Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire Reviews
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.
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 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.
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