The burning hot deserts of Nasrad feel of the Middle East, and the jungles of Ixa’taka may as well be Africa. The Galcian Empire could very well be any hubristic European nation with the ultimate goal of world denomination. The world of Arcadia is not unlike our own – except the entire world consists of islands floating out in the air, with the ground barely visible. Eventually you’ll gain a means to avoid random encounters in the overworld, and open up new airs for exploration above and below the sky.Īll of this would be useless if the world wasn’t worth exploring, but Sega has crafted one of the most massive and enjoyable worlds of any RPG. Also scattered about are legendary boss monsters that trigger special airship battles. Some of these are essential for completing the game and recruiting characters into your party. In addition to mapping out the world of Arcadia with new towns and islands, there are discoveries to be found (indicated by the overworld compass spinning about), which in turn can be sold to the Sailor’s Guild. The game pays a heavy premium on exploration, making it easily one of the most exciting parts of the game. Naturally, it’s up to you to fill in those blanks. At the beginning of the game, you can bring up a map of the game world, and other than your present location, it’s all empty. While the characters help mold the tone of the game, it’s ultimately the world design – and the overarching theme of discovery – that makes it so unique. While nothing more than a glorified monster-trapped chest encounter, it adds to the flavor of the game, fleshing out the world. Finally, a word has to be said for the treasure hunter Zivilyn Bane, who will dog you through the game, perusing valuable objects hidden in various dungeons (though this character would be consigned to a slightly different role in the GameCube version). The same can be said of the other admirals of the Valuan armada, from the comically mad De Loco, to the calculating Belleza, the testosterone-soaked Vigaro, and the stuck up Alfonso.

Besides showing on occasion he can hand your ass to you, Galcian is a very strong character, displaying honor and ruthless ambition in equal measure. On the other side of the coin, the cast of villains stands out pretty well. Vyse’s brash wanderlust, Aika’s temper, Fina’s innocence, and the like make them very compelling heroes. While Vyse and company are not as developed as some similar RPG heroes, they carry an innocent charm that fans of Chrono Trigger would recognize in a heartbeat. It’s not so much the content that makes Skies of Arcadia unique, but rather, the execution.

The story rarely ventures beyond the typical “band of rebels fight an evil empire” standard, but the setting fresh enough to keep players interested, offering a few surprise twists and turns. CharactersĪn addition to the GameCube version, she is a pirate hunter who left the scar on Vyse’s face, blaming him for a pirate raid that cost her parent’s lives. A lot was borrowed from Leiji Matsumoto’s Captain Harlock saga – the game title is an allusion to the anime Arcadia of My Youth, and Vyse’s design is even an homage to Harlock’s uniform. The names and the atmosphere of the game seem to emulate the days of the Spanish Main, when the whole world was still wide open and uncharted and when pirates such as the likes of Sir Francis Drake (and even Captain Jack Sparrow) were romanticized.

The term air pirate is apt, as the game features several air ships (more than enough to make Cid in any one of his incarnations jealous) of varying power and design that are the main mode of transportation on the overworld (and in some select dungeons). The game follows the adventures and explorations of the blue rogue Vyse, an air pirate out to make his way in the world. In Japan, it became known as Eternal Arcadia, and finally it debuted in the West under the name of Skies of Arcadia.

The remains of Team Andromeda (of Panzer Dragoon saga fame) and some of the original Phantasy Star developers worked together under Overworks to design a game initially called Project Ares. The year 2000 brought to the late, lamented Dreamcast one of the most majestic and simple RPGs to grace the current era of console gaming.

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