Well, mobile co-op games are a rarity, and good co-op mobile games can still be counted on the fingers of one hand. So, the developers from that game company decided to prove to all skeptics that everything can be implemented, there would be a desire. With such an interesting project on our radar, we have no choice but to start reviewing Sky: Children of the Light.
Gameplay and story
As with Journey, storytelling is relegated to a secondary role in Sky. The player controls a character who enters a world where there are no stars. And you, as one of the few remaining bearers of fire, must make the sky shine again. Sounds long and too abstract? Yes, but as is. The plot is necessary to give the story an initial impulse and then fade into the background, giving the leading role to the audiovisual part and the social component. Then the answer will be simple – it is about empathy.
The way, you will have the opportunity to meet other users
Who, just like you, travel the world in search of lights? But don’t think it’s that simple. They cannot write a text message and offer to play the game together. Contact between avatars is based on a strictly limited set of gestures with which you are free to express your thoughts.
At the same time, at first, it may seem that cooperation is not important, but the feeling of a kind of fluidity of the game and its unhurriedness pushes the participants of the journey to unite. But not to facilitate the passage, but rather so that they do not feel alone. Sky does a great job of creating a sense of belonging to something bigger. And necessary. If you hold hands with other avatars, and this, by the way, is the main type of cooperation, then only the first link in the chain will become the leader, and the rest will have to follow and enjoy the scenery.
Of the interesting things, we would like to note the fact that there was no place for a competitive element in the multiplayer game. The project itself builds the gaming experience in such a way that you don’t want to find out who is the best – it’s pointless. The core of the gameplay only gives form to the non-verbal story, including the one that is told through team interaction.
The rejection of cooperation built on a competitive element gave the company a chance to create a product with high replay value, endowing it with a coherent and even narrative. At the same time, Sky: Children of the Light manages to smoothly transition from meditative wandering to action scenes and vice versa. In general, from a gameplay point of view, the mobile “sequel” of Journey is surprising. And he does this not at the expense of some high-budget cut scenes or plot, but by fine work on the cooperative and its weaving into meditative gameplay. As they say, hats off.
Graphics and music
That game company didn’t deviate from its classic minimalistic art style and created, by its standards, a standard world, with its beauties and stylistic differences. By “standard” we don’t mean that there was no effort. Not at all, everything is worked out very, very well, but mobile platforms impose their limitations.
The musical accompaniment in the game is also made in the manner characteristic of the company. Enchanting motifs of the forest are replaced by mysterious melodies of spirits and smoothly flow into heartbreaking compositions that excite the soul, honor, and praise to the sound designer. Without his meticulous work, we would not have been able to fully experience the silent history of the character.
Minuses
Even great games have their flaws, and Sky: Children of the Light is no exception. There are only 2 disappointing factors in the game: the controls and the disrupted pace of the story towards the end of the story. And if in the first case everything is clear, on mobile devices it can be difficult to manage virtual sticks and buttons, and then your overall impression can significantly suffer from the second.
To be able to reach the climax of the story, you will have to return to already completed locations in search of the necessary NPCs or items. And this would not be a problem if the game showed where to go, but in this case, you should not wait for help. A gamer cannot simply ask for directions from others, because only gestures are used for communication.
Player opinion
The players warmly welcomed the project, while copying the crown phrase of the ruler of the highest Internet: “10 out of 10, Lord, this is from the world of mobile pgslot games.” But, as always, some simply did not understand the essence of the project. Some people just don’t like games that don’t have a clear storyline, standard storytelling model, and action-packed gameplay. In general, there is a feeling that Sky: Children of the Light will be of interest to many while remaining a game “not for everyone”.
