Skykeepers Preview
SkyKeepers is the story of a village chief trying to save his village from ruin. You throw down in fast-paced melee combat in order to earn upgrades, rescue villagers and restore your home to its former glory.
Right away the fighting shines as the highlight of this game. The graphics are acceptable, the sound works for the setting and the dialogue tells you what it needs to but the combat is where it’s at. SkyKeepers seamlessly integrates teleportation (referred to here as Spirit Walking), stuns, blocks and finishers into a simple package. There’s so much variety in your available strategy that I was even a little overwhelmed at times. The pace means you have barely a moment to choose your next move and a single misstep can be costly. I discovered the difficulty ramps up almost immediately after the tutorial. Every room full of enemies presents another challenge, one that must be navigated with care and precision. Thankfully, the checkpoint system was pretty forgiving. Once you cleared a room full of enemies, they stayed gone, even if you got annihilated halfway through the level. This means you have plenty of chances to hone your skills and survive the next trial.
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“The graphics are acceptable, the sound works for the setting and the dialogue tells you what it needs to but the combat is where it’s at.”
Each level contains a healthy dose of puzzle components as well. The same mechanics that let you spirit walk into enemies allow you to navigate hazards. Although in the content I had access to, the puzzle element was a little light. The lion’s share of the challenge definitely came from the combat. The seeds of puzzle-ness were present, though. I’m certain the final product will have a proper assortment of head-scratching levels.
I was less impressed with the dialogue. It just felt disconnected from the story. The game’s opening chapters get serious. People die! Villages dissolve into shadows of their former selves! People get so sad they turn to stone for a while! It’s all very touching, in theory, but I wasn’t feeling it. The script and its delivery just left me neutral about the whole thing. To that end, the graphical style feels like it rubs up against the story’s intended tone. Something about these sunny, bobble-headed avatars mourning the loss of a child didn’t click. It’s a positively cheery looking game, yet the setting carries such weight.
A major component of SkyKeepers involves saving the village. This entails physically rebuilding it using an upgrade system. For every villager you rescue from the wilderness, you’re able to shine up a part of your beloved home. I wasn’t able to get too into this system, but it seems like a regular infusion of rescued human resources will ensure your home is always getting a little better. As far as upgrade systems go, it takes a backseat to the combat. However, most everything in this game does. Which again, isn’t a bad thing by any means. The fighting in SkyKeepers is nuanced and precise. To that end, a big part of the upgrades you earn contribute to enhancing this combat system. The whole village, at least what I had access to, acts as a hub for boosting your fighting prowess.
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“SkyKeepers, from what I’ve seen, is shaping up to be a solid little 2D action game.”
If I had any complaints about the combat, I would say there are almost too many elements to it. You have a very brief window to make your next move from moment to moment. In that tiny window, you can block, dodge, teleport, attack or use a special move. I found myself often making clumsy mistakes that stemmed from hastily choosing the incorrect option from the list. A lot of times it never felt like the right move was natural or obvious. I can’t blame this on the game outright. Likely I just needed more time to absorb all the nuances of the combat. Alternatively, I wasn’t Spirit Walking enough. I’m excited to see how that mechanic gets expanded and improved in the game’s final build. Already it lets you finish whole fights without touching the ground. Hopefully, the full game properly explores this ability.
SkyKeepers, from what I’ve seen, is shaping up to be a solid little 2D action game. Even if the graphics or the setting don’t immediately hook you, the gameplay is enough to keep an eye on this one.
*** PC key provided by the publisher ***
