Sky Mercenaries
- December 15, 2014
- PolarityFlow, Adrian Zingg
Get on Steam"Sky Mercenaries" is a 2D shoot 'em up released on Steam featuring 8 worlds, over 32 story missions, and endless random content. Choose your pilot, fighter, and loadout to battle over 50 enemy types and challenging boss fights. Upgrade your pilots, drones, and fighters, and unlock abilities in 3 skill trees for increased customization and firepower. Get ready for an epic sky battle!
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a unique color-switching mechanic that adds a strategic layer to the gameplay, reminiscent of classic titles like Ikaruga.
- Players appreciate the RPG elements, including character and ship upgrades, which enhance the overall experience and provide a sense of progression.
- The game has a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of old-school shoot 'em ups, and offers a fun and addictive gameplay experience for fans of the genre.
- The user interface is confusing and poorly designed, making it difficult for players to navigate menus and understand game mechanics.
- The sound effects and music are often described as bland and unengaging, detracting from the overall experience.
- Many players find the graphics to be mediocre and the levels uninteresting, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and lack of excitement.
- music32 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique themes for each of the eight levels, while others find the soundtrack forgettable or poorly executed. Many highlight the electronic compositions as fitting for the gameplay, evoking nostalgia for classic arcade titles, but there are criticisms regarding the quality and coherence of the music, particularly in how it relates to the game's stages. Overall, while some enjoy the soundtrack's energy and originality, others feel it lacks the gripping quality needed to enhance the gaming experience.
“One thing that stood out for me was the soundtrack.”
“There are 8 levels with three stages per level, and each level has a unique theme, both in music and aesthetic.”
“With a nearly album-length soundtrack of original compositions made specifically for this game, it sets the mood perfectly and is absolutely perfect for getting into that 'matrix zone' trance and blast some enemies!”
“Soundtrack sucks big time.”
“The UI is lifeless, the music is horrible (really poor quality on the menus and in-game) and doesn't feel inspired or interesting in any way.”
“If I had a few gripes then I'd say the music wasn't gripping me, but that also boils down to me having a rather specific taste, so this would probably count more as a personal opinion instead of feeling fully objective.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a color-switching and absorption mechanic reminiscent of "Ikaruga," adding strategic depth to the shoot-em-up experience, though some players feel it falls short compared to more polished titles. The game incorporates RPG elements and a leveling system for pilots and ships, enhancing the challenge, especially at higher difficulties. While the recent update introduced new features, it also increased grinding, leading to mixed feelings about the overall polish and execution of the gameplay mechanics.
“The mechanic with differently-coloured weapons and how you deal with them by switching schemes adds a little extra layer of strategic combat you probably won't really expect from a regular shoot-em-up title, and at higher difficulties it can heighten tension as you either need to switch more frequently or choose not to in order to get through safely.”
“It's well-implemented here, for a fun and satisfying level of challenge -- and the 'overloads' take the mechanic to its (super fun) logical conclusion.”
“You level up pilots and ships flying missions through Ikaruga-style gameplay.”
“The recent 1.1 update added a lot of new features that extend gameplay, but add a bit more grinding.”
“It is really hard to avoid getting hit (which makes the Ikaruga-like color swapping mechanic useful) and things just feel really... unpolished.”
“First off, it would largely be a generic shmup if not for the polarization/bullet-absorption mechanic a la 'Ikaruga' or the latter 'Exceed' games.”
- story14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game features minimal storytelling, with little background provided for characters and a lack of a cohesive narrative. Players engage in over 32 missions across 8 worlds, focusing primarily on gameplay mechanics and character upgrades rather than a rich story experience. While the missions are varied enough to maintain interest, the overall narrative depth is lacking.
“Fight over 50 enemy types on 8 worlds in over 32 story missions.”
“Between levels, you can upgrade your stats and enhance the story a little.”
“This game has no real story and characters have nearly no background information.”
“Between levels you can upgrade your stats and enhance the story a little.”
“Despite not having a very large number of areas (24 missions and 8 bonus), each feels different enough to not get old even when replaying the early levels to train a new pilot or when grinding to upgrade a plane.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Sky Mercenaries" are generally considered mediocre, with muddy visuals that hinder gameplay clarity and fail to deliver the excitement expected in a shmup. While the game features unique themes across its levels, the overall aesthetic is described as uninteresting and outdated, lacking the vibrant appeal found in other retro-style games. Additionally, the interface and menus are criticized for being confusing, further detracting from the visual experience.
“There are 8 levels with three stages per level, and each level has a unique theme, both in music and aesthetic.”
“It may take a few runs through each of the levels a few times to gain enough credits to upgrade and proceed, although this in my opinion is a very enjoyable aspect of the game, as the controls, collision detection, and graphics are all excellent.”
“Game has minuses - old type of graphics but today some games also have retro style and have good reputation (Binding of Isaac) and price - but discount solves the problem.”
“The in-game visuals are muddy and make it very difficult to see what is actually going on.”
“The graphics and sound effects don't have the 'kick' I crave in a shmup; very little is explained about the controls, and the menus are annoying to navigate through (there's a certain fluidity that's missing, hard to explain).”
“The main problems with Sky Mercenaries are its confusing interface, obtuse menus, repetitious/poor sound effects, mediocre graphics, and fairly uninteresting/unexciting levels.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be well-balanced, providing just enough challenge without becoming overly tedious during the first playthrough. While some repetition is noted, the variety in missions helps maintain engagement, even when revisiting levels for upgrades or training. The recent update introduced additional features that enhance gameplay but also increased the grinding aspect slightly.
“It gets a little repetitious, but that's where the grinding comes into play.”
“The recent 1.1 update added a lot of new features that extend gameplay, but add a bit more grinding.”
“Despite not having a very large number of areas (24 missions and 8 bonus), each feels different enough to not get old even when replaying the early levels to train a new pilot or when grinding to upgrade a plane.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The addition of Steam Workshop functionality significantly enhances the game's replayability, allowing players to create and download custom levels, resulting in virtually limitless gameplay experiences.
“A huge thing, just added in one of the most recent updates, is Steam Workshop functionality -- you can create and download levels for the game, meaning endless replayability.”
