Skies of Arcadia Legends (GameCube) Playthrough [1 of 4]
136A playthrough of Sega's 2003 role-playing game for the Nintendo GameCube, Skies of Arcadia Legends.
This video is the first part of a four-part playthrough, showing through the end of the Ixa'taka segment of the story.
Links to the other parts:
Part 2: https://youtu.be/xswwHkbCYLo
Part 3: https://youtu.be/dDeKtt1U91M
Part 4: https://youtu.be/UKHTPRVIzFA
Skies of Arcadia was one of the last major hurrahs for the short-lived Sega Dreamcast when it released in November of 2000, a mere five months before the machine was officially discontinued in North America. It wasn't a bestseller, but those that played it - myself included - tend to count it among the very best that the Dreamcast had to offer. It got a second chance when Sega brought a "director's cut" to a new audience via the Nintendo GameCube a few years later, where it unfortunately underperformed once again. Its lackluster sales were never a reflection of the quality of the game, though. Skies of Arcadia's critical reviews and its devoted fan base are testaments to that.
It's a classical turn-based JRPG that takes heavy inspiration from the likes of Jules Verne, Dragon Quest, and Laputa. You play as Vyse, a young air pirate and a member of the Blue Rogues, a Robin Hood-style band of friendly thieves who live in the skies of Arcadia. The story begins as Vyse and his friend, Aika, lead a raid on a Valuan imperial cruiser where they find and rescue a kidnapped girl, the mysterious Fina. Despite knowing little about her, Vyse and Aika vow to protect Fina from her pursuers as she attempts to complete her secret mission, thus kicking off a massive swashbuckling adventure with a middle finger aimed squarely at "the man." They are pirates, after all.
And what an adventure it turns out to be! Few games have ever so magically captured the pioneering spirit of the Age of Discovery. As you forge your way across vast expanses of uncharted sky, you'll stumble upon relics of a time that predates recorded history, make contact with cultures that were thought to exist only in fairy tales, take part in large-scale airship battles, and even explore the boundaries of time and space.
The ideas driving the game aren't all original, but the way they're handled in Skies of Arcadia makes them feel fresh and exciting, and the twenty-three years that have passed since its original release haven't dulled that shine in the slightest. The eminently likable cast of heroes, the incredible attention paid to world building and pacing, and the twists and turns of the plot all click together in a way that's sure to hook anyone's imagination given the chance.
Overworks, the internal Sega team responsible for the game, was comprised of some of the biggest talents in the RPG business, including several members who had previously worked on the Phantasy Star (https://youtu.be/BHez3iJePI4) series and Panzer Dragoon Saga (https://youtu.be/vjGNgkZgyQA), and the experience, skill, and passion these folks poured into the project clear is from the get go.
The presentation is impressive in its scope and production values. Skies of Arcadia may have come out the same year as Final Fantasy IX and Legend of Dragoon did on the PlayStation, but it blew by both by taking full advantage of the Dreamcast's generational leap in hardware. Each environment is meticulously detailed, and since the entire game is rendered in real-time, you can scrutinize and appreciate all the little flourishes from any angle you like. The characters' expressive faces and body language go a long way in selling their unique personalities, and the enemies - especially the bosses - stand out for the creativity they display. The soundtrack is also fantastic throughout, going so far as to include battle themes that dynamically change to reflect how well you're doing.
The battle system is a bit slow and fights can feel overly repetitive at times, but it generally plays quite well, and the Dreamcast version's biggest problems - the ludicrous encounter rate and irritating load times - were fixed for the GameCube port. Legends comes packed with a lot extras, including new discoveries, characters, and the DC version's DLC content.
Legends would be the perfect version of Skies of Arcadia if not for its terrible sound quality (the difference between the DC and GC versions is stark, especially in the battle themes) and fuzzier visuals (the DC version ran at 640x480 over VGA while the GC one only supported 480i over composite or component).
But in light of everything is gets right, Skies of Arcadia's missteps are easy to ignore, and the experience it offers still hits just as hard now as it ever did. If you enjoy JRPGs, this classic is a must-play.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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