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After reaching its first anniversary earlier this summer, “Sky: Children of the Light” continues to expand both its world and its player base (( “Sky Soundtrack Launches As Game Crosses 35 Million Downloads,” thatskygame.com, July 31, 2020. )). The indie game, created by thatgamecompany, is designed to promote friendship and collaboration. Much of the game’s experience revolves around positive social interaction, like guiding newer players through difficult levels or making new friends. Accessing some parts of the story requires others’ help as a reminder that people can accomplish more together.
The gameplay, art, and concept are all distinct and innovative. However, such a unique social system is a risk. “Sky” is a wonderful game that promotes positivity among players, but its reliance on forced collaboration sometimes undermines its own efforts to prove the benefits of teamwork.
A Story Of Sacrifice
When players open “Sky” for the first time, they enter a tutorial level called Isle of Dawn. Surrounded by a soft purple landscape, new players learn the controls and gain their first cape, which allows them to fly. As they progress through each of “Sky’s” seven levels, they restore ancient structures and meet ancestor spirits, who share their memories and teach the player how to use emotes.
Along the way, players will find stars, which they can collect to make their wings stronger. Yet in the Eye of Eden, at the final and most difficult level, players must release these stars amid a raging storm, sacrificing themselves in the process. This climactic act of courageous selflessness symbolizes “Sky’s” focus on compassion and generosity.
After Eden, the character is reborn and must go through the levels again to find more stars and deliver them through the storm once again. The cycle continues indefinitely, meaning that the game becomes dull rather quickly unless players embrace its social side.
“Sky” Is A Social Experience
Social interaction with other players is “Sky’s” main selling point. Although the gorgeous scenery and interesting story are a big part of the game, making friends is essential for the full experience. Friendship requests are made in real time by offering a candle to the prospective friend. If the other player accepts, the two can grow their friendship by playing together and unlocking special emotes.
Friends are a critical part of the game’s framework, but they are also necessary for gaining cosmetics, which is one of “Sky’s” main goals after unlocking all the spirits. Cosmetics are items that players can use to customize their character and express their personality. Colorful capes, fun hairstyles, and imposing masks can all be purchased from spirits using hearts. Hearts are gained through donations from friends, so a player with more friends will be able to gain cosmetics more quickly.
Developing friendships with other players is one of “Sky’s” most rewarding experiences, yet part of the game’s charm is the ease with which strangers can connect. People don’t need to be friends to have fun; players can work together, communicate through emotes, and even talk at chat benches without ever offering the candle. The game even includes functioning instruments, allowing people to connect through music. Although these relationships end once one player leaves the server, having positive interactions with strangers is a big contribution to “Sky’s” atmosphere of kindness.
“Sky” Promotes Positivity And Friendship
Hinging the game’s appeal on social interaction is risky, but “Sky” certainly makes a valiant effort. One of the most successful parts of “Sky’s” social structure is its emote system. The game has a vast array of emotes that players can use to express their feelings. Players can blush, laugh, cry, and even drop dead in frustration. New emotes are added with each season, and they can be leveled up to more complex actions.
Through this system, “Sky” has essentially created its own language. People bow to each other to express gratitude, clap when someone plays music, and cheer when a group finishes a puzzle. Friendships can begin through nothing more than intense emote battles or a stirring music piece. Through these universally human actions, the game allows players of different languages and nationalities to communicate and become friends without ever speaking an actual word to each other.
“Sky” also lacks any semblance of combat. The game has no weapons, and players cannot directly harm each other. Certain areas are dangerous and crawling with hostile creatures, but the only way around them is via stealth, not aggression. Combat-based games aren’t inherently bad, of course, but “Sky’s” rejection of violence encourages players to be positive towards each other and gives the game a theme of restoration, not destruction.
Teamwork Enhances The Experience
While some players prefer to experience “Sky” on their own, working with others makes repetitive gameplay easier and more exciting. Especially in the game’s most dangerous places, playing together has several benefits. When a character is harmed, their flight power begins to drain, and they can even lose stars. But if others are nearby, they can use a candle to recharge the player’s energy and catch their lost stars. Holding hands while flying also allows characters to recharge each other’s flight power and travel more quickly.
Team settings can also be useful for people who are just starting the game. The new players are affectionately called “moths” because of their brown capes and clumsy flying. This visible difference does sometimes cause exclusionary behavior, but many experienced players actually go out of their way to assist moths through dangerous areas. Completing these levels with a veteran player is often less stressful than experiencing them for the first time alone.
Player interaction is also one of the best ways to discover out-of-bounds areas. The game’s levels are surrounded by either physical barriers or walls of wind that push a player back if they try and stray too far, but sometimes, these boundaries can be crossed, revealing secret areas that are like the backstage of the level.
Most of these places are incredibly interesting yet impossible to reach without the help of a friend. Discovering and visiting out-of-bounds areas is part of what makes playing with friends such an important part of “Sky,” even though the developers did not add them intentionally.
Forced Collaboration Detracts From Gameplay
“Sky” succeeds at encouraging players to build layered and genuine friendships. Unfortunately, some other parts of the social system are much less rewarding. Helping others is a significant theme of the game, but in order for that to happen, someone must be in need of assistance. To create situations in which generosity is required, the game forces players into positions of helplessness so that others can display their benevolence.
In “Sky,” independence is impossible. Stars, spirits, and quests are often locked behind multi-player doors, meaning players must rely on others to stop and help. Collecting cosmetics, one of the primary in-game goals, requires friends who are willing to donate hearts. People will generally help, but when they don’t, this forced dependence undermines the game’s message of generosity.
As well-intentioned as this idea may be, it is one of “Sky’s” less charming aspects. Instead of encouraging players to embrace teamwork, this system just generates frustration. Waiting for an indefinite amount of time for assistance does not endear players to the idea of collaboration. Rather, it generally has the opposite effect and makes people wish they could play the game independently.
On The Right Track
To contrast, there are some parts of the game that promote teamwork without forcing it on players. A good example is a specific type of seasonal spirit quest. Releasing spirits always involves passing through a series of checkpoints that represent the spirit’s memories. Some quests, however, require slowly guiding a light through these checkpoints rather than running straight through them. Anyone can do this alone, but with multiple people, it becomes far easier.
If one person walks too fast or drops the light, another person can pick it up so that the group doesn’t lose their progress. If the quest takes place in a dangerous area, a few players can act as bait and lure aggressive creatures away from the group carrying the light. Unlike waiting by doors and collecting hearts, this type of experience actually promotes teamwork by making collaboration an opportunity, not a burden.
Trolling Still Occurs
“Sky’s” community is generally kind and supportive. Unfortunately, the game’s positive atmosphere does not prevent trolling. Mean-spirited players are a nuisance in any multiplayer game, but the trolls of “Sky” use the game’s emphasis on teamwork to their own advantage.
A favorite trolling pastime includes hanging out near the infamous eight-person puzzle in Daylight Prairie. The puzzle cannot be completed until eight people show up, and then everyone needs to stand at their own station and hold a candle. Trolls take great pleasure in waiting for all the players to get in position, then standing in the center of the circle and refusing to participate. Everyone else in the server must either wait for them to cooperate or leave and start over.
Other methods can include interrupting another player’s music practice or krill-feeding. Krill are large, hostile creatures that will attack players that stay in their line of sight for too long. Trolls will often get a krill’s attention, then draw its gaze towards another player so that it will attack them. Harassment is an issue in most multiplayer games, but it becomes easier and more notable in a game that is otherwise so focused on being compassionate and working together.
A Worthwhile Work-In-Progress
“Sky” is a positive, uplifting game that allows real friendships to develop among its players. It is a refreshing experience and a welcome addition to multiplayer gaming. Its emote system is a safe and surprisingly effective method of communication that transcends language barriers and makes interaction easy.
However, the game takes things too far by putting its players at the mercy of others’ generosity. Progressing in “Sky” often involves relying on strangers to stop what they are doing and help. Its lack of truly independent gameplay, or even a private space for a player to practice music alone, starts to wear down those who would prefer to explore the beautiful game on their own.