of decisions to be made. And, best of all, the game is absolutely beautiful, detailed and set up so that the player can interact with everything. Skies of Arcadia, indeed, may just be one of the best games available for the Dreamcast. And, that's really saying something.

Now, I realize that three-dimensional RPGs aren't exactly new as they've been around since the days of the Sony Playstation. RPGs, in general, have evolved through the years like everything else. These days, RPGs seem to be judged by elements such as storyline, combat system, characters, length and etc. Skies of Arcadia excels in any category you'd care to mention.

Without giving too much of the storyline away, Skies of Arcadia is centered around Vyse, a young, aspiring Blue Rogue. What's a Blue Rogue? An air pirate, of course! The game features, essentially, sailing ships that travel across a "sky" ocean rather than water. In the land of Arcadia, magic is derived from various moon crystals, and Vyse and his merry band (including Aika, a female Blue Rogue who is Vyse's constant companion) take on the task of keeping powerful moon shard's out of the hands of (of course!) an evil empire that's up to no good. The characters are a bit stereotypical, but engaging. Vyse is the swashbuckling "gee whiz!" type with a heart of gold, while Aika is the tough, no-nonsense girl who serves as Vyse's foil. And, yes, there is the shy girl with a secret -- Fina, who is on a mission to save the world. Of course, the game is centered around helping Fina succeed.

Now, those are the main characters, but you've got some other ones along the way which are interesting as well. You've got Enrique, the prince who is out to restore an evil empire to honor, as well as Glider, a Blue Rogue and a bit of a lady's man who is hounded by a woman. And, let's not forget Drachna -- a gruff but lovable sailor. The three aforementioned characters help Vyse and company out at various times.

Sure, the characters are a bit stereotypical, but they all figure well into the combat system. How? Each character has special moves that are either devastating to the enemy or helpful in combat. The successful implementation (through skill points) and utilization of those moves can mean the difference between success and failure. While on the subject of the combat system, we have the usual initiative-based scheme in which players select what they'll do (attack with a weapon, use an item, use a special move, dodge attacks or use magic) and then perform an action when their "turns" arrive. Of course, magic can be learned and the spells are more powerful as the players advance in levels.

Ah, but there's more than just hand-to-hand combat. Indeed, the inhabitants of Arcadia live on islands suspended in mid-air and travel about on ships. When you've got ships, you've got naval (aerial?) battles, and there are plenty of them here. Ship-to-ship combat adds a wrinkle to the game and is a heck of a lot of fun in that an initiative system is used and ship-specific moves, weapons, items and magic must be employed.

And, what would an RPG be without plenty of quests and areas to explore? Arcadia is a pretty big world (one that takes oaver 60 hours or so to explore) and, as such, there are plenty of things to do. Expect to crawl through several dungeons, levelling up characters all the while. One of the most intriguing aspects of the game is that Vyse, near the middle of the game, sets up his own base. Features can be added by the people who join Vyse's ship crew, thus allowing for a certain amount of customization. Fun, fun.

So, you've got lots of fighting, noble quests, the battle of good versus evil, lots of spells and everything else that makes for a good RPG. And, here's the best part -- this thing is challenging, but never frustrating. While that fact may turn off "hardcore" RPG fans, it's comforting to know that the game isn't so damn tough that you'll wind up tossing it aside in disgust and playing NFL2K1 or something instead. There are plenty of puzzles here, but one can figure them out with a bit of study. Also, the game gently guides the player toward the necessary goals.

Another nice touch is that the game is set up so that one can just dive right in and start playing. While the instruction manual is quite handy, there are enough characters around who know various things that can be related to the player. The game is very simple to figure out, in fact, and that means you'll spend more time playing and less time trying to figure out screw-ball controller set-ups and commands. Everything is driven by simple, easy-to-understand menus that are quite intuitive. Sure, it's nice to know how to learn various kinds of magic (grouped by colors in accordance with the moons that influence the magic), but everything's explained quite well throughout the game. The manual is necessary as a backup reference, of course.

Now, don't be in a hurry if you want to finish this thing. It takes up two CD roms, so there's a lot to explore. One thing I don't like about the game is that there are few places where one can save a game, meaning you really have to consider whether you have time to trudge through another quest if you're at a good stopping point.

Also, there are too many random battles for my liking. While it's great, early on, when characters need experience to advance in levels, but it's just a pain on longer journeys to stop every few seconds and get into a fight with some pesky monsters. Still, that's a minor annoyance in an absolutely enjoyable game.

And, folks who pick this up will just have to contend with the fact that it's a bit juvenile in scope. Vyse and Aika are clearly teens, and Aika's more than a bit giggly and bubbly. Once again, that's a minor annoyance.

Additionally, as can be expected, there's a worthless VMU game embedded in the program. I won't mention much about it except for the fact that it's a way to make some very minor cash to spend on weapons and such, hogs up a bunch of space on the VMU and is completely non-essential in terms of the outcome of the game. Like most VMU applications, this one can be ignored.

Those minor complaints aside, this game is one fantastic RPG that will entertain the heck out of you and take up hours of your time. The graphics are absolutely beautiful, the storyline is a bit silly (yet enjoyable!) and the game is top-notch all the way around. If you own a Dreamcast, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Skies of Arcadia.

If you're not lucky enough to own a Dreamcast but have a Nintendo GameCube, be sure to pick up a copy of Skies of Arcadia Legends. Indeed, the GameCube version is essentially the same game with some dandy extras thrown in for good measure. Don't let Skies of Arcadia pass you by if you happen to by an RPG fan.


Recommended: Yes