LogFAQs > #897175700

9. Skies of Arcadia (Team Rocket Elite)


This is another game I've recently replayed, and it just reminded me why I love it so much. Skies of Arcadia was basically a throwback JRPG during the era when many games in the genre were trying to copy what Final Fantasy VII had done. This game challenged the new status quo with a refreshingly vibrant world, an eternally optimistic protagonist, and the old-fashioned thrill of adventure. I've heard many people talk about the sense of adventure they get from certain games, but only Skies of Arcadia has managed to captivate me like that. It's one of the only games where I want to find stuff just to find them because locating Discoveries, fighting all the wanted bounty fights, recruiting all the crew members, catching all the Moonfish, and getting all the Chams is so much fun. I think part of it is because the game does such a great job of rewarding you in various ways, whether it's with an upgrade to Vyse's title, new equipment you can't get anywhere else, or bonus story content. Very few games can completely suck me into the experience like this one can.

Skies of Arcadia's battle system is simple but flashy, with every character (and several bosses) having S-Moves with unique animations and voice clips that I'll find myself shouting along with them, like, "Behold...Pirates' Wrath!" People complain about the random encounter rate, but I didn't find it extraordinarily high with the Legends port, which reduced it a good bit (and even increased the amount of EXP each enemy gives to compensate for it, which was nice). Battles could be tedious early on until Aika learned Lambda Burst, which is probably the first move you'll learn that lets you hit every enemy, and then it's mostly smooth sailing from there (and it gets even smoother once Vyse learns Rain of Swords). One of the cool touches about battles in the game is the fact that the song reflects the pace of battle, so the music is upbeat if you're winning and is discordant if you're losing. In addition to regular battles, there are also ship battles, which are very fun. One of the most satisfying things in Skies of Arcadia is to watch Vyse's ships gradually grow in power over the course of the game until you're blasting things out of the sky late in the game that you literally could not beat early on. You can really sense the progression in strength.

While I wouldn't call the cast or the plot "deep" or "complex" by any stretch of the imagination, Skies of Arcadia just exudes charm. I couldn't help rooting for Vyse, who never gave up, no matter what, and said the only reason people thought something was impossible was because he hadn't tried yet. It was a brashness that bordered on arrogance but never got to the point of being insufferable. Aika and Fina are both great companions who have very different personalities but complement each other and Vyse really well to the point that there's no official ship and everyone seems okay with it, even the characters in the game! The fourth party member rotates around over the course of the game, but they're all likable. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that the gruff and grumpy old man is the source for the game's most poignant moments. Skies of Arcadia also has one of the best villain ensembles in gaming with the Valuan Armada. They're all good in their own ways (except for Alfonso), and they each have their own unique rivalry with Vyse and crew. The final act of the game is crazy, too. They cram so much goodness into the last part of the game. I don't know if we'll ever get that sequel or not, but hopefully Sega will wise up and port the game to Steam or something so they can finally see what a cult following the game has, and then who knows what could happen!

Bonus Question: What is your favorite cast of villains in a video game?

Another exact hit for kateee, and Roba gets it right, too!
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