Easy choice for me this year, Skies of Arcadia.
This is one of those oddly interesting RPGs where the appeal isn’t so much in its story. This one is about exploring one of the most beautiful worlds ever conceived of: a vast 3D sky world of floating islands, beautiful scenery, towns, and kingdoms.
I was terribly sick with mononucleosis and far from home this year, and this game brought me a lot of joy during that time period. So much joy that I played it three times through in a relatively short time - replaying a game isn’t out of the ordinary for me, but it is for a game over 40 hours. One of my favourite elements is building up a town and collecting a ship crew to live there (and aboard your ship).
Along with Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Chrono Trigger, I’m hoping this game will make it to Switch and/or Switch 2.
This was one of the first games that showed the promise of 3D in RPGs. I remember the first time in Sailor’s town where I looked out the window of the lighthouse (I think) and saw one of the most beautiful views I’d ever seen in a game - a reef of hundreds of floating rocks with various boats and such weaving in and around… it was something that was so easy to miss as the game doesn’t exactly lead you to look out the window. The site of the reef and the boats could also be seen from many other points on the island, but this particular window was my favourite spot. Skies of Arcadia became one of the first 3D games where I’d go sightseeing - to this day, I think the only games I’ve had similar experiences with are Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Breath of the Wild.
The game was developed by Rieko Kodama’s team (known for Phantasy Star), and if you ask me, this was her masterpiece. So, it’s a shame that it seems to be about her only game that isn’t getting regular rereleases.
Last edited by Jumpin - on 26 October 2023I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
