Skies of Arcadia
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| Skies of Arcadia | |
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| Developer(s) | Overworks |
| Publisher(s) | SEGA |
| Release date(s) | November 15, 2000 (DC) January 29, 2003 (GCN) |
| Genre | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) ELSPA: 11+ |
| Platform(s) | Dreamcast, GameCube |
Skies of Arcadia is a console role-playing game developed for the Sega Dreamcast by Overworks, a division of Sega. Released in 2000, it was known as Eternal Arcadia in Japan. It was critically well received thanks to its stylish graphics and lighthearted setting. A swashbuckling tale of pirates, discovery and adventure was a great change from the then highly popular cyberpunk-influenced brand of dark fantasy that was popularized by such games as Final Fantasy VII. A similar motif was used by Final Fantasy IX, released around the same time for the Sony PlayStation. Battles could be conducted both on foot and between ships (both using a turn based system, but the latter being more strategic). The game's musical soundtrack is especially well-noted among its fans, with strong, soaring melodies that effectively underscore the adventurous themes of the plot.
One major complaint about the game was the high rate of random encounter-based battles, which made travelling from location to location somewhat testing on the player's patience. This was fixed to a degree in the GameCube version of the game, Skies of Arcadia Legends, the director's cut version which also added some new content and improved graphics. The game was successful enough that it was re-released in Q2 2004 in Japan, although a similar re-release in North America never occoured.
There was a planned PC re-release of Skies of Arcadia which would have added even more new content, however, it now seems the PC port has been shelved for the time being. Fans have long wanted a sequel to the game, and from comments by Noriyoshi Oba of OverWorks one was in development, although this too has now been put on hiatus.
Both Skies of Arcadia and Skies of Arcadia Legends are rated "T for Teen" by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and 11+ by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association.
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Travel
The travel complaints largely stemmed from the fact that overworld travel - typically done on foot - is accomplished in Skies of Arcadia via "airship," which is traditionally a method of random encounter-free conveyance in RPGs. Later in the game, the same freedom of movement is accomplished by an advanced mechanism discovered for the Delphinus which allows her to rise above the upper cloud layer and sink below the lower cloud layer of Arcadia and fly in the monster-free skies at high and low altitudes.
Versions and Release Dates
Eternal Arcadia
- Eternal Arcadia (@barai version, Japan, Dreamcast): 10/05/00
- Eternal Arcadia (standard edition, Japan, Dreamcast): 10/05/00
- Eternal Arcadia (limited edition, Japan, Dreamcast): 10/05/00
Skies of Arcadia
- Skies of Arcadia (NTSC/North America, Dreamcast): 11/13/00
- Skies of Arcadia (PAL/Europe, Dreamcast): 04/27/01
Eternal Arcadia Legends
- Eternal Arcadia Legends (Japan, GameCube): 12/26/02
Skies of Arcadia Legends
- Skies of Arcadia Legends (Sega, NTSC/North America, GameCube): 1/27/03
- Skies of Arcadia Legends (Atari, PAL/Europe, GameCube): 5/23/03
Characters
Main articles: Skies of Arcadia characters and Skies of Arcadia things and events. Note that these sub-pages pages bear spoilers.
Main Player Characters
For the voice actors, JP indicated the Japanese voice actor, and EN indicates the English voice actor.
- Vyse: 17 year old boy, "Blue Rogue" ("good" Air Pirate). Vyse has a highly upbeat personality and a strong will to succeed. Vyse fights with twin cutlasses. Vyse's magic is relatively weak compared to the girls, but his attacks are the second strongest in the game (after Drachma's). Voice acted by Seki Tomokazu (JP) / Christopher Sullivan (EN).
- Aika: 17 year old girl. Vyse's close friend since childhood and fellow Blue Rogue. Aika has a strong personality and easily-inflamed temper. Aika fights using an oversized boomerang. Aika balances her attack strength with fairly strong magic. Voice acted by Tomoko Kawakami (JP) / Victoria McCreary (EN).
- Fina: 17 year old girl, "Silvite" (survivor of the ancient, defunct Silver Civilization). Fina is sweet-natured and demure, like many "love interest" characters in RPGs, but her sweet nature hides an iron will. Fina's "cute pet mascot," Cupil, fights for her, and she has very strong magic powers, though has the weakest physical attack power in the game. Voice acted by Yui Horie (JP) / Julissa Aguirre (EN).
Secondary Player Characters
- Drachma: A maimed man in his early 70s. Drachma has a mechanical arm replacing his right arm, which he uses as a weapon in battle sequences. His obsession with hunting the purple arcwhale Rhaknam (Mobys in the Japanese game, an homage to Moby-Dick) leads him to search the skies. Drachma is the captain of the small fishing airship, Little Jack. Voice acted by Mugihito (JP) / Joseph Hughes (EN).
- Gilder: A rakishly handsome man in his early 30s. Gilder wears a pince-nez and uses twin pistols as his weapons. Gilder is the captain of the light, swift pirate vessel Claudia. Voice acted by Norio Wakamoto (JP) / Jay Styne (EN).
- Enrique: 25 years old, Enrique is the Crown Prince of the Valuan Empire, but disagrees strongly with the imperialist policies of his mother, Empress Teodora I. The name of his father is unknown. Enrique uses rapiers as his weapon in battle. He gives to Vyse his flagship, the Delphinus, when he escapes Valua with Vyse, Aika and Fina. Voice acted by Soichiro Hoshi (JP) / Robb McCulloch (EN).
Villains
The general villains of the piece are the Valuan Empire, however the main characters are specifically opposed by the six (later seven) Admirals of the Imperial Armada:
- Galcian, Lord Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Galcian is a dark, cold and calculating man. He is strongly connected to the mysterious Ramirez. His flagship is the Serpent. Voice acted by Kinryuu Akimoto (JP) / Dennis Lancaster (EN).
- Alfonso, First Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Alfonso is a foppish noble with very little courage. He is closely related to Empress Teodora. His flagship is the Cygnus. Voice acted by Ryotaro Okiayu (JP) / Jerry Lawrence (EN).
- Gregorio, Second Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Gregorio is an old man, the brother of Teodora's dead husband. He is known as the Stone Wall Admiral for his impenetrable defenses. His flagship is the Auriga. Voice acted by Takehiro Komaya (JP) / Steve Cloyes (EN).
- Vigoro, Third Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Headstrong and aggressive, Vigoro is a lecher of the first rank, and develops an obsession with Aika. His flagship is the Draco. Voice acted by Masashi Sugawara (JP) / Charles Martinet (EN).
- Belleza, Fourth Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Sultry and dangerous, Belleza is the head of Imperial intelligence. Her flagship is the cruiser Lynx. Voice acted by Yuri Amano (JP) / Andrea Satin (EN).
- De Loco, Fifth Admiral of the Valuan Armada: A deformed, insane little man. De Loco is the head of research and development. His flagship is the Chameleon. Voice acted by Issei Futamata (JP) / Bill Broughton (EN).
- Ramirez, Sixth Admiral of the Valuan Armada: The youngest admiral by far at the age of 24. Ramirez has a mysterious connection to Fina. His flagship is the Monoceros. Voice acted by Hikaru Midorikawa (JP) / Ian Reddoch (EN).
- Piastol, A gothic looking woman who hunts air pirates. Also known as "The Angel of Death" She is after Vyse because she thinks that he killed her father. Armed with a scythe and uses Eterni spells. Included in Skies of Arcadia: Legends as part of a side quest.
Relationships
Although romantic relationships are not a strong theme in Skies of Arcadia, nearly as much as the theme of friendship and loyalty, RPG fans look for romances in the games, and several can be explicitly or implicitly found, depending on contextual readings of the game's dialogue and scenes.
- Belleza obliquely expresses an unrequited love for Galcian, her superior.
- Vyse and Fina act toward each other in ways that can easily be interpreted as romantic affection or desire.
- Although not as easy to interpret romantically, the relationship between Vyse and Aika shows great love and deep respect between the two characters.
- Some dialogue in the middle part of the game hints rather obliquely at the possibility of a short relationship between Aika and Fina.
- A great deal of Galcian and Ramirez's dialogue indicates there is a strong father/son relationship between them, especially since Ramirez has referred to him in a senpai/kouhai fashion.
- Clara has a deep crush on Gilder, although Gilder does not necessarily return that affection.
- Gilder is portrayed as a womanizing lothario who has a "girl in every port" (and a girl in every game as well: in Skies of Arcadia he wakes up from a dream about "Maria"; in Legends the woman is "Lola", probably because Legends adds the minor character of a young girl named Maria).
External links and references
- Sega Wow's (Overworks') Official Site (Japanese) (http://www.segawow.com)
- Skies of Arcadia World, an extensive fansite (http://www.planetdreamcast.com/soaworld)
- Skies of Arcadia Island, a fansite (French) (http://www.talk4fun.be/arcadia-island/)
- RPG Genesis - Skies of Arcadia Fansite (http://www.rpggenesis.co.uk/soa)fr:Skies of Arcadia