Quick Look: Sky

We aren't that far from Cloud after all

Is this all there is to this game? The gameplay seems paper thin compared to Journey.

Nothing makes a Journey-esk experience quite like monetization schemes on a mobile platform.

Looks neat! It's not a platform I'm interested gaming on though,
and there's something less chill about the experience,
to me, when there's micro-transactions afoot.

Thankfully Genova Chen said apple has only limited time exclusivity and that the game was built to be ported anywhere fairy easily!!!

Putting monetization and store-fronts all over an artistic video game is a complete no sell for me. Either keep that stuff in the home page out of sight during the game or just charge for the game. The moment you put microtransactions all over the place I cannot help to think your 'art' has been compromised to encourage spending. Also what were they thinking launching on mobile without controller support? There is a lot I like here, but now I worry for this studios future output.

After Journey's release, I remember thinking there was a chance that the market would get flooded with trashy mtx-laden clones trying to do the artsy thing, without understanding any of it. Fortunately, this never really happened, and the "clones" we did get were actually very good (e.g. Abzu).

And now this. This is exactly what I expected from low-effort clones back then, and I don't really understand why it's coming out now. "Pay us a dollar and then you can wave at other players!"

I'm stunned that this came from the same braintrust that created Journey, because it reeks of a game that came from someone who played Journey and didn't get it at all. This is depressing.

Gross

I'm curious of the reasons why you feel that way. Care to explain a bit more?

Kemogu is actually MY best friend just so you're in the know.

Oddly enough, this just makes me want to go play Abzu again.

Wow. WOW. I had no idea this game was F2P. It's like "What if we took a beautiful thing and fucked it up with microtransaction horse-shit?"

Thank god Abzu exists.

this is the most nonsensical QL to date.

Im surprised this needed a 40+ minute QL.

God, the aesthetic and vibe of everything other than the purchases are soooo good. It feels/sounds/looks like some sort of parallel Ghibli created cosmology. I like the "forced" but casual interactions between other players but it is just such a bummer that it's locked behind paywalls :/

Ah, another fine entry in the Why Did That Happen genre.

So it's Journey x Everybody's Gone to the Rapture? I like those games but this looks boring.

This game just makes me sad.

Microtransactions and paywalls are so antithetical to the immersive, artistic, whimsical nature of these sorts of games.

I always expected some F2P mobile game corporate scumbags like Zynga or King to take the life and innocence out of the Journey experience.... not thatgamecompany!

Ah, nothing like needing to shill out $0.99 to experience genuine human connection...

As someone for whom Journey had a profound emotional impact (I was literally reduced to sobbing from the sheer intensity of emotions I was feeling at the end), this game makes me angry. It feels like a cheap imposter wearing Journey's skin so you trust it, and then it tries to foist these soulless microtransactions on you so that you can engage in part where you form wordless bonds with people around you. What an awful product.

I feel like everybody should take a deep breath.

Everything in the game is accessible without paying a dime, except for some seasonal cosmetics. You can complete the game, go everywhere, upgrade your flight meter, make friends, upgrade your expressions and get new capes, masks, instruments, hair and pants - all with the candles you collect by playing the game and the hearts you either get from friends (infinitely by them paying 3 candles) or from spirits (you pay 3 candles, finite number).

It can be a grind, sure. I don't think they've finished balancing it yet. Especially the hearts take longer to get than I'd like, and for some of the nicer capes you need a lot of them. But to call it a soulless money grab because you can speed up your cosmetic collection is quite a reach.

I think it's definitely an interesting release. I hope the console release will be a premium purchase and that everything will be rebalanced towards being a paid game, though.

I paid for the seasonal pass because I want to give thatgamecompany my money, and have been playing it every day. I don't really feel like it can bear that content-wise or is even suited for it, but right now it's necessary if you want to unlock everything from that pass. They need to rethink and/or rebalance that for sure. I hope they have big plans for the future, I would love for this to be a world worthy of revisiting once a week or month or so on console.

@steveurkel: No. To say more would ruin some of the joy of discovery, but there is more to the game than shown here.

@all While I have the same issues with the micro transactions as everyone, they are quite non-intrusive and not required to experience the game. At its best the interplay between the music, visuals, and social interaction make this just as revelatory an experience as Journey. The bigger issue is with the controls in later levels which require a degree of precision that they are not capable of providing.

Really disappointed to see this is what That Game Company has been making all this time. It's sad to see all the free to play stuff in one of their games.