The Gamecube port includes a graphical upgrade as well as all of the extra content that the Dreamcast version got via downloads. Some quests and the game structure have changed between versions, though the Gamecube version is still, at its core, the same game that was seen on the Dreamcast.
Arcadia is a world made up of a series of islands in the sky. Humans get around the world by using airships powered by the battery-like moonstones as fuel. These moonstones will play a central role in the game as they are the world's most valuable resource. Arcadia is watched over by six moons, each of which has its own elemental effects on the islands closest to them. For example, the red moon has the power of fire. Islands closest to the moon are hot deserts, devoid of most life. It is these moons which drop powerful moonstones down to Arcadia for humans to harvest.
Skies of Arcadia: Legends follows Vyse, a young air pirate serving aboard his father's ship, the Albatross. Arcadia has many different factions which call the skies home. Vyse is a member of the Blue Rogues, a group of air pirates which steal from the rich and powerful Valuan Empire in order to make the lives of the lower classes more tolerable. The Blue Rogues strictly adhere to a set of honorable rules, including those which forbid the killing of innocent people. The group also works hard to distinguish themselves from the Black Pirates, a group of murderous marauders which kill and steal solely for their own personal gain.
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| What good is an anchor going to do when there is nothing below you? |
Vyse's story changes from being a supporting member of his father's crew, to setting out on his own adventure when the Albatross spots a Valuan cruiser attacking a strange ship with a girl on board. Since the Blue Rogues love to harass the Valuans anyway, the choice to attack the cruiser is obvious. Upon defeating the cowardly admiral aboard the cruiser, the gang meets the strange girl and takes her back to their hideout for her to rest and recover from her experience.
Once the girl recovers, Vyse and his best friend Aika can hardly contain their curiosity about the strangely dressed girl. Upon barraging her with questions, the two discover that the girl, Fina, is actually one of the last surviving members of an ancient race, the Silvites. Fina explains that the Silvite elders have sent her on a mission to collect the five Moon Crystals, powerful crystals which contain concentrated magic of each of the moons, before Valua does. No friends of Valua, Vyse is ready to sign on and help Fina even before he learns that Valua wishes to harness the power of the Moon Crystals to awaken the elemental Gigases in order to rule to world.
The next day, while Vyse and Aika are off pursuing a giant moonstone on another island, Valua attacks the Blue Rogues' base and captures everyone that isn't killed in the initial attack. Upon returning home, Vyse and Aika find their world has been turned upside down as they search the smoking wreckage from signs as to where everyone was taken. With Vyse and Aika having much more bravery than common sense, the two decide to set off for Valua to rescue their family and friends. Unfortunately, the two only have the small, unarmed boat that they used to go after the moonstone to take to Valua. On the way to the Empire's island, a gigantic Arc Whale knocks the two out of their boat, and seemingly into the nothingness below.
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| Umm yeah, it seems like Valua might have the Blue Rogues a little outgunned... |
The two awaken to find that they have been saved by a gruff old man. While they are thankful for being rescued, they insist that he take them to Valua to save their friends. The old man has other goals in mind and refuses, agreeing only to drop them off at the nearest sailors' port. From there, the two must find a ship and supplies to mount a rescue attempt on the most heavily guarded fortress in the world. This first task begins a lengthy quest filled with danger, surprises, new friendships, exploration, and lots of battles for the duo.
Skies of Arcadia: Legends follows the common JRPG formula of traversing an overworld to get to towns and dungeons which can then be explored. Also familiar to JRPGs are the random battles used by the game. While walking around "unsafe" areas (pretty much anywhere but towns), enemies randomly attack, signified by the screen "breaking away" and a noise. From there, battle mode begins and your characters are shown facing off against the enemies. In battle everything is done via commands. Attacking, casting spells, guarding, and all other common JRPG actions are present in the game with the special addition of the Spirit Point gauge. Spirit Points are shared by the party and are spent to cast spells and special moves. Each turn refills part of the gauge, as does using the special command "focus" for a character. Different abilities consume differing amounts of the SP gauge. This resource management adds a different level of strategy to the normal, and sometimes mindless, command inputs of other JRPGs.
In addition to party battles, Skies of Arcadia: Legends features ship battles. After all, what would an air pirate game be without a little cannon fire!? Ship battles follow the same turn-based, command entering style of party battles, but instead of your swords and other weapons you are able to use your ship's cannons. Again, SP is used to complete actions, but much much more of it is available in ship battles. While the massive amounts of HP that ships tend to have in the game make for long, drawn out battles, this unique addition really adds a lot to the game.
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| In addition to fighting enemies, Vyse can use his blades to slice, dice, julienne, and cut fresh french fries! |
There were things that I both liked and disliked about the battle system in the game. The number one most annoying thing about this game is that the random encounter rate is WAY too high. There are some points in the game where it seems that you literally take two steps, battle, take two more steps, battle. You eventually get an item which allows you to minimize encounters, but until that point, exploring can be painful. As far as encounters themselves, I really like the fact that there is a high rate for counter-attacks in battles. There is nothing as nice as being hit by an enemy only to riposte and deal an extra turn of damage to a baddie. Yes, enemies have this ability as well, but the heroes tend to deal way more damage than the enemies do. I also really liked the SP system. Using SP efficiently can allow you to unleash devastating attacks in the early phases of a tough battle, making things much easier on the player.
Throughout the game I felt as though animations and unnecessary pauses in the action lead to battles being far too time consuming. Even when I was a high enough level to easily defeat the enemies in one hit, battles still took a long time. Maybe this is just a side effect of my video game ADHD, but I found it to be really annoying. There is also one enemy type that I feel was just added to the game to be annoying. Loopers are these annoying upside down tear drops that can barely harm you, yet have such a huge dodge rate that you spend turn after turn missing them. Someone is going to come on here and say "oh but Loopers give so much experience and have the highest chance to drop special-move enabling Moonberries", I don't care. They are annoying, and I hate them. It is likely that their shape reflects the tears that the developers knew their creation would cause.
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| Wanted: Dead. Not Alive. Very very dead. Like, "killed, brought back to life, and killed again" dead. |
While not in battle, Vyse and the gang can explore Arcadia onboard his ship. As well as flying to towns and dungeons, a huge number of hidden points of interest are spread throughout the islands for Vyse to discover. Information about the locations can be sold at Sailor's Guilds around the world for a little extra pocket cash. At the same guilds, Vyse can read up on Black Pirate bounties that he can pursue for more money as well. The world of Arcadia is full of interesting people and places that will keep you exploring for hours. The game as a whole has so much charm that you find yourself wanting to see everything and meet everyone.
Locations throughout Arcadia each have their own personality and surprises. I was repeatedly, and pleasantly, surprised at the variety of activities that I was able to take part in throughout the game. Even the dungeons that you explore during Vyse's quest each have their own features. This variety keeps things interesting for the entire 40 hours or so that the game will last. Hidden collectable items throughout the game as well as the discoveries and bounties can stretch out the game time even more for completionists.
For a game that originally came out in 2000, and had a graphical upgrade in 2002, Skies of Arcadia definitely shows its age. Obviously we can't expect HD graphics from a 13 year old game, but the little details put into the ships and characters in Skies of Arcadia: Legends really impressed me. Characters and their clothing are very detailed, which gives the game even more charm.
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| Ships tend to reflect their captains' personality. The guy on the far left is clearly trying to compensate for something. |
I cannot express how much I enjoyed this game. Playing Skies of Arcadia: Legends brought back great memories of playing the best, well-crafted, fun games I have ever been through. While the story is pretty cliche, "save the world from the evil empire", it is still very interesting because of the great characters intertwined by it. It didn't take many hours of gameplay to tell that this would become one of my favorite games that I have ever played. If you have a Gamecube sitting around, collecting dust, and you enjoy good JRPGs, you should definitely look for a copy of Skies of Arcadia, Legends!
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