Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire Reviews
We can forgive a game for being too ambitious for its own good, trying something bold, and possibly falling short. The trouble with Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire is that it tries to deliver something we've seen before and still manages to fail at it. Even if you stripped out every technical issue, improved the camera, and polished up the visuals, you would still be left with a painfully average gaming experience. Sky Oceans doesn't even crash and burn – it fails to leave the runway.
Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire looks to recapture the magic of Skies of Arcadia, but slow combat and clunky controls let it down significantly.
Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire needed a lot more time and work to get it into a proper release state. If this was an early access title, some of the issues would be forgivable, but it isn't.
I really feel like Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire had the potential to be a charming and engaging RPG, but it falls short in many areas which keeps it from getting airborne. The clunky controls, repetitive gameplay and numerous tech issues make it a really frustrating experience rather than an enjoyable one. Don’t be tricked by the fantastic ‘Studio Ghibli’ visuals because sadly its all smoke and mirrors with this one; the visual design just isn’t enough to save this game.
Despite its earnest story and the potential, Sky Oceans struggles to soar due to its obtuse gameplay systems, dull combat, and raft of glitches.
I wish I enjoyed Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire more than I do. There is plenty to love, such as its charming visuals, fun narrative and worldbuilding. However, it's simply hard to look past the clunky gameplay, from the incredibly slow and repetitive animations to the clunky menu navigation, and that's not even mentioning the bugs. Hopefully, the worst of them will be patched out, but at least at launch, Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire is a turbulent experience, and worth recommending only for those willing to brave the game's flaws.
Sky Oceans: Wings For Hire has lots of potential but doesn't draw it all out of the game and its ideas and concepts. A lack of voice acting makes moments hit more hollow than they should. The gameplay becomes more repetitive the longer you play.
The sky was definitely not the limit for Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire.
All-in-all, Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire is a decent enough RPG with an engaging story. It should run flawlessly on pretty much anything you can throw it at made in the last decade and there's a demo available to try it out before committing to it.
Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire is a game with a lot of heart and ambition. It mildly revisits elements from JRPG classics like Skies of Arcadia while trying to bring new ideas into the fold. While the nostalgic appeal to the atmosphere, style, and gameplay has its merits, the game depends too much on it, making it a bit lackluster on many fronts.
Although the game is beautiful and the premise is cool, in addition to the idea of exploring the air and being the bosses of our own crew, the dullness of several moments in the game, the bugs, the difficulties in controlling and the repetitiveness of the combat - in addition to its slowness and simplicity - end up making the title much less enjoyable than it should, and could, be.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire left us with a bit of a sour taste in our mouths, we must admit. On the one hand, the desire to pay homage to the great RPG classics is palpable, with homages and inspirations that fans of the genre will appreciate accompanying a product with several intriguing ideas. On the other hand, however, the claudicant technical realization, pacing problems and a combat system that lends its side (or rather, its sash) to too much criticism make the experience overly nerve-wracking at times. A product that probably needed a little extra time to be improved and that unfortunately, in its current state, can only be recommended to the hard core of nostalgics and fans... also accomplice to the tremendous direct competition in October.
Review in Italian | Read full review
We shouldn't judge a game by what it could be, but in the case of Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire it's almost sacrilege to realize that the game has potential buried by mediocrity. From the tired story, which could pass as a good 26-episode summer anime, to the sleepy and repetitive combat, this air pirate adventure is only recommended for those who have a good nostalgia for Skies of Arcadia or really like airplanes, because even the replayability factor is weak and it's only worth it to complete the easy trophies (or achievements).
Review in Portuguese | Read full review