Darkened Skye

"Humourous, Addictive, Good Puzzles, did I mention Addictive?"

As an impulse buy in a bargain bin, my expectations were not that high of Darkened Skye But being a seasoned RPG addict who is in need of a quick RPG fix until the new Zelda comes out, I picked it up without even hearing anything about it.

The opening cinematic... Hmm... Well done, but the character ''puppetry'' was a little primitive... (somebody should have invested in some motion capture)

Now we're on to the game play. Okay, not bad... It kinda has that Ultima IX meets tomb raider feel to it with a blatently cynical sense of humour. (which is good)

Getting out of the first area was a little difficult and i actually had to break down and read the walkthrough in the manual to find out what i was missing.

After finding out how the ''Magic'' system works and getting over the initial shock of finding out that the primary energy source for all magic was from the candy ''Skittles'' (Can you say shameless product placement?)
Even though ''Skittles'' are being plugged everywhere, they are never reffered to as candy, and the characters in the game are constantly taking pot-shots at the marketing people that decided this would be appropriate... (you gotta respect self-mockery in a video game)

Once you get past the fact that you are casting spells with skittles, you realize that the magic system in this game is quite unique. Not spectacular... Just unique and original.

Anyways, after about 2 or 3 hours of being lost in the game, it suddenly dawns on you that other than the beginning, this is a really well thought out and challenging action RPG. I mean it has everything from RPG elements to ''Tomb raider'' platform style elements all the way over to FPS (first person shooter) elements with lots and lots of challenging puzzles to keep your brain in knots.

Graphics - 9
The character design and artwork are rich and fabulous. Definitely remeniscent of Ultima IX.
Animation is smooth and there is a good attention to detail both with the 3D enviornments and the Characters in the game.
This game looks AMAZING in progressive 16x9 mode.

Sound - 7
Really, what do you need in a good rpg is some really nice background music. The background music never really sticks out enough to be noticed which is perfect for the atmospheres of the 5 worlds in this game.
The voice acting is also very well done.

Controls - 7
They're okay... The button assignments are a little strange, but easy to get used to. My only complaints are having to use the L/R shoulder buttons to flip screens in the menu and the fact that you have to cast ''True Sight'' in order to read signs. (weird.)

Gameplay - 8
Addictive and vauge enough to keep you trying to figure stuff out. In a way its kind of a blessing that nobody has written a really THOROUGH walkthrough of this game.
I've heard from many people that get frustrated and quit on the first level, which is a pitty because thats before the game gets going.

Overall - 8
Not the GREATEST RPG on the planet, but definitely an addictive little beastie once you start getting into it.
Not at all deserving of the bashing it has been getting on this board and other game boards.
This game looks good, plays good, has a self-mocking sense of humour and some really good puzzles.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/03, Updated 01/20/03