Sky (video game)

Sky: Children of the Light
Official poster
Developer(s)	thatgamecompany
Publisher(s)	thatgamecompany
Director(s)	Jenova Chen
Artist(s)	Yui Tanabe (Manager) Jacky Ke Jiang (Director)
Writer(s)	Jennie Kong
Composer(s)	Vincent Diamante
Platform(s)	iOS Android Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4
Release	iOS July 18, 2019 Android April 7, 2020 Nintendo Switch June 29, 2021 PlayStation 4 December 6, 2022
Genre(s)	Adventure, art game
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Sky: Children of the Light (shortened to Sky in-game) is a social adventure game by thatgamecompany. It was first released for iOS on July 18, 2019.^[1] An Android version was later released on April 7, 2020,^[2] and a Nintendo Switch version was released on June 29, 2021,^[3][4][5][6] followed by a PlayStation 4 release on December 6, 2022.^[7] A separate version of the game was released for Mainland China on Android devices that is co-developed and published by NetEase.^[8]

Gameplay

In Sky, players explore a once-prosperous kingdom using a cape that allows them to fly. The in-game world consists of seven unique realms, each with a variety of areas to explore, and a theme representing different stages of life. There is also Home, a small island which serves as the world hub and the starting point for the player. Throughout the world, players encounter "spirits" that allow them to unlock items in return for in-game currency, and "children of light" that give players "winged light." When a player has collected enough winged light, their cape level goes up, allowing them to fly farther.

The game places heavy focus on social mechanics. Players are able to meet and befriend one another, and can unlock new abilities such as chat and sending gifts as their friendship grows. There are also many cosmetic items to collect including capes, masks, hairstyles, hats, pants, shoes, playable musical instruments, expressions, and more. These items can be obtained using in-game currency or, in some cases, purchased with real money. Some cosmetics are only available to select players, such as the original beta cape, only available to those who played the beta version prior to the full release of the game.

Sky has multiple in-game currencies. "Candles" are the main currency of Sky, and are exchanged with spirits and friends in return for items and abilities. Candles are obtained by collecting pieces of light (called wax in game) and forging them, or by purchasing them for real money. "Hearts" are the social currency of Sky, and are obtained when players receive gifts from others, or can be bought directly from spirits with candles. Hearts are primarily used to purchase cosmetic items from spirits. "Ascended candles" are the rarest currency in Sky, which are rewarded to players for giving their winged light to "The fallen" at the end of the game. Ascended candles are exchanged with spirits for "wing buffs," which give players extra Winged Light, or can be used to upgrade friendship and purchase various spells such as height alteration and cape recharge. Another form of currency called "Event Currency", introduced in the 0.21.5 update, is a type of currency that is only available for specific events. Event Currency was created to bring equity to newer players and allow for event-specific in-game currency (IGC) items to be obtained easier.

Realms

The setting consists of eight unique realms, in addition to Home, the starting point of the game.

Home

Home is where any newcomers will begin the game, as well as being a central hub for the rest of the game. One of the key features of Home is the ability to use doorways known as "portals" to select a stage to arrive in. The portals start out dormant, each one activating linearly. After enough progress is made, the levels become more open-ended, allowing access to the different realms regardless of the initial order. The only exception to this rule is the Eye of Eden, which, alongside the requirement of the other six realms being played through, can't be entered until twenty winged lights are collected. When players walk into a portal, it automatically transports them to the beginning of the corresponding area, regardless of previous progress. There is a small circle dubbed the Return Shrine, which will send the player to the realm they were last in.

Home also contains the constellation table. All spirits that are saved in the other realms are displayed in their realm's constellation. When the constellation of a spirit is selected, hearts and candles can be spent to unlock new items. These include spells, leveled-up expressions, and customization options. Another feature of the Constellation Table is the Friend Constellations, for viewing other players that were added to the friend list, allowing the players to give and receive gifts, and joining servers to play together.

Other features of Home include closet space to change cosmetics, a bell that chimes every hour and quarter hour, and a boat called the Sleepy Traveling Merchant's Boat, occasionally arriving to give the player free spells and sell season exclusive items.

At the starting point of each realm there is a small hub with gravestones of the spirits you find, closets (except for Isle and Vault), and a portal to return Home (which were removed from all realms in a later update).

The Isle of Dawn

The Isle of Dawn is the first realm the player will encounter at the beginning of the game after the first cutscene. It is also part of the tutorial the players receive when they play for the first time. The Isle of Dawn appears like a desert with tall rocks and caves dotted around. Three of the regular spirits can be relived here although the realm has seasonal spirits as well. Once the player reaches the tall hill like rock structure leading to the Elder's temple they fly towards it. After landing they go inside the temple. In the temple, once the player lights up the candles at the Elder spirit's Altar a cutscene is activated where the player meets the Isle Elder, a tall but old humanoid being with long arms holding a tall staff. Once the elder regains their light they show the player to their destination, The Eye of Eden. After the cutscene the player is shown the Isle constellation where they can deepen their bonds with the spirits. The Isle of Dawn leads to the Daylight Prairie.

The Daylight Prairie

The Daylight Prairie is the second realm the player encounters after finishing the Isle of Dawn. The Daylight Prairie is a lush green place with colourful flowers dotted everywhere along with golden butterflies which the player can interact with through an emote. The Daylight Prairie consists of two parts, the first part where the flowers and butterflies are present and the second part consisting of bell towers which need to be lit to activate the manta cutscene.The realm contains 8 regular spirits. Once the bell towers are lit a stone platform in the middle of the bell towers with a manta shaped constellation lights up and large mantas rise from the clouds below the bell towers and the platform. Multiple mantas rise and each collect a player and drop them at the Prairie Elder spirit's temple. The player goes in and lights up the altar of the Prairie Elder spirit which activates the next cutscene. In this cutscene the Prairie Elder spirit, a gigantic humanoid being with thick arms, then takes the player's offering (a small flame) and turns it into a golden butterfly which circles around the player before the Prairie elder places it inside a large pot. After the cutscene the Prairie constellation is shown, after the player is done viewing it, another cutscene is activated in which the butterflies from the pots surrounding the altar, burst outside and flutter around. The player then calls upon them and is taken to the next realm, The Hidden Forest.

The Hidden Forest

The Hidden Forest is the third realm the player encounters once they finish the Daylight Prairie.The Hidden Forest is located under the clouds and has four parts.The first part has two gates, upon opening the first gate a cutscene is triggered where rain begins pouring down in the hidden forest. If the player steps into the rain their light begins getting drained and once all of it is drained they "die."

The Valley of Triumph

The Valley of Triumph is the fourth realm the player encounters after flying out of the Hidden Forest. It is a snow area and is portrayed as a hill that you slide down. At the end of the level, players will find a stadium called the "Coliseum" (named after the Colosseum) and a temple where you advance to the next realm.

Development

The game was developed and published by American studio thatgamecompany.

Seasons and events

Sky features ongoing seasonal events, with new storylines and unique spirits and items. Seasonal events are completely free-to-play, but some of the spirits' items require a paid "Season Pass" to unlock. The seasons have a unique currency called "seasonal candles," which can be used to purchase seasonal items and are converted to regular candles when the season ends. Seasonal spirits may return as "Traveling Spirits" in the future, which players can give their candles and hearts to receive seasonal items for a limited time, albeit at a higher price.

Music

Sky features an orchestral score composed by Vincent Diamante, with some tracks performed by FAME'S Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra.^[9][10] Norwegian singer Aurora also provides the vocals for the game's intro and outro songs.^[11]

Four volumes of soundtrack albums have been released. The first volume covers more recognizable music from the base game cycle.^[12] The second volume contains mostly ambient background music, and the third includes various pieces composed for Sky's Seasonal Events.^[13]

Charity

In 2020, thatgamecompany held some in-game events in support of charity. First was the "Days of Nature" event, in celebration of Earth Day, during which a unique IAP (in-app purchase) was available. Proceeds from each purchase of the IAP were used to plant one tree per purchase, in partnership with the OneTreePlanted charity. This event resulted in a total of 40,576 trees planted across the Amazonian and Australian forests damaged by wildfires.^[14] In April 2021, Sky hosted its second "Days of Nature" event, using the game to promoting awareness towards plastic pollution of the ocean.^[15]

In May 2020, thatgamecompany hosted a "Days of Healing" event to help raise money for the Médecins Sans Frontières organization,^[16] leading thatgamecompany to donate $719,138 to the MSF COVID-19 Crisis Fund.^[17] For the event, thatgamecompany also joined the World Health Organization's #PlayApartTogether campaign.^[16]

In June 2020, Sky held its first "Days of Rainbow" event, featuring colorful rainbow items and spells as a way to celebrate pride month. The second "Days of Rainbow" event the following year gathered funds for The Trevor Project and the Global Fund for Women, with players raising $794,420 in total.^[18]

Reception

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Review aggregator Metacritic awarded the game an 82 out of 100 based on 18 reviewers, as well as awarding it the number one shared iOS game of 2019, number three most discussed iOS game of 2019, and number 13 best iOS game of 2019.^[25]

Game Informer scored the game an 8.5 out of 10 stating "Sky is a refreshingly moving and robust game on the iOS platform, and one best shared with others – especially folks who might not normally pick up a video game."^[19] GameSpot scored the game an 8 out of 10, giving exceptional praise to the visuals, animations and musical scores, however admitting that "return visits to previous environments aren't nearly as captivating as your first trip."^[20] IGN scored the game an 8.5 out of 10, likening the game to its predecessor as "a bigger and bolder follow-up that expands on what made Journey so great."^[21] Destructoid, like many other reviewers praised how it's a game that "most everyone should experience", was however highly critical of the touch controls and the lack of control it gave of your character, going as far to suggest that "most everyone should wait for a console or PC release" to play the game.^[26] Nintendo Life scored the Switch version 8 out of 10, sharing the same praise as other reviewers, though highlighting that the simplistic gameplay may not keep players engaged in the long term, and how the option to toggle the FPS from 60 to 30 is objectively worse and provides only minor improvements.^[23]

Accolades

The game won Apple's iPhone game of the year for 2019.^[27] On October 5, 2020, Gamasutra reported that the game had topped 50 million downloads worldwide.^[28] Pocket Gamer awarded it the People's Choice award in 2020.^[29]

Animated adaptation

On March 27, 2022, during AnimeJapan 2022, an animated project was announced.^[44]

On August 26, 2023, IGN published an article^[45] announcing a teaser to the animated series, and the name, Sky: The Two Embers.

References

External links

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