False Skies is a traditional turn-based RPG with an involved class system and a retro look. Explore a not-quite-modern world with a party of your own creation, and learn the truth behind the disappearance of a city that vanished 2000 years ago.
Very Positive
3 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | — | Y |
A great class-based RPG, with enough freedom of choice, yet enough structure to keep it from being completely open. Each character can have 4-5 class choices, each a different tier list of classes, yet within each tier, you can choose whichever class you like. A flexible system without the 'every character eventually does everything' trap some similar games fall into.
As for the story and characters, it starts a little slow. It's hard to pinpoint when it really picks up and grabs you, because when it does, you don't remember the slow period. You're cruising along, chasing both character and plot development with a 'just one more level' fervor.
Seriously, if you're a fan of classic turn based RPG's, you can't go wrong here.
Obviously the concept behind this game is from the early days of RPG, however this is based on 30+ years ago and fails for games created these days. No clear progression or one button map access are hugh breakers these days.
A very long and enjoyable JRPG with speedy combat and a lot of very pretty sprite work, though with some flaws that make it more fussy to play than it needs to be. Very much recommended, but only if you have 60+ hours to dedicate to it.
There are quite a few varied dungeons in the game, some with puzzles to solve and some that are more straightforward. The major themed puzzles seem obtuse at first, but they have a logic to them that emerges once you experiment a bit, which makes them very satisfying to solve. Many of the dungeons can be a bit mazey, but there are usually shortcuts to unlock that make backtracking or multiple trips a lot easier.
Combat runs quickly and tends to favor buffs/debuffs and big-hitting combos. The tactics available to you will shift (for better and worse) as you change classes. Many enemies have counterattacks, special defenses, or strong buffs, so it's necessary to prioritize targets and tailor your attacks to each encounter. Unfortunately, some skills don't make a lot of sense, don't work as advertised, or just aren't very useful compared to other options.
The world and story are creative and interesting and go in some unexpected directions, but the narrative is hindered a bit by some uneven character work. The main group of NPCs that you'll encounter throughout the game are difficult to distinguish from each other, and their attitudes towards you feel somewhat arbitrary for the first chunk of the game; there are reasons for their conflicted behavior, but they sometimes feel motivated more by plot convenience. Several other NPCs are set up to be important, but end up disappearing from the story without making much impact on it.
Traveling can be unnecessarily annoying. The game often teases you with a new form of transportation, only to quickly take it away and leave you traveling on foot again. There are also several points in the story where you'll be unable to return to previous areas for quite a while. It's not until late in the game that you finally gain a fast and (mostly) hassle-free mode of transport.
My biggest complaints center around the game's distinguishing feature: the class system. With dozens of classes to choose from, it sounds like you have a lot of freedom to build your team as you please, but in practice, it's rather finicky and not as flexible as it sounds. I didn't feel like I was theorycrafting the best strategy so much as just making the best of my available options.
- There are multiple tiers of eight classes each, and you can only move from one tier to the next. So, you can create a fighter/light infantry or a fighter/medic, but not a fighter/recon.
- Each tier doesn't necessarily overlap much with the last and many classes have very narrow behavior or skill sets, so the next tier may not have anything that synergizes with your build. There were a number of times when I couldn't decide what class to choose next for a character, not because there were so many appealing options, but because there were so few. Some class changes brought little or nothing to the character's skill set.
- Stat gains at each level vary by class, and your current stats do not change when you change classes. This means that e.g. switching a career fighter into a healing class, or vice versa, is likely to give poor results.
- There is at least one class that immediately loses most of its skills upon promotion to the next tier. I have no clue what the developer was thinking with this.
- Most classes are inaccessible until you track down the appropriate sidequest somewhere in the world. This is a cool idea and wouldn't normally be a problem, but it leads into my next point:
- You gain both character levels (up to 99) and individual class levels. You must reach a certain character level to be promoted, while new skills unlock with class levels. Often, it may be advantageous to stick with a lower tier for longer than required to pick up stronger skills. However, more often, you will be stuck gaining unwanted levels in a class because you haven't yet unlocked an appropriate class of the next tier, or just because you have no access to a class promotion desk. This puts you behind on stat gains and learning new skills, and may even lock you out of some high-level skills entirely. This design not only punishes grinding, but actively encourages avoiding fights, so that you don't accidentally level up too much. If you choose to keep reserve party members, this can quickly become way too much to keep track of. I kept several reserve members following alternate class paths, but I never ended up using them.
Fortunately, the game is easy enough that you don't need a perfect party build to win. I finished hard mode at around level 80 with the same party I'd been using the entire game, so I ended up having plenty of breathing room. You always have the option of creating new characters to plan their development more precisely, but the game is long enough without adding extra grinding to it. It's probably best not to worry about it too much.
I do feel like the game runs too long; there are probably enough good ideas here to fill two games. In particular, the extended multi-dungeon climax of the story and the final tier of classes make the game feel a bit overstuffed. Still, if you have the time to see it through, it's a very fun and satisfying journey.
