Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire
- October 10, 2024
- Octeto Studios
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire" is a JRPG-inspired game set in the open skies, where you play as Captain Glenn Windwalker, uniting a team of sky pirates in a touching journey to find purpose. Engage in strategic turn-based dogfights against the 'Alliance', adapt your strategy to changing scenarios, and upgrade airships with special abilities. Experience Studio Ghibli-inspired visuals and manage resources strategically in this nostalgic RPG.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics with a vibrant art style that evokes nostalgia for classic JRPGs like Skies of Arcadia.
- The story is engaging and filled with interesting characters, making it a joy to explore the game's world.
- Combat mechanics are strategic and rewarding, allowing for a variety of actions and customization as players progress.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, making it feel unfinished and unpolished.
- Combat can become repetitive, with some players finding the mechanics dull and the difficulty unbalanced.
- Controls and UI issues, such as sluggish movement and inconsistent sound effects, detract from the overall experience.
- story30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of "Sky Oceans" is generally well-received, praised for its engaging and intriguing narrative, vibrant characters, and beautiful art style that complements the intense storyline. However, players have reported significant bugs that hinder progression, particularly in side missions, which detracts from the overall experience. While many find the story captivating and reminiscent of classic JRPGs, inconsistencies and technical issues have led to mixed reviews regarding its execution.
“The art is stunning, and the story just keeps pulling me in.”
“One of my favorite things about Sky Oceans is how it balances this beautiful, almost relaxing art style with a pretty intense storyline.”
“The characters are interesting, the writing is good, and the story kept me hooked for 7 hours straight.”
“I really want to endorse it, but there are serious bugs that are keeping me from progressing the side missions and main missions.”
“If you ignore all side content and just blitz the story, apparently it's beatable, but what's the point of it?”
“I'm not going to include the story as a positive or a negative; it's just very inconsistent where I am at roughly 10+ hours into the game.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Skies of Arcadia" and its spiritual successor, "Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire," are widely praised for their vibrant, colorful art style that evokes a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic JRPGs. Reviewers highlight the game's unique blend of cute, lively visuals and a compelling storyline, with many noting the developers' passion for creating an aesthetically pleasing experience. While some players find the graphics charming, a few mention that they can be overwhelming or dizzying. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, earning ratings around 7/10.
“Skies of Arcadia is one of the most memorable, creative, visually and aesthetically pleasing JRPGs ever made, in my humble opinion.”
“One of my favorite things about Sky Oceans is how it balances this beautiful, almost relaxing art style with a pretty intense storyline.”
“The graphic style is really cute and everything I got to see feels so alive and vibrant.”
“It's good but sorry, not for me, there's something with the graphics that makes me dizzy.”
“From its retro style graphics, animation, gameplay, and adventure, you'll feel as if you're playing an old classic from the Dreamcast/GameCube era.”
“Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire reminds me a lot about the classic JRPG, Skies of Arcadia; the unique art style graphic itself is the game highlight (I was basically drawn by the art style before playing the story).”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay features turn-based combat that requires some initial adjustment but becomes strategic and enjoyable as players learn character skills. While the core mechanics are generally fun, some players noted a lack of facial expressions in 3D characters and found the gameplay somewhat repetitive. Overall, the game is appreciated for its nostalgic feel and the developers' passion, with ratings ranging from fair to decent.
“The gameplay took a bit to get used to, especially with the turn-based combat, but once you understand how each character's skills work, it gets super strategic and fun.”
“Soooo... yeah, it's very, very obvious that the devs are really passionate about this game, and did their best with both gameplay and graphics, because (so far) it shows.”
“From its retro style graphics, animation, gameplay and adventure, you'll feel as if you're playing an old classic from the Dreamcast/GameCube era.”
“General gameplay/exploration: 6/10”
“There is some fun to be had but in the first 20ish minutes of gameplay...”
“Gameplay: fair (a bit repetitive, cannot increase animation speed)”
- music7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives generally positive feedback, with scores averaging around 7 to 8 out of 10. Reviewers highlight the incredible soundtrack, noting that it enhances the overall experience, although some mention occasional issues with playback.
“The soundtrack is incredible.”
“Good soundtrack.”
“Music sounds pretty good sometimes (when it plays properly), which I'll just count as a win.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players have praised the character development in the game, particularly highlighting the engaging design and depth of characters like Glenn. The overall character design has received a high rating of 9/10, indicating strong appreciation for the characters' appeal and development throughout the game.
“I've been following this game for some time because of the character design, and now that I got to play it, I completely fell for Glenn and the rest of the characters.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including janky controls, overlapping and glitchy sound effects, and problems with treasure chests not functioning correctly. While players have noted these bugs, there is optimism that the developers will address them in future patches.
“The controls are janky, in-game sound often overlaps which then glitches, dies out, and you end up playing a completely silent game.”
“The sound effects of what you're walking on don't match; for example, you walk on grass but hear metal instead.”
“Treasure chests either do not give you loot, don't show up, and continue to show as unopened when you scan.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the game features a good concept and beautiful art, users feel that the interaction mechanics require significant optimization to enhance the overall experience.
“The game has a great concept and beautiful art, but the interaction needs significant optimization.”
“The optimization of gameplay mechanics really enhances the overall experience.”
“I appreciate how the developers are continuously working on optimization to improve performance.”
“Good idea and beautiful art, but the interaction needs a lot of optimization.”
“The game suffers from severe performance issues that hinder the overall experience.”
“There are too many bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
