Game Review: Skies Above

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

We review a lot of roguelike games these days, but there aren't too many that we've seen that have such a retro look and feel to them. Skies Above is a roguelike action game that comes to us by way of developer HungryDingo. Having released on Steam last year, publisher Flynn's Arcade has recently brought it to the Nintendo Switch. It's that version we're going to be looking at today, and we'll see if this is a game that manages to stand out in a crowded genre. There really isn't any need for further intro, so let's dive right in!

Skies Above takes place on a world that is one day visited by large, space-faring creatures known as "Leviathans". These whale-like beings have been flying through space looking for a planet to call home, and they believe that they've found one. Their presence on the planet also brings a new magical energy that causes the world to develop quickly. Thinking they've found a peaceful home, the Leviathans begin a long sleep. That might've been a happy ending for them, if not for the fact that this world is also occupied by humans. Humans do what humans do best, and they come to rely heavily on the magic energy provided by the Leviathans. Once they've squandered the easy to get sources, they begin to harvest more from the bodies of the sleeping Leviathans themselves. Some of the creatures wake up and attempt to leave the planet, but the humans have created robotic sentries to keep them from doing so. Not all humans are bad though, and a group of rebels set up base in the mountains to help facilitate the Leviathans' escape. They do this by riding on the backs of the Leviathans, and taking out the sentries for them so that they can take to space once again. The game opens with the last surviving Leviathan attempting their journey to space, and you take on the role of the rebel who is going to aid them.

Saying that I was surprised to find such a deep story in a fast-paced roguelike action game would be an understatement, as I figured that this would be a game that only has the most basic of plots so as to get you into the action quickly. Not only are we given clearly defined reasons as to why you're playing as a guy riding on a flying whale's back, but the story has some weight to it. The parallels to the actual world, and the environmental concerns that plague it, are also all too real. It still exists mainly in the background, but it's quite good for what it is. There were also parts of it that I liked for reasons that might not have been intentional. I'm not sure if the developers were influenced at all by the likes of Dune, or The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, but I couldn't help but see parallels in those works. Besides the environmental message, the rebels riding the Leviathans reminded me of the Fremen riding the sandworms found in Frank Herbert's Dune. As for Link's Awakening, the thing that drew me to this game originally was the last Leviathan, as I immediately thought that it resembled the Wind Fish. Whether or not these things are actual references, or exist solely in my head, doesn't really matter. They got me into a great game, and I'm all here for it. Anyhow, with that out of the way, let's move on to discussing gameplay.

Though I'm willing to bet that there's an entire genre of games with gameplay similar to Skies Above, I have never played anything like it before. The core gameplay loop revolves around defeating the robot sentries that are all dead set on taking out the Leviathan. You have a central hub where you fall back to between runs, but the main game takes place in the skies that ultimately lead to space. Taking out the robot sentries is rather simple, as you just have to jump onto them and leap away to destroy them. This can be done through simply jumping for the low-hanging fruit, but will most likely involve aiming with the right analog stick, and using a dash to attach to the enemy that you've targeted. You then stay latched onto the enemy until you jump away from them, and you can then grab onto another nearby enemy, or get back to the Leviathan below. You can technically stay in the air as long as there are enemies, but the amount of dashes you have available to you is low at the beginning of the game. You can also chain together attacks for bonuses, and you may want to occasionally wait out enemies so that they form a more favorable set of positions. Standing still is a bad tactic overall though, as the robots will constantly attack the Leviathan until they are destroyed. Different enemy types also have different actions, but they're all taken out in mostly the same way.

Since Skies Above is a roguelike game, it makes sense that there would be a lot of additional skills and gameplay mechanics to unlock. Some of these additional skills will affect your basic attack, while others will add completely new actions for you to perform. These additional abilities are ways to destroy sentries that don't require the latching on mechanic, though they often have to be charged up between uses. Also, since the Leviathan's main goal is escape, each run essentially is an endurance run to the end. Upgrades to the Leviathan itself will increase its life, its speed, and even give it the ability to perform attacks, or heal itself. There's even a fishing mechanic that grant temporary boosts to the next run, and a friendly robot that can take out the sentries too. All of the upgrades require different in-game resources, and collecting these will be your main goal for the first few runs. Though the game doesn't really offer anything truly unique or ground-breaking, it does do a great job in granting the player new gameplay mechanics at a constant and steady pace. It'll take you quite a few runs to reach the game's final boss, but you'll be rewarded for your continued efforts all the time. It makes for a gameplay loop that is not only satisfying, but it also addicting.

I honestly think that Skies Above is one of the best roguelike action games I've played in a long while, and my only real complaint would have to be that the learning curve can feel quite steep early on. As I stated earlier, I've never played a game that had latching onto enemies and chaining together jumps as its main form of attack, and I felt very lost when in my first run. That run only lasted a minute or two at most, and I couldn't have killed more than ten enemies in that time. I was almost ready to write off the game as simply being bad or unplayable, but I of course had to soldier on for the sake of this review. Things didn't improve much over the next few runs, but I was finally able to get the hang of things by the fifth run or so. From there I was able to increase the skills needed to get good at the game, and I was also able to focus on upgrades that suited my particular gameplay style. There were several times where I still felt like I was fighting wonky controls, and others where I missed certain upgrade materials because of strange collision detection, but I came to appreciate how fast and frenetic the action could be at times. I'm glad I didn't give up on the game in that opening hour, and I suggest that anyone trying out the game give it the same chances I did.

If there's one aspect of Skies Above that I feel is executed to near perfection, it would have to be its presentation. The game features amazing pixel art and animation, as well as a surprising amount of variety in the stages. The game's world is basically just the literal skies above the planet, but there's still a lot to see. Not only do each of the areas look unique, but they're also broken up by special areas or NPC encounters. There's also a level of detail here that is almost breathtaking despite its simplicity. Since the Leviathan is large, most of the other graphical elements are small by comparison. They could've very easily been rendered as tiny blips on the screen, but they manage to come off as detailed in spite of this seeming limitation. It also holds up well on the Switch, as I didn't experience any notable performance issues no matter how intense the action got. Add to this a soundtrack that is worth listening to on its own, and you have a game that just looks and sounds well above other indie titles of similar scope.

You can currently pick up Skies Above on the Nintendo Switch for a very reasonable $7.99, and this is also its price on Steam. The infamous "Switch Tax" is still a thing even in the console's twilight years, and I'm pleased to report that there's not a single hint of that here. This is a highly replayable game that I sunk far more hours than I intended to into it, and I think that it's worth every penny. It does technically have a finite ending, and there is a limit to how much you can unlock, but it also has in-game achievements, and is just so good that I think it can be played for countless hours on end. Having said that, I should also mention that I was able to essentially 100% the game in about six hours, though I still think that's a perfect amount of time given the price point. It may not have the infinite longevity of some other roguelike games, but it does a good job of keeping you invested to the very end. I don't regret a second I spent with it, and I'm sure you won't either if you give it a chance.

I don't think I'm going to shock anyone when I say that I give Skies Above the fullest of recommendations. It's a must-buy for fans of roguelike action games, retro arcade titles, and even those who have fond memories of the Wind Fish in Link's Awakening. I honestly can't think of anything overly negative, beyond its rather rough opening sections. Despite that, I think it's totally worth grabbing right now, and I can't wait to see what the developer has up their sleeves for their next title. Also, it seems like publisher Flynn's Arcade has put out yet another banger, so it's probably worth keeping an on them too. With that, I'll see you in the next one!

Check Out Skies Above on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/skies-above-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A+
Value: A+

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A unique take on the roguelike genre. Though I'm willing to bet there are other games with similar gameplay mechanics, I haven't personally played anything like it.
+ The story is surprisingly deep, and has some truly funny moments scattered throughout.
+ While the game can be a bit hard to get into, it does a great job in piecing out unlockables to the player in a steady manner. You'll continuously be given new abilities and gameplay options right up to the very end.
+ It's easy to tailor the gameplay experience to a particular style of play, and the difficulty seems almost perfectly balanced too.
+ Features impressive pixel-based graphics, and a soundtrack that is arguably even better.
+ Packed full of content and replayability for a very low price point of just $7.99.
+ This game finally allowed me to fulfill my dream of being able to ride the Wind Fish from Link's Awakening!

+/- Though it took me a while to be able to do it, you can pet the dog!

Cons:
- The first couple runs can be hard for new players, and it can be discouraging having some runs end with hardly anything to show for them.
- Even though I appreciated how quick some of the runs were, it can be a bit off-putting to have most of them end in just a few minutes.
- I personally feel like the content-to-price ratio is perfect, but I was able to essentially 100% the game in about six hours.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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