It is time once again for another Weekend Play Game Review. Weekend Play articles give Droid Gamers an opportunity to highlight some games that may have been overlooked in a busy week of game releases. Some of the games may have been released a couple of weeks ago, but they still merit reviewing, so you can have an opportunity to catch up on some good gaming during your weekend. Today’s game is Skyward. It is another one-touch button game, that is visually impressive, challenging, and worth your valuable time to check out this weekend.
Ketchapp Games continues to quickly publish really good games for Android and iOS devices, that are simple in their premise, graphics and control. One of their latest games, Skyward, is another game that Ketchapp has published from Aya Studio. Yaroslav “Elegar” Rudakov and Artem Merenfeld are the creators behind this game, and another game we previously reviewed, The Tower. Much like The Tower, the game is awash in beautiful muted shades and tones. The graphics are clean and precise, and the music, though repetitive, is at least calming. This is a good thing because Skyward can be frustrating at times, but not because of reasons that you may think.
The scope of the gameplay in Skyward, is centered on single disc that alternates its color from red to blue as you take a step upward in an ever-changing maze of planes/squares. The environment in Skyward is akin to images that we have seen recently in games like Monument Valley or Back to Sleep. They are based in an art style that M.C. Escher would be quite at home in. As you climb upward, the planes are constantly moving, disappearing, accelerating or decelerating. The world is very impressive. The sad part about it is that you cannot take it in casually. The primary reason for this, is that the rotating circular disc diminishes in size. You have to step to the next plane before your disc disappears. Typically the disc rotates in a clockwise direction. You basically have what amounts to one and a half to two full revolutions before the disc disappears, so you can’t get wrapped up in the beauty surrounding you, or looking too far ahead. This game takes the focus of a Jedi to be successful. There are typically a couple of different ways to progress, but you have to choose quickly.
What I like about Skyward is that the controls are simple. All you have to do is touch the screen to advance. It couldn’t be simpler. What is ingenious about the game are the power-ups, or the way Aya Studio chose to make the game challenging. You are rewarded one point for every step you take. This is the only other sound that you hear during the game, outside of the looping soundtrack. It sounds like someone is walking on a hardwood floor in dress shoes. I actually closed my eyes to see how far I could advance in the game just timing my steps as if I were walking… I didn’t get too far and here is the reason why. There are some planes that have what you can call power-ups, or maybe a better word to use is modifier. They change how the disc interacts with the environment. Once your disc touches one of these modifiers, how you make your next step is altered.
Some of the modifiers you will encounter are acceleration or deceleration. If your disc lands on a lightning bolt, fans of The Flash will appreciate this, your disc picks up speed. What that really means is that you have less time to plan your next move. Aya Studio has labeled that modifier in the game “Run Forrrest Run.” If your disc lands on an hourglass, the movement of your disc slows down, and that gives you as much time as you want to make your next move. There are conveyors, stairs, dizzy roads, gates, alley ways and a host of other modifiers that you will encounter as you progress. Each time you progress by ten, another phase is unlocked, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty and so on.
What do I not like about the game? I don’t like the inconsistency. However, that has absolutely nothing to do with the game Aya Studio and Ketchapp Games has brought to the Play Store. The inconsistency is all my own. The controls are flawless. Everything works exceptionally well. What is difficult, is making progress consistently throughout the game. I wish there were save points that you could start from. My high score thus far is 101 steps. I have gotten 93 steps as well, but typically I hover around fifty to sixty steps. It is extremely frustrating because I can get a score of sixty, and the next round get a score of one or fifteen. That is the level of challenge involved in this game. It is not a game that you love to hate, but it is one that requires a consistent level of patience.
Skyward is free to play. There are ads that pop up sporadically after you fail to properly get to the next plane. As I mentioned in my review of The Tower, I wish I could pay for the app to get rid of the ads. Though the downtime from the ad showing up to getting back into the game is minimal, I prefer not having them there at all. At least there are no in app purchases. The game is integrated with Google Game Play Services and provides Leaderboards, but I wish it had achievements. That would take the sting away from failing so many times at the game.
If you are looking for a fun and challenging game, you should definitely give Skyward a try. It is graphically appealing, takes great concentration and skill, and you can pick it up and put it down quickly for great bursts of fun. I recommend Skyward, and, keeping an eye out for anything Aya Studio produces in the future. They seem to have the recipe for making games that are fun to consume, when you have precious little time for gaming.
