Black Skylands
- August 15, 2023
- Hungry Couch Games
- 15h median play time
"Black Skylands" is a sandbox open-world airship action-adventure game. Fight sky pirates, explore floating islands, and manage your own settlement in this immersive, combat-focused title. Customize your character and aircraft, and form alliances to expand your territory in the skies.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful pixel art and a charming aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
- The combat mechanics, both on foot and in airship, are engaging and provide a satisfying gameplay loop.
- The exploration aspect is enjoyable, with a variety of islands to liberate and resources to gather.
- Many players feel that the story and character development are lacking, with some characters being one-dimensional.
- The game has been criticized for removing features from the early access version, leading to a more simplified and less engaging experience.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues that can disrupt gameplay, including problems with saving and quest progression.
- story494 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Black Skylands" has received mixed reviews, with many players feeling that it lacks depth and coherence compared to its early access version. While some appreciate the engaging elements and twists, others criticize it for being rushed, simplistic, and filled with underdeveloped characters and plot points. Overall, the narrative serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, but many players express a desire for a more fleshed-out and meaningful story experience.
“The story in Black Skylands was well told, and I enjoyed the ending.”
“The creativity of the environments and the sense of adventure of the music, combined with an intriguing story, really created a feeling in me of wanting to be in that world.”
“The story is charming and mature but not dark, and it keeps the game moving.”
“The story felt rushed and there was a lot left to be desired.”
“The story is paper-thin, and I called part of the ending within minutes of starting, but this was still a treat to play through!”
“The story changes ruined the experience a bit plus they took out tons of features from previous builds of the game.”
- gameplay274 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Black Skylands" is generally praised for its engaging mechanics, combining ship combat and on-foot action in a visually appealing world. While many players enjoy the core gameplay loop of conquering islands and upgrading ships, some express concerns about repetitiveness and the simplification of mechanics from early access to full release. Overall, the game offers a solid experience with fun combat and customization options, though it could benefit from deeper gameplay elements and more variety.
“As for the gameplay, the controls may take some time to get used to, but once mastered, you'll feel right at home soaring through the skies and facing your enemies.”
“In summary, Black Skylands offers a solid and enjoyable gaming experience, with a charming visual style and addictive - yet simple - gameplay.”
“The gameplay loop was interesting without becoming tedious.”
“For the most part, the gameplay is pretty simple and repetitive.”
“The gameplay loop has become much more linear and streamlined, but not in a good way.”
“The gameplay is very tight and responsive, but the core gameplay combat is still solid, even if somewhat simplified from the early access version.”
- graphics87 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, which complements the steampunk aesthetic and enhances the overall visual experience. Players appreciate the beautiful and polished artwork, noting that it contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment. While some mention minor optimization issues, the general consensus is that the graphics are a standout feature, making the game visually appealing and engaging.
“The game's visual aspect, with its charming pixel art style, is definitely one of its major attractions.”
“Wonderful art style and graphics, the design doesn't feel clunky or unnecessary; it's pleasing to the eye and fits into the steampunk style.”
“The graphics are beautiful as far as pixel-style games go; the story is fantastic and pulls you in.”
“I would love to see this game on a bigger scale with a bigger budget and some up-to-date graphics.”
“Yeah, the game has had some polish with its graphics, but it really changed the story in some areas to be way more confusing and vague.”
“1. The game is poorly optimized as of writing this review (I know it's in alpha or whatever, I'm just saying it so people will know what they are getting into). It crashed or stopped working many times, it 'lags' a lot (might be my graphics card, but still it shouldn't; I played many games with better graphics and didn't have any frame rate issues, so I doubt it).”
- grinding47 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some appreciate the removal of tedious farming and resource gathering, others find the current resource management and upgrade systems to be repetitive and grindy, particularly in the late game. The balance between engaging gameplay and grinding varies, with some players enjoying the exploration and combat while others feel it becomes tedious over time.
“Bonus points for having weapon mods drop from enemies towards the end of the game, so you aren't grinding out currency to buy chests. This made getting the weapon mod achievement a lot easier with very little grind.”
“The gameplay is great, the progression pace is nice, and there is no grinding so far. The art style is fun and not resource-intensive.”
“The crafting/resources system was scrapped to bare bones; war factions gone; farming system gone.”
“The grind is satisfying, although hunting down resources over and over again becomes tedious after five or six hours.”
“Building up the base ship is rudimentary and grindy.”
- music28 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its charm and ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly during exploration and storytelling. However, some players find the soundtrack repetitive and lacking in variety, especially during combat, which detracts from the overall experience. While the sound design is generally considered decent, the absence of more dynamic or impactful tracks leaves some players wanting more.
“The creativity of the environments and the sense of adventure of the music, combined with an intriguing story, really created a feeling in me of wanting to be in that world.”
“Music is charming and fits its vibe well, often cues in at the right moment in dialogue adding a nice touch and feel.”
“Fun gameplay loop, great setting, nostalgia-inducing soundtrack.”
“The music does not really feel impactful during gameplay.”
“The soundtrack is a bit lacking and repetitive in my opinion.”
“The worst thing is the music, which manages to make high skies adventure feel duller than I'd believe possible.”
- stability19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs and glitches, including visual issues, erratic enemy behavior, and problematic mechanics that disrupt gameplay. While some users have experienced minimal issues, many find the frequency and severity of bugs—especially in late-game content—frustrating enough to detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game appears to be in a buggy state, prompting calls for patches and improvements.
“It runs great and the gameplay is really nice.”
“The game has a solid performance with minimal bugs.”
“I've experienced very few crashes, making for a smooth gaming experience.”
“Bugs, while they're not plenty, sometimes they're too infuriating to pass, but, apart from visual glitches, the most enraging were in the late game in the raid game mode.”
“But so buggy you gonna be restarting the game every hour.”
“I've run into duplication glitches, enemies being invincible, all animations stopping, losing items and crates to the void of your ship's storage, objects having seizures, one specific ship crashing my whole game anytime I try to modify it, and many others.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its zany characters and comedic elements, while others find the humor inconsistent and poorly integrated with the serious aspects of the story. While the game offers moments of laughter, particularly through its absurd scenarios, some players feel that the humor often falls flat or feels forced, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the comedic elements can be entertaining, but they may not resonate with everyone due to the rushed narrative and lack of engaging content.
“Prepare to set sail on a voyage of chuckles, snickers, and knee-slapping hilarity in Black Skylands, the game that skyrockets humor to new heights!”
“Pro #1: The game's zany, yet captivating world is brimming with peculiar characters and bizarre creatures that'll have you laughing out loud.”
“Just remember to pack a parachute – or at least a really good sense of humor – because this game's bound to make you laugh so hard, you'll fall right out of your captain's chair!”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant performance issues, including frequent crashes and lag, particularly on the Switch. While a few users found it well-optimized, the general consensus leans towards it being poorly optimized, especially in its current alpha state, leading to frustration among players. Overall, many hope for improvements in future updates.
“Very well optimized”
“Setting aside the performance issues and constant loading screens on Switch, I still think this is a game worth playing, aside from some odd design choices.”
“Maybe once the game gets more features (such as cursing + blood toggle, more performance settings, or ability to turn off HUD) I will purchase it again!”
“The optimization isn't the best, either.”
“The game is poorly optimized as of writing this review. I know it's in alpha, but I'm just saying it so people will know what they are getting into. It crashed or stopped working many times, it lags a lot (might be my graphics card, but still it shouldn't; I played many games with better graphics and didn't have any frame rate issues, so I doubt it).”
“Should probably run on a potato, but I have zero idea about its optimization.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, players found the emotional impact of the game to be inconsistent, with some moments lacking depth and failing to allow for proper emotional processing. However, the ending was noted as a highlight, providing a touching conclusion to the story that resonated with some players despite its lack of originality. The game's narrative and emotional engagement could benefit from further development, as many felt disconnected from certain gameplay elements and objectives.
“What made the game special during early access was a touching revenge tale with quite a wholesome and satisfying ending.”
“To my surprise, the ending, although not very original, was quite touching and not disappointing, and this is probably the only reason for my (far-fetched) positive mark.”
“Also, the story could use a little bit of touching up, I was confused at the start, and now I'm a little less confused.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by beautiful pixel art and effective world design. While some players found the dialogue excessive, the overall ambiance successfully evokes a sense of adventure and supports engaging gameplay mechanics.
“I personally didn't need that much dialogue, and the option to skip most of it is very welcome, but the style and the atmosphere of the game is just great and screams: adventure!!!!”
“A chill game with beautiful pixel art, good world design and story, nice atmosphere, and interesting game mechanics.”
“The atmosphere is spot on.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed sentiment regarding monetization, with some players feeling the game may be a cash grab despite the absence of microtransactions. While players appreciate the ability to customize weapons using in-game items, the lack of voice acting has been noted as a missed opportunity, especially given the promotional content.
“You can customize your weapons with sights and barrel stocks you find in mod boxes (no microtransactions, don't worry), which I think is fun.”
“The game offers a fair monetization model that doesn't pressure players into spending money.”
“I appreciate that the game provides plenty of free content and options without relying on aggressive monetization tactics.”
“The radio silence hurts more; it feels like this was just a bait-and-switch cash grab.”
“Seeing the YouTube ads and trailers, it's a big miss that the game lacks voice acting.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game suffers from poor replayability due to bland writing, frustrating gunplay, and a linear experience, leading many players to feel there is little to no incentive to replay it.
“Bland writing, frustrating gunplay with a very limited area of vision and targeting, limited replay value, and an overall linear experience.”
“No replay value at all.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that while there are time jumps in the narrative, they appreciate the presence of character development throughout these transitions, suggesting a positive trajectory for character growth as the story progresses.
“There seems to be character development between time jumps, so maybe it will stay the course.”