Sky (video game)

Sky: Children of the Light (shortened to Sky in-game) is a social adventure game 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 was released on June 29, 2021,^[3][4][5][6] followed by a PlayStation 4 release on December 6, 2022,^[7] and a Microsoft Windows early access release on April 10, 2024.^[8] A separate version of the game was released for Mainland China on Android devices that is co-developed and published by NetEase.^[9]

Sky: Children of the Light
Official 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
Engine	Custom engine
Platform(s)	iOS Android Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Windows
Release	iOS July 18, 2019 Android April 7, 2020 Nintendo Switch June 29, 2021 PlayStation 4 December 6, 2022 Windows April 10, 2024 (early access)
Genre(s)	Adventure, art game
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Gameplay

In Sky, players explore a once-prosperous kingdom using a cape that allows them to fly. The in-game world consists of seven unique realms, each with a variety of areas to explore, and a theme representing different stages of life. There is also Home, a small island which serves as the world hub and the starting point for the player. 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, allowing them to fly farther.

The game places 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, shoes, playable musical instruments, expressions, and more. These items can be obtained using in-game currency or, in some cases, purchased with real money. Some cosmetics are only available to select players, such as the original beta cape, only available to those who played the beta version prior to the full release of the game.

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 (called wax in game) 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 others, or can be bought directly from spirits with candles. Hearts are primarily used to purchase cosmetic items from spirits. "Ascended candles" are the rarest currency in Sky, which are rewarded to players for giving their winged light to "The fallen" at the end of the game. Ascended candles are exchanged with spirits for "wing buffs," which give players extra Winged Light, or can be used to upgrade friendship and purchase various spells such as height alteration and cape recharge. Another form of currency called "Event Currency", introduced in the 0.21.5 update, is a type of currency that is only available for specific events. Event Currency was created to bring equity to newer players and allow for event-specific in-game currency (IGC) items to be obtained easier.

Realms

The setting consists of eight unique realms: six major realms, the Eye of Eden, and Home, which serves as the starting point of the game. After the "Season of Revival" update, a ninth realm was added: Aviary Village, which functions as an alternative Home space and the setting for that season's unique quests.

Home

Home is where any newcomers will begin the game, as well as being a central hub for the rest of the game. One of the key features of Home is the ability to use doorways known as "portals" to select a stage to arrive in. The portals start out dormant, each one activating linearly. After enough progress is made, the levels become more open-ended, allowing access to the different realms regardless of the initial order. The only exception to this rule is the Eye of Eden, which, alongside the requirement of the other six realms being played through, can't be entered until twenty winged lights are collected. When players walk into a portal, it automatically transports them to the beginning of the corresponding area, regardless of previous progress. There is a small circle dubbed the Return Shrine, which will send the player to the realm they were last in.

Home also contains the constellation table. All spirits that are saved in the other realms are displayed in their realm's constellation. When the constellation of a spirit is selected, hearts and candles can be spent to unlock new items. These include spells, leveled-up expressions, and customization options. Another feature of the Constellation Table is the Friend Constellations, for viewing other players that were added to the friend list, allowing the players to give and receive gifts, and joining servers to play together.

Other features of Home include closet space to change cosmetics, a bell that chimes every hour and quarter hour, and a boat called the Sleepy Traveling Merchant's Boat, occasionally arriving to give the player free spells and sell season exclusive items.

At the starting point of each realm there is a small hub with gravestones of the spirits you find, closets (except for Isle and Vault), and a portal to return Home (which were removed from all realms in a later update).

Isle of Dawn

The Isle of Dawn is the first realm the player will encounter at the beginning of the game after the first cutscene. It is also part of the tutorial the players receive when they play for the first time. The Isle of Dawn appears like a desert with tall rocks and caves dotted around, with a distant temple floating amidst the clouds.

Daylight Prairie

The Daylight Prairie is the second realm the player encounters after finishing the Isle of Dawn. Appearing as a series of grassy hills and caverns, the Daylight Prairie features many butterflies and flying manta rays that can be interacted with.

Hidden Forest

The Hidden Forest is the third realm the player encounters once they finish the Daylight Prairie, appearing as an overcast forest perpetually drenched by rain; this rain will damage players, encouraging players to seek shelter. The Hidden Forest contains light creatures, such as jellyfish and fungal growths; the realm also introduces enemies, such as Dark Crabs.

Valley of Triumph

The Valley of Triumph is the fourth realm the player encounters after flying out of the Hidden Forest. It is a snowy area themed after sporting events, with several races and slopes to slide down. At the end of the level, players will find a stadium called the "Coliseum" (named after the Colosseum) and a temple where you advance to the next realm.

Golden Wasteland

The Golden Wasteland is the fifth realm players visit, accessed through a violent maelstrom found after leaving the Valley of Triumph. This realm is dismal and filled with abandoned battlefields and broken industrial equipment; many areas are also patrolled by Dark Dragons, dangerous enemies that will attack players on sight.

Vault of Knowledge

The Vault of Knowledge is the sixth realm visited, consisting entirely of a stone tower filled with lanterns that are used to store memories. Players must solve puzzles in order to raise a central platform through several floors of the tower, eventually arriving in a chamber containing portals to Home and the Eye of Eden.

Eye of Eden

The Eye of Eden is the final realm visited during the main story; unlike the other realms, Eye of Eden can only be accessed by players who currently possess a minimum of 20 Winged Lights. Upon entering the area, players are warned that progressing forward will prevent them from returning to Home until the area is finished, and that progress risks losing all Winged Lights.

Should the player continue, they will find themselves traversing a dangerous mountain path, and must avoid strong winds, falling debris and Dark Dragons, culminating in a chamber containing numerous petrified spirits and a gigantic shattered crystal that frequently emits debris showers. Players must sacrifice Winged Lights to revive as many spirits as they can; regardless of how many are saved, all players eventually succumb to the crystal's attacks and become petrified as well.

Afterwards, the player awakens in a dark void, encountering an entity resembling a living Winged Light. Upon embracing the entity, the player is revived in Eden and flies into space, where they may meet with spirits and other players in an ethereal area. Players then enter a final portal, which allows them to be properly reborn in Home.

Development

The game was developed and published by American studio thatgamecompany over the course of seven years, developing a custom game engine based on their previous work on PlayStation titles, to initially support the Apple Metal API, later expanding it to add support for other platforms as well.^[10][11] The game servers are hosted on Amazon Web Services infrastructure (credited in-game as AWS),^[12] with parts of the backend being written in Erlang in cooperation with Amber Studio.^[13]

Seasons and events

Sky features ongoing seasonal events, with new storylines and unique spirits and items. Seasonal events are completely free-to-play, but some of the spirits' items require a paid "Season Pass" to unlock. The 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. Seasonal spirits may return as "Traveling Spirits" in the future, which players can give their candles and hearts to receive seasonal items for a limited time, albeit at a higher price.

Music

Sky features an orchestral score composed by Vincent Diamante, with some tracks performed by FAME'S Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra.^[14][15] Norwegian singer Aurora also provides the vocals for the game's intro and outro songs.^[16] The game utilizes FMOD for dynamic music and sound playback.^[17]

Four volumes of soundtrack albums have been released. The first volume covers more recognizable music from the base game cycle.^[18] The second volume contains mostly ambient background music, and the third includes various pieces composed for Sky's Seasonal Events.^[19]

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 were 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.^[20] In April 2021, Sky hosted its second "Days of Nature" event, using the game to promoting awareness towards plastic pollution of the ocean.^[21]

In May 2020, thatgamecompany hosted a "Days of Healing" event to help raise money for the Médecins Sans Frontières organization,^[22] leading thatgamecompany to donate $719,138 to the MSF COVID-19 Crisis Fund.^[23] For the event, thatgamecompany also joined the World Health Organization's #PlayApartTogether campaign.^[22]

In June 2020, Sky held its first "Days of Rainbow" event, featuring colorful rainbow items and spells as a way to celebrate pride month. The second "Days of Rainbow" event the following year gathered funds for The Trevor Project and the Global Fund for Women, with players raising $794,420 in total.^[24]

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	IOS: 82/100^[31] NS: 82/100^[32]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Edge	8/10
Game Informer	8.25/10^[25]
GameSpot	8/10^[26]
IGN	8.5/10^[27]
Jeuxvideo.com	8.5/10^[28]
Nintendo Life	8/10^[29]
Pocket Gamer	^[30]

 Edit on Wikidata

Review aggregator Metacritic awarded the game an 82 out of 100 based on 18 reviewers, as well as awarding it the number one shared iOS game of 2019, number three most discussed iOS game of 2019, and number 13 best iOS game of 2019.^[33]

Game Informer scored the game an 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."^[25] GameSpot scored the game an 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."^[26] IGN scored the game an 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."^[27] 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.^[34] Nintendo Life scored the Switch version 8 out of 10, sharing the same praise as other reviewers, though highlighting that the simplistic gameplay may not keep players engaged in the long term, and how the option to toggle the FPS from 60 to 30 is objectively worse and provides only minor improvements.^[29]

Accolades

The game won Apple's iPhone game of the year for 2019.^[35] On October 5, 2020, Gamasutra reported that the game had topped 50 million downloads worldwide.^[36] Pocket Gamer awarded it the People's Choice award in 2020.^[37] At Gamescom 2023, it won Games for Impact and Best Mobile Game.^[38]

Sky additionally holds two Guinness World Records for "Most users in a concert-themed world" and "Most players emoting together at the same time in a video game". These records were set as part of a virtual concert featuring Norwegian singer Aurora, in which thousands of players could interact with the concert and each other simultaneously.^[39]

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2019	2019 Golden Joystick Awards	Mobile Game of the Year	Nominated	^[40]
	The Game Awards 2019	Best Mobile Game	Nominated	^[41]
2020	New York Game Awards	A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game	Nominated	^[42]
	23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards	Portable Game of the Year	Nominated	^[43]
	NAVGTR Awards	Game, Original Family	Nominated	^[44]
		Original Light Mix Score, New IP	Nominated
	Game Developers Choice Awards	Best Mobile Game	Nominated	^[45]^[46]
		Audience Award	Won
	SXSW Gaming Awards	Mobile Game of the Year	Won	^[47]
	18th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards	Best Music for an Indie Game	Nominated	^[48]
		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	^[49]
	Apple Design Awards	Outstanding Design and Innovation	Won	^[50]
	International Mobile Gaming Awards	Grand Prix	Won	^[51]
	Games for Change Awards	Best Gameplay	Won	^[52]
		G4C People's Choice Award	Won

Animated adaptation

On March 27, 2022, during AnimeJapan 2022, an animated project was announced.^[53]

On August 26, 2023, IGN published an article^[54] announcing a teaser to the animated series, and the name, Sky: The Two Embers.

References

1. . thatgamecompany Official Blog. July 18, 2019. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. 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. "Promising New Game Sky: Children Of The Light Prepares Its Nintendo Switch Debut With This Trailer – NintendoHill". nintendohill.com. June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
4. "Sky: Children of the Light's console release starts on Nintendo Switch". thatgamecompany Official Blog. March 17, 2020.
5. "Sky: Children Of Light On Switch Is The Latest Game Delayed By COVID-19". GameSpot. August 26, 2020.
6. "Sky: Children of the Light for Switch launches June 29". Gematsu. June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
7. "Indies highlights coming to PS4 & PS5 in December 2022". December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
8. "Sky: Children of the Light Soars Onto PC". April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
9. "How can I play Sky on an Android device in China? — Sky: Children of the Light Help Center". thatgamecompany.helpshift.com. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
10. "Behind the Design: Sky: Children of the Light". Apple Developer. July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
11. "[ICYMI] We look back at 'Sky: Children of the Light' as the game achieves 50m global installs". MCV. October 6, 2020. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
12. Stevenson, Matt; Kolekar, Hetal (December 5, 2023). "How thatgamecompany Fosters Human Connections Through Innovative Technology & Developer Mindset | AWS for Games Blog". aws.amazon.com. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
13. "Sky - A Custom Engineering Case Study". amberstudio.com. August 14, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
14. "Sky: Children of the Light". FAMES. 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
15. Diamante, Vincent [@vincentdiamante] (August 1, 2020). "The game's soundtrack comes from many different places. Ten of the Vol. 1 tracks were recorded with FAME'S Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra, but other tracks were performed and recorded by me on my computer, often with some live instruments individually recorded" (Tweet). Retrieved September 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
16. Chan, Trevor (August 3, 2020). "Soundtrack to Sky: Children of the Light available now". Gaming Audio News. Wordpress. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
17. "Using sound design to tell a story". fmod.com. September 16, 2019. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
18. Diamante, Vincent [@vincentdiamante] (August 2, 2020). "If you've been keeping track: yes, there are a LOT of game tracks that didn't make the leap from the game to this particular volume of soundtrack. Part of it is consistency of tone and arc of listening experience, so we omitted the more 'ambient' BGM that players come across" (Tweet). Retrieved September 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
19. . Sky. thatgamecompany, Inc. July 14, 2021. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
20. . Sky. thatgamecompany, Inc. July 27, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
21. . Sky. thatgamecompany, Inc. April 15, 2021. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
22. "Sky: Days of Healing Event". thatgamecompany. thatgamecompany, Inc. May 13, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
23. . Sky. thatgamecompany, Inc. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
24. . Sky. thatgamecompany, Inc. July 5, 2021. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
25. Miller, Matt. "Sky: Children Of The Light Review – The Next Logical Leap". Game Informer. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
26. Barbosa, Alessandro. "Sky: Children Of The Light Review - Flying Free". GameSpot. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
27. Jagneaux, David (July 20, 2019). "Sky: Children of the Light Review". IGN. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
28. mrderiv (July 28, 2019). "Sky : Children of the Light est-il le digne successeur de Journey ?". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved May 26, 2021.
29. Reynolds, Ollie (July 3, 2021). "Review: Sky: Children of the Light - An Experience That Soars On Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
30. Sullivan, Dann (July 22, 2019). "Sky: Children of the Light review - "Transcends the standards of the platformer genre"". Pocketgamer. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
31. "Sky: Children of the Light for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
32. "Sky: Children of the Light for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
33. "Sky: Children of the Light for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
34. "Review: Sky: Children of the Light". Destructoid. July 28, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
35. "Apple celebrates the best apps and games of 2019". Apple Newsroom. December 2, 2019.
36. Kerr, Chris (October 5, 2020). "Sky: Children of the Light has topped 50 million installs worldwide". Gamasutra. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
37. "The winners of 2020". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
38. "gamescom award: the award for the best games of the year". b2b.gamescom.global. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
39. Rees, Lewis (September 12, 2023). "Sky: Children of Light sets two new world records with in-game Aurora concert". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
40. . GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
41. Winslow, Jeremy (November 19, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Nominees Full List". GameSpot. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
42. Sheehan, Gavin (January 2, 2020). "The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
43. Chalk, Andy (January 13, 2020). "Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
44. "2019 Nominees". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
45. Shanley, Patrick (January 8, 2020). "'Death Stranding' Leads Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
46. Makuch, Eddie (March 18, 2020). "Untitled Goose Game Wins Another Game Of The Year Award". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
47. Watkins, Gary (March 24, 2020). "Announcing the 2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners". South by Southwest. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
48. "Awards Archive". Game Audio Network Guild. August 2, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
49. "Webby Awards: Sky: Children of the Light". The Webby Awards. May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
50. "Apple honors eight developers with annual Apple Design Awards". Apple Newsroom. June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
51. Partleton, Kayleigh (August 3, 2020). "Call of Duty: Mobile takes home two accolades at International Mobile Gaming Awards". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
52. . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
53. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 27, 2022). "thatgamecompany's Sky: Children of the Light Game Gets Animation Project". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
54. Bankhurst, Adam (August 26, 2023). "Sky: The Two Embers Teaser Shows Off the Animated Series Based on Sky: Children of the Light". IGN. Retrieved August 26, 2023.

External links

• Official website