Fina, Vyse, Aika
By Dave Blackwell
Senior Staff Writer, Phoenix Genesis
June 8, 2001.
Being the out and out underdog in the next generation console race, the Dreamcast has had to fight tooth and nail to stay above water since being released to the public a few years ago. You have to give Sega credit though because it has stood out and above the crowd by releasing the most original titles this industry has ever seen. The one genre that hasn't been fully recognized on the Dreamcast however is RPGs and Sega is out to change that with the release of Skies of Arcadia.
Let me first say that when Skies of Arcadia
(SoA) came out here in the states I didn't care all that much about it. In fact, with the release of Final Fantasy 9 around the same time, SoA was pretty much ignored. I played a demo of it, but it never pulled me in. I'll be the first person to admit what a mistake that was! Having come to my senses and eventually picking this title up, the more I played, the more I fell in love with it. Okay, since I'm being so honest with you I have one more confession to make. SoA is my first Sega RPG and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dying to play earlier ones one as the Genesis and Saturn. Now that that is out of the way and having seen the light of Sega's ways, I can say with full confidence that SoA rules!
The true beauty of SoA is not necessarily in at times the breathtaking graphics or even the time it takes to beat this masterpiece but in the characters and the land that they adventure in. Set in a time of air pirates and swash buckling adventures, the main character Vyse is a member of a rogue group of blue air pirates that steal from the rich and give to the poor and themselves. He is helped along the way by his best friend, Aika, who resembles Pippi Long Stockings with her red hair that is in pony tails. The other main character throughout the game is another female character named Fina (isn't that the coolest name?!?!) who is very soft spoken but an important key element to the story of SoA. The character designs look like they were taken from Zelda games; actually Fina looks alot like Zelda herself. As for voices, there isn't alot per say, but for magic spells the characters will say a line before showing off their specialties. Other times, especially after the player is prompted to make a decision, making a correct one, Aiko will make a "yeah!" sound.
Click on the image above.Visually SoA scores very high artistic marks with changing faces on the characters to show different moods which is a must when you have a lineup of this caliber in a game. The air ships are also very cool looking with the Armada ships (the enemy) looking very intimidating. The only complaint I have is at times the graphics take a dip. For example, the hands can look like blocks instead of having actual fingers. I know the Dreamcast is more than capable of showing fingers because, after all, the characters in FF9 on the Playstation actually had fingers you could see and that is on a much weaker system. Looking at the game overall, this is a very small complaint because this doesn't hurt the game, I'm just a sucker for up-to-the minute graphics that programmers can come up with.
Another great attribute of SoA is the music. Every scene is perfectly in snyc with tunes that go with any action that may be happening at that moment. I have listened to the entire soundtrack - which by the way is called "Eternal Arcadia" because it only came out in Japan - (arg, I feel like screaming SEGA! for them not bringing it stateside!). I came away with the feeling that the music by itself is good but fits the game to a T. I urge anyone who enjoys the music from SoA to write to Sega or for that matter, any other company like Squaresoft and demand for more American attention when it comes to video game soundtracks!
It's such a nice change of pace to see a game that doesn't take itself too seriously. Some RPGs (which will remain nameless) can bog down a player with micro-management in the inventory and I feel that can seriously take away from the heart of any good RGP: story. Sega incorporated a very easy interface when combat starts that doesn't overwhelm. There is a magic, attack or a special attack option (where more can be learned through eating moonstones) to get you through battles. One nice touch you'll notice because of improved hardware is that while characters take their turn battling it out, the other characters on screen are visibly fighting the rest of the enemies. None of the attacks actually damage the enemy but is there as a cool visual backdrop.
When I look back five, ten years from now and reflect on the last system Sega ever made, I'll feel forever bad that they couldn't continue but I'll be forever grateful that we were able to play such gems as Ecco, Jet Grind Radio, and Skies of Arcadia. Knowing that Sega is now a multi-platform company, I can only imagine how many more people will be able to experience their expertise in gamemaking. The next year or two will be interesting indeed.
SCORE: 9.5
