Sky (video game)

Sky: Children of the Light (shortened to Sky in-game) is a social indie adventure game developed and published by Thatgamecompany. It was first released for iOS on July 18, 2019.[1] An Android version was later released on April 7, 2020,[2] and a Nintendo Switch version is planned to release in 2021.[3][4]

Sky: Children of the Light
Poster
Developer(s)Thatgamecompany
Publisher(s)Thatgamecompany
Director(s)Jenova Chen
Artist(s)Yui Tanabe (Manager)
Jacky Ke Jiang (Director)
Writer(s)Jennie Kong
Composer(s)Vincent Diamante
Platform(s)
ReleaseiOS
  • WW: 18 July 2019
Android
  • WW: 7 April 2020
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: 2021
Genre(s)Adventure, art game
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Gameplay

In Sky, players explore a kingdom using a cape that gives them the ability to fly. The in-game world consists of seven unique realms, each with a different theme and a variety of areas to explore. There is also Home, a small island which serves as the world hub and the starting place when the game is opened. Throughout the world, players encounter "spirits" that allow them to unlock items in return for in-game currency, and "children of light" that give players "winged light". When a player has collected enough winged light, their cape level goes up, increasing the cape's maximum energy and allowing the player to fly farther.

The game features a heavy focus on social mechanics. Players are able to meet and befriend one another, and can unlock new abilities such as chat and sending gifts as their friendship grows. There are also many cosmetic items to collect including capes, masks, hairstyles, hats, pants, playable musical instruments, expressions, and more. These items can be obtained using in-game currency.

Sky has multiple in-game currencies. "Candles" are the main currency of Sky, and are exchanged with spirits and friends in return for items and abilities. Candles are obtained by collecting pieces of light and forging them, or by purchasing them for real money. "Hearts" are the social currency of Sky, and are obtained when players receive gifts from other players and spirits. Hearts are primarily used to purchase cosmetic items from spirits. "Ascended candles" are the rarest currency in Sky, rewarded to players for returning their winged light to fallen children at the end of the game. Ascended candles are exchanged with spirits for "wing buffs", which give players extra Winged Light, and to upgrade friendship.

Sky also features ongoing seasonal events, during which unique spirits and items are available for a limited time. These "seasons" have a unique currency called "seasonal candles", which can be used to purchase seasonal items and are converted to regular candles when the season ends. Many seasons add new areas to the game.

Charity

In 2020, Thatgamecompany held some in-game events in support of charity. First was the "Days of Nature" event, in celebration of Earth Day, during which a unique IAP (in-app purchase) was available. Proceeds from each purchase of the IAP was used to plant one tree per purchase, in partnership with the OneTreePlanted charity. This event resulted in a total of 40,576 trees planted across the Amazonian and Australian forests damaged by wildfires.

Later in the year was the "Days of Healing" event, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which a unique IAP was available. 100% of proceeds from each purchase of the IAP was donated to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, resulting in a total of $1,027,340 being donated. "The campaign also highlighted the game industry’s #PlayApartTogether movement to bring together players online, while they were socially distanced. Additionally, the studio shared tips on how players could stay safe across their social networks."[5][6][7][8]

Reception

Metacritic awarded the game an 81 out of 100 based on 17 reviewers, as well as awarding it the number one shared iOS game of 2019, number five most discussed iOS game of 2019, and number 12 best iOS game of 2019.[14] Gameinformer scored the game a 8.5 out of 10 stating "Sky is a refreshingly moving and robust game on the iOS platform, and one best shared with others – especially folks who might not normally pick up a video game."[10] Gamespot scored the game a 8 out of 10, giving exceptional praise to the visuals, animations and musical scores, however admitting that "return visits to previous environments aren't nearly as captivating as your first trip".[11] IGN scored the game a 8.5 out of 10, likening the game to its predecessor as "a bigger and bolder follow-up that expands on what made Journey so great."[12] Destructoid, like many other reviewers praised how it's a game that "most everyone should experience", was however highly critical of the touch controls and the lack of control it gave of your character, going as far to suggest that "most everyone should wait for a console or PC release" to play the game.[15]

Accolades

The game won Apple's iPhone game of the year for 2019.[16] On October 5, 2020, Gamasutra reported that the game had topped 50 million downloads worldwide.[17]

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2019 2019 Golden Joystick Awards Mobile Game of the Year Nominated [18]
The Game Awards 2019 Best Mobile Game Nominated [19]
2020 New York Game Awards A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game Nominated [20]
Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Game of the Year Nominated [21]
Best Audio/Visual Accomplishment Nominated
Pocket Gamer People's Choice Won
23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Portable Game of the Year Nominated [22]
NAVGTR Awards Game, Original Family Nominated [23]
Original Light Mix Score, New IP Nominated
Game Developers Choice Awards Best Mobile Game Nominated [24][25]
Audience Award Won
SXSW Gaming Awards Mobile Game of the Year Won [26]
18th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards Best Music for an Indie Game Nominated [27]
Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game Nominated
Best Music in a Casual Game Nominated
Best Original Song ("Constellation") Nominated
Webby Award Apps, Mobile, and Voice: Best Visual Design - Aesthetic Won [28]
Apple Design Awards Outstanding Design and Innovation Won [29]
Games for Change Awards Best Gameplay Won [30]
G4C People's Choice Award Won

References
  1. "Sky: Children of the Light Is Out Now!". thatgamecompany Official Blog. July 18, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  2. "Sky: Children of the Light Out on Google Play Now!". thatgamecompany Official Blog. April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  3. "Sky: Children of the Light's console release starts on Nintendo Switch". thatgamecompany Official Blog. March 17, 2020.
  4. "Sky: Children Of Light On Switch Is The Latest Game Delayed By COVID-19". GameSpot. August 26, 2020.
  5. "Sky: Children of the Light developer Thatgamecompany raises $1 million for pandemic relief". VentureBeat. July 28, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  6. "UPDATE on 'Days of Healing' and 'Days of Nature' Events!". Sky. July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  7. Sky. July 30, 2020 https://twitter.com/onetreeplanted/status/1288519352682242049?s=20. Retrieved August 26, 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. Sky. September 11, 2020 https://twitter.com/MSF_USA/status/1289305307751956480. Retrieved September 11, 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. "Sky: Children of the Light for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  10. Miller, Matt. "Sky: Children Of The Light Review – The Next Logical Leap". Game Informer. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  11. Barbosa, Alessandro. "Sky: Children Of The Light Review - Flying Free". GameSpot. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  12. Jagneaux, David (July 20, 2019). "Sky: Children of the Light Review". IGN. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  13. Sullivan, Dann. "Sky: Children of the Light review - "Transcends the standards of the platformer genre"". Pocketgamer. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  14. "Sky: Children of the Light for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  15. "Review: Sky: Children of the Light". Destructoid. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  16. "Apple celebrates the best apps and games of 2019". Apple Newsroom. December 2, 2019.
  17. Kerr, Chris (October 5, 2020). "Sky: Children of the Light has topped 50 million installs worldwide". Gamasutra. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  18. "Golden Joystick Awards 2019". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  19. Winslow, Jeremy (November 19, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Nominees Full List". GameSpot. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  20. Sheehan, Gavin (January 2, 2020). "The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  21. "The winners of 2020". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  22. Chalk, Andy (January 13, 2020). "Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  23. "2019 Nominees". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  24. Shanley, Patrick (January 8, 2020). "'Death Stranding' Leads Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  25. Makuch, Eddie (March 18, 2020). "Untitled Goose Game Wins Another Game Of The Year Award". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  26. Watkins, Gary (March 24, 2020). "Announcing the 2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners". South by Southwest. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  27. Wilson, Kelly (February 13, 2020). "Game Audio Network Guild Announces 18th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Nominees". The Hype Magazine. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  28. "Webby Awards: Sky: Children of the Light". The Webby Awards. May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  29. "Apple honors eight developers with annual Apple Design Awards". Apple Newsroom. June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  30. "G4C Awards". Retrieved August 25, 2020.
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