{"id":130826,"date":"2022-12-26T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-142763"},"modified":"2022-12-26T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T14:00:00","slug":"soapbox-segas-greatest-rpg-is-20-years-old-and-long-overdue-a-remaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/12\/26\/soapbox-segas-greatest-rpg-is-20-years-old-and-long-overdue-a-remaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Soapbox: Sega’s Greatest RPG Is 20 Years Old And Long Overdue A Remaster"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Skies<\/a>
Image: SEGA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, on the GameCube port’s 20th anniversary, Alana is desperate to see Skies of Arcadia Legends on modern consoles…<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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Sega isn\u2019t really known as an RPG developer, but it was still quietly responsible for creating some of the best of the genre in the \u201890s. Both the Phantasy Star<\/a> and Shining Force<\/a> series were at the helm of Sega\u2019s RPG force, and Panzer Dragoon Saga<\/a> is one of the most experimental (and expensive) games in the genre. Nowadays, when you think of Sega and RPG, Like A Dragon<\/a> (formerly Yakuza<\/strong>) probably comes to mind. For me, my answer has always been the same and will remain the same \u2013 Skies of Arcadia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Released on the Dreamcast in 2000, Skies of Arcadia has some of the most talented names in Sega\u2019s history behind it. Captained by legendary producer and director of Phantasy Star IV<\/a> Rieko Kodama (who sadly passed away earlier this year<\/a>), the game is one of the few RPGs released worldwide for Sega\u2019s swansong console. Poor sales and a late release on the console saw the game fail to meet sales expectations despite a rapturous critical reception. Later ported to the GameCube as Skies of Arcadia Legends<\/a> \u2013 20 years ago to the day \u2013 it\u2019s never seen another rerelease.<\/p>\n

\"Skies<\/a>
The captain of the ship. \u2014 Image: SEGA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Skies of Arcadia was kind of like my Breath of the Wild<\/a> moment. How can you have a BOTW moment before<\/em> that game even exists, you ask? Because of the way that game lets you explore. Open worlds and exploration are pretty much the norm nowadays. Sprawling Skyrim<\/a>-sized landscapes or huge, over-levelled monsters roaming the world of Xenoblade Chronicles<\/a>. Skies of Arcadia, while not anywhere near as open as those games, captured the essence of exploration perfectly.<\/p>\n

It makes sense, really, given the game\u2019s story. You\u2019re Vyse, a plucky air pirate who is a member of the Blue Rogues, a band of Robin Hood-esque pirates who steal from the rich (aka the Valuan Armada, essentially the Spanish armada) and give the spoils to the suffering. Together with his best friend Aika, the pair rescue a mysterious girl called Fina who is trying to find the Moon Stones throughout Arcadia, crystals that can summon weapons of mass destruction. For Vyse, not only is this a chance to help the vulnerable and save the world, but it\u2019s also his opportunity to go out and discover the world.<\/p>\n

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…being a game where you\u2019re actually playing as pirates, exploration and discovery become the two cornerstones of the game.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Really, most of Skies of Arcadia is pretty iterative of other RPGs. Its turn-based combat is similar to others in the genre, and the characters \u2013 while all charming and lovable \u2013 are all familiar RPG tropes, just executed perfectly. Yet, being a game where you\u2019re actually playing as pirates, exploration and discovery become the two cornerstones of the game. When you\u2019re not wandering around towns and dungeons or participating in turn-based battles, you\u2019re sailing the skies. And as you get further through the game, you get a new ship, get your own crew, and can upgrade your vessel to traverse the cloud sea better. You might start in a tiny little fishing boat, but you eventually end up with an army-ready ship that can sail high above or below the cloud surface and crash through stone reefs.<\/p>\n

The game manages to tease the scope of the world so well. You end up being the same wild-eyed excited teenager that Vyse is, ready to discover new things. You\u2019re seeing the world as Vyse does \u2013 from small things like new towns or enemies, right the way up to entire continents and discovering that the world is round. Even the world map that you have at the beginning of the game only shows part of Arcadia to you, and as you get further through the game, it expands, as if you\u2019re sketching it out yourself, to reveal brand new areas.<\/p>\n

\"Skies<\/a>
Invasion of the Sky. \u2014 Image: SEGA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The basis of Arcadia is pretty simple \u2013 it\u2019s a world split up into six unique \u2018kingdoms\u2019 that all live under a different coloured moon. Don\u2019t ask me how<\/em> there are six moons in stationary orbit, but here we are. Under the Red Moon is Nasr, the desert kingdom, which is based on the Ottoman Empire and elements of the Middle East. Basking in the light of the Green Moon is Ixa\u2019Taka, which is inspired by Central and South America. Under the Blue Moon is Yafutoma, which contains a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. The Valuan Empire is under the Yellow Moon and is based on the Spanish Empire. The Purple Moon\u2019s civilisation was wiped out thousands of years ago, while under the Silver Moon lies the humble Pirate Isle, Vyse\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

From the world being a reinterpretation of our own Earth\u2019s past to the Armada airships being named after star constellations (Cygnus, Delphinus, Auriga, etc.), Skies of Arcadia stokes the flames of exploration, curiosity, and wonder. Each continent counts as a new, exciting discovery for Vyse, Aika, and Fina, and the cheerful tone and humorous dynamic between the main party keep encouraging you to lap up more. In a sea of RPGs where the modern world and darker topics became more prominent, Skies of Arcadia was a breath of fresh air. The world is colourful and the characters are vibrant, and it feels like you\u2019re flipping through a lost Jules Verne novel.<\/p>\n

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In a sea of RPGs where the modern world and darker topics became more prominent, Skies of Arcadia was a breath of fresh air.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As exciting as it is to watch the world map unravel before your very eyes, it\u2019s the detail that makes Arcadia as a fictional RPG world so magical to me. As any decent sailor does (and we\u2019re ignoring the realities of actual seaborne piracy here), you\u2019re the person charting and uncovering the world, and as you sail around the skies fighting enemies, you\u2019ll come across hidden landmarks called \u2018Discoveries\u2019. You\u2019ll know you\u2019re near one because your compass will start spinning like mad, and if you\u2019re like me, it\u2019ll ignite a childlike glee inside of you.<\/p>\n

\"Skies<\/a>
The sense of scale is often incredible. \u2014 Image: SEGA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Discoveries are one of the best sidequests in any RPG because no person is telling you to go out and seek them \u2013 you can just leave them or try and hunt as many of the down as you want. Things start out simple like a hidden gravestone for an ancient pirate, or the ruins of an abandoned lighthouse, but eventually, you\u2019ll start finding things like a ghost ship above a deadly black sky rift, or a sky train that follows a particular path high above the clouds.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like you\u2019re finding little pieces of the history of Arcadia since as you discover each one, you get a tiny little blurb about what you\u2019ve found along with an annotated sketch or two. There are 88 (89 if you finish one other GameCube-exclusive sidequest) of these to find, and each one sheds some light on the world. The Black Moon Stone expands on The Dark Rift and hints at a lost kingdom, while The Grieving Prince is a landmark representing one man\u2019s grief. Cute animals like the Dheerse come coupled with myths and tales, while a Valuan wreck cements the idea that Arcadia is a world that\u2019s still making history and creating mysteries.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not just collecting this information for your own joy \u2013 though really, I am and I make sure I find every single Discovery every time I play the game. You call sell these little pieces of information at any Sailor\u2019s Gild across the land. Some Discoveries are worth more than others, and the more things you find out there in the world, the more your Swashbuckler Rating goes up.<\/p>\n

\"Skies<\/a>
Rixis, a dungeon but also a Discovery. More of those spoils, please. \u2014 Image: SEGA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019re also in a \u2018friendly competition\u2019 with another sailor, Domingo, to find Discoveries before him. If he finds them first, their value decreases massively. Of course, you can solve that problem by finding 30 Discoveries, after which he\u2019ll join your motley crew once you\u2019re the captain of the Delphinus. If money, crewmates, and reputation aren\u2019t enough motivation to find every single discovery in the world, then I don\u2019t know what else is.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing quite like playing a game where you\u2019re going places that even the protagonist doesn\u2019t know about. Glacia is a complete mystery to both the player and Vyse, while Nasr \u2013 while always a presence in the skies thanks to its ongoing war with Valua \u2013 is much bigger than you initially expect. And while Aika wildly fantasises about the possibilities of what she can do in some of these areas, at every turn, Arcadia defies your \u2013 and the party\u2019s \u2013 expectations.<\/p>\n

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…who would want to buy a purple lunch box-shaped console, anyway? Well, I wish more people had.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Skies of Arcadia Legends was a treat for people like me who\u2019d played the Dreamcast version, but also those back in 2002 (or 2003 when it was released in the West) who hadn\u2019t had the chance to discover a truly special RPG. The N64 had very few notable entries in the genre after Squaresoft jumped from Nintendo to Sony for Final Fantasy<\/strong>, and the GameCube also had a very limited number. So Skies of Arcadia Legends was already hitting a bit of a niche \u2013 who would want to buy a purple lunch box-shaped console<\/a>, anyway? Well, I wish more people had.<\/p>\n

What Legends brought for Skies of Arcadia fans was new discoveries, new sidequests, and super bosses. Bounties could be claimed to get money, strange creatures could be found in the sky and caught to feed a hungry little bird-like creature (who isn\u2019t little by the end of the quest), and a bounty hunter is actually after your<\/em> head. It added extra challenges and riches for anyone, old and new, to come and discover.<\/p>\n

\"Skies<\/a>
I promise, Nasrad \u2014 the capital of Nasr \u2014 is big. \u2014 Image: SEGA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, why oh why is Skies of Arcadia still stuck on the GameCube? A former developer on Skies of Arcadia, Kenji Hiruta, said \u201cI really really want to develop the sequel<\/a>\u201d back in 2020, but also stated that it really \u201cdepends on Sega<\/a>\u201d. And Kodama herself said in a 2019 interview with Kotaku<\/a> that she feels that \u201cSkies of Arcadia Legends completed the \u201cdirector\u2019s cut\u201d of the title\u201d.<\/p>\n

Yet Sega is still acknowledging the game\u2019s existence, even today. Vyse, Aika, and Fina all appeared in 2008\u2019s Valkyria Chronicles<\/a> (which you can nab on the Switch eShop), while Vyse and a Skies of Arcadia-themed track Rogue\u2019s Landing are available in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed<\/a>. Vyse even has an icon in Sonic Colours Ultimate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Outside of video games, the Skies of Arcadia cast has also appeared in Worlds Unite<\/strong> crossover from Archie, and if you\u2019re really observant in the Sonic the Hedgehog<\/strong> movie opening, you can spot a little snippet of Skies of Arcadia in the Sega logo on the right (in the time-stamped video below).<\/p>\n