Info about Black Skylands:

Official game description:
Try out our new game!
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About the Game
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**Black Skylands** is the first steampunk experience that combines elements of open world, sandbox, top-down shooter, and action-adventure games.  
Prepare to embark on a remarkable journey as Eva, a skilled and valiant young marshal, fighting to protect her people from the invading Falcons and Swarm. Take command of your own airship and embark on an expansive journey through a world of boundless skies. Gather resources to craft powerful weapons, upgrade your ship to new heights, unearth ancient secrets, and engage in thrilling battles beneath your ship’s sails.  
From the depths of the unknown sky, a formidable threat looms. Follow Eva's journey as she ventures forth to uncover the hidden mysteries within the dark clouds.
FEATURES
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*   **Fight in the skies and on land.** Conquer enemies using an array of upgradable weapons in both aerial and ground combat.  
*   **Choose your airship.** A maneuverable sloop, a spacious barge, or something in between — choose the airship that fits your playstyle.  
*   **Gather resources for powerful upgrades.** Upgrade your weapons and ship to unleash devastating firepower against the invading forces.  
*   **Defend the floating islands.** Liberate the floating islands of Aspya, restore the land, and defend the inhabitants against future threats.  
*   **Explore an expansive open world.** Navigate through forests, farms, snowy landscapes, and uncover the unseen wonders of the skies.  
*   **Embark on thrilling raid missions.** Finished the main storyline? Push your skills to the limit, face diverse challenges, annihilate hordes of enemies, and earn unique rewards!

Release date: 15 Aug, 2023

Categories: Open-World Exploration, Twin-stick Shooter, Ship Combat, Resource Management, Crafting, Weapon Customization, Vehicle Customization, Single-player Story


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Great Value & Enjoyable Experience (weight 0.97): The game offers significant value for its price, providing a fun and relaxing experience. It's praised for its engaging gameplay loop, appealing visuals, and overall polished feel, making it a worthwhile purchase, especially on sale.
- Beautiful Pixel Art & Atmosphere (weight 0.32): The game's pixel art style is consistently highlighted as beautiful, detailed, and visually captivating, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere. This aesthetic, combined with the unique steampunk setting, creates an immersive and charming world.
- Fluid & Dynamic Combat (weight 0.3): The combat system, encompassing both on-foot gunplay and aerial ship battles, is highly praised for its fluidity, dynamism, and responsiveness. The seamless transitions between these combat modes and the variety of weapons contribute to a satisfying and engaging experience.
- Engaging & Emotional Story (weight 0.27): The story is consistently described as engaging, well-written, and surprisingly mature, with interesting twists and a satisfying, often emotional, ending. It effectively immerses players in the world and characters.
- Extensive Weapon Customization (weight 0.17): The weapon and equipment modification systems are a major highlight, offering extensive customization options. Players appreciate the variety of weapons, mods, and the ability to tailor their loadouts, which adds strategic depth and replayability.
- Ship & Base Upgrades (weight 0.14): The game features a robust system for upgrading and customizing both the player's ship and base. This provides a continuous sense of progression and allows for strategic choices in tailoring the gameplay experience.
- Engaging Airship Mechanics & Setting (weight 0.13): The airship mechanics and the unique sky-punk setting are highly praised. Players enjoy the fluid airship combat, the ability to upgrade their vessels, and the overall immersive experience of flying through a world of floating islands.
- Rewarding Island Exploration (weight 0.12): Island exploration is a core and enjoyable aspect of the game, with players appreciating the constant rewards, secrets, and unique twists found on each island. The grappling hook movement between islands further enhances the exploration experience.
- Flexible Progression & Customization (weight 0.1): The game offers a casual and flexible progression system, allowing players to grind for gear if desired but not requiring it. It provides ample customization and upgrade opportunities without feeling overly complex or demanding.
- Unique Genre Blend (weight 0.07): The game is recognized for its unique blend of genres, primarily as a top-down action RPG or shooter with steampunk and open-world elements. This distinct combination, often compared to Zelda or Hotline Miami, sets it apart.
- Entertaining Boss Fights (weight 0.07): Boss fights are highlighted as entertaining, unique, and challenging, particularly on higher difficulties. These battles contribute to the dynamic and engaging combat experience.
- Significant Post-Launch Improvements (weight 0.07): The game has undergone significant positive changes and improvements since its Early Access phase, with many players noting a more polished and streamlined experience in the full release. Some early access features were removed, which was a mixed bag for players.
- Responsive & Passionate Developers (weight 0.05): The developers are commended for their passion, responsiveness to feedback, and commitment to improving the game. Their open communication and helpfulness have positively impacted the player experience.

Common complaints:
- Weak Story & Ending (weight 0.44): The game's story is widely criticized for being simplistic, cliché, predictable, and unengaging, with poor pacing and underdeveloped characters. The ending is particularly noted as rushed, unsatisfying, and often illogical, failing to provide a compelling conclusion or emotional impact. Additionally, the music is sparse and bland, contributing to a lack of atmosphere.
- Repetitive Gameplay Loop (weight 0.43): The core gameplay loop, primarily involving island liberation and resource gathering, becomes highly repetitive and monotonous, leading to boredom and a feeling of artificial length. This issue is exacerbated by a lack of depth in features and mission variety.
- Removed/Simplified Features (weight 0.35): Many features and mechanics present in the Early Access version, such as crafting, farming, and ship customization, were significantly cut or simplified in the full release. This resulted in a game that feels underbaked, less complex, and missing promised content, leading to disappointment among players who experienced earlier builds.
- Clunky Controls (weight 0.27): Both airship and on-foot controls are frequently described as clunky, sluggish, and unintuitive, making combat and navigation frustrating. This significantly hinders the enjoyment of aerial combat and general movement, often leading to accidental deaths or getting stuck.
- Inconsistent Difficulty & Raids (weight 0.2): The game's difficulty balance is inconsistent, with some sections being too easy even on hard mode, while others, particularly late-game raids and certain boss fights, become frustratingly difficult due to unfair mechanics or overwhelming enemy numbers. Raid mode is also noted for being repetitive and buggy.
- Frequent Bugs & Glitches (weight 0.18): The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including visual glitches, crashes, progression blockers, and instances of players getting stuck in the environment. These bugs significantly detract from the overall experience and indicate a lack of polish.
- Shallow Upgrade Systems (weight 0.12): The upgrade systems for weapons and ships are shallow, primarily offering numerical increases rather than distinct changes or meaningful customization. The lack of clear statistical information for weapon mods further complicates informed choices, making upgrades feel unimpactful and generic.
- Lack of Polish & Tutorials (weight 0.08): The game suffers from a lack of polish, insufficient tutorials, and poor initial guidance, leaving players to figure out mechanics on their own. This contributes to a clunky and unrefined experience, especially at the beginning.
- Not Worth Price (weight 0.06): The game is generally perceived as not worth its price due to its overall mediocrity, lack of innovation, and feeling like a 'bait and switch' compared to earlier versions or expectations. It's often described as generic and forgettable.

Gameplay feedback:
- Dual Combat System (weight 0.41): The game features a dual combat system, alternating between top-down airship battles and on-foot twin-stick shooter combat on floating islands. Players explore, liberate islands, and engage in both aerial and ground-based encounters.
- Playtime & Progression (weight 0.24): The game offers a moderate playtime, typically ranging from 10 to 20 hours for the main story and up to 30 hours for 100% completion. While some find it repetitive, others note the grind is manageable due to integrated exploration.
- Resource & Upgrade Systems (weight 0.21): The game incorporates extensive resource management and upgrade systems. Players collect various materials to craft and enhance weapons, upgrade their airship, and improve their main base, the Fathership.
- Open-World Exploration & Style (weight 0.13): The game is a top-down, pixel-art open-world adventure. It emphasizes free exploration of floating islands and combines elements of action, RPG, and shooter genres, often compared to titles like Hotline Miami or classic Zelda.
- Changed Upgrade Systems (weight 0.08): The ship and Fathership upgrade systems underwent significant changes from Early Access to full release. The current system simplifies customization, with upgrades often shared across ships and Fathership utility reduced compared to earlier versions.
- Competent On-Foot Combat (weight 0.08): On-foot combat is a competent twin-stick shooter with simple yet fluid mechanics, allowing players to switch between various weapon types, dodge, and use melee attacks. Controls are generally intuitive, especially with a controller.
- Simple Island Puzzles (weight 0.08): The game includes periodic, generally easy puzzles on islands, which are not essential for progression but can reward players with resources or unlock supportive technologies. Puzzles are often simple math or text-based.
- Late-Game Raid Mode (weight 0.05): The game features an optional 'Raid' mode introduced in the late-game. These raids offer additional repetitive challenges and missions, serving as a source for acquiring new weapons and extending playtime.
- Removed Early Access Features (weight 0.04): Several features, such as extensive farming, crafting, and detailed base management, were present in the Early Access version but were significantly reduced or removed in the full release, leading to some player disappointment.
- Adjustable Difficulty Settings (weight 0.03): The game offers multiple difficulty settings, ranging from very easy to hard, which players can change freely. The difference between normal and hard difficulties is noted as significant.

Performance notes:
- Bugs and Performance Issues (weight 0.05): Players report a variety of bugs, ranging from minor glitches to critical issues like characters getting stuck due to collision problems. Performance inconsistencies and frame rate drops are also noted, indicating optimization issues.
- Good Steam Deck Performance (weight 0.02): The game generally performs well on the Steam Deck, with some minor lag spikes occurring when a large number of enemies are present on screen. This suggests good, but not perfect, optimization for the portable device.
- Low Hardware Requirements (weight 0.02): The game is well-optimized for a wide range of hardware, running smoothly even on systems with lower specifications. This makes it accessible to a broader audience.
- Good Physics Implementation (weight 0.01): Players generally find the game's physics to be well-implemented and satisfactory. This positive aspect contributes to the overall gameplay experience.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Game (weight 0.52): Many reviewers highly recommend the game, often suggesting it's a worthwhile purchase, especially when on sale. They praise its unique blend of genres and engaging experience.
- Buy on Sale (weight 0.38): A significant number of reviews suggest purchasing the game during a sale or at a discounted price, indicating that while enjoyable, its full price might be a deterrent for some players.
- Early Access Version Preferred (weight 0.05): Several players strongly recommend playing the Early Access version over the full release, stating it offered a more complete or different experience. Some reviews also mention that older positive reviews might refer to a different game version.
- Desire for More Content (weight 0.05): Players express a strong desire for more content, including sequels, DLCs, or further updates, indicating satisfaction with the core game and a wish for its expansion.
- Niche Appeal (weight 0.03): The game is recommended for specific player preferences, such as those who enjoy exploration, steampunk aesthetics, airship combat, or a solo experience similar to 'Sea of Thieves'.
- Avoid 100% Completion (weight 0.03): Reviewers advise against striving for 100% completion, particularly for certain achievements like collecting all weapon mods, suggesting it can be tedious or unnecessary without a guide.
- Adjust Difficulty (weight 0.02): Players suggest adjusting the difficulty settings, with some recommending higher difficulties for a challenge and others advising normal or easier modes, indicating varied player preferences for challenge.

Other player notes:
- Average game, lacks depth (weight 0.08): The game is considered average with potential for improvement and expansion. Reviewers felt it lacked depth and content, suggesting more story and gameplay elements could enhance the experience.
- Revert Early Access changes (weight 0.06): There's a strong sentiment regarding changes from Early Access to the full release, with many wishing for the return of removed features and the previous story, which was often preferred for its narrative depth.
- More airship focus needed (weight 0.06): Players expected a more airship-centric experience, with desires for more airship combat, exploration, and larger, more varied ship options and enemies. The current implementation felt limited compared to expectations.
- Good value on sale (weight 0.04): The game is generally seen as a good value, especially when purchased on sale. Reviewers found it enjoyable enough to play past the refund period, highlighting its decent graphics, gameplay, and audio.
- Excellent visual style (weight 0.03): The game's aesthetic, visual style, atmosphere, and lore are highly praised. Reviewers found the setting immersive and the art style well-executed, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- Okay plot, weak dialogue (weight 0.03): The plot is considered decent or okay, but the dialogue often falls flat, lacking depth and emotional impact. While some found dialogue natural, others felt it missed attempts at humor or drama.
- Developer abandonment concerns (weight 0.02): Reviewers expressed confusion and disappointment over the perceived abandonment of the game by its developers, questioning why the project was not continued or expanded upon.
- Decent playtime, QoL (weight 0.02): The game offers a decent amount of playtime, with some players spending around 20 hours to achieve all accomplishments. A suggestion was made for a second set of weapons to improve inventory management.
- Community translation helpful (weight 0.01): The availability of user-provided translation files was appreciated, indicating a need for better official localization or community support for understanding the story.
- Potential for online game (weight 0.01): Some reviewers suggested the game's concept would be highly successful if adapted into an online multiplayer experience, drawing comparisons to games like 'Sea of Thieves'.
- Future potential (weight 0.01): There's a belief that the game has significant potential to become a 'home-run' once it is fully completed, implying it is not yet in its final, polished state.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.3): Players expressed satisfaction primarily due to the game's engaging story, well-implemented gameplay mechanics (including combat, exploration, and progression), and appealing art style. The overall value for money, especially when on sale, and significant improvements from early access also contributed to positive experiences.
- Disappointment (weight 0.21): Disappointment stemmed from the game's perceived lack of depth, repetitive gameplay, and unfulfilled potential, often due to removed or underdeveloped features compared to earlier versions or expectations. Issues with story pacing, dialogue quality, and a lack of enemy variety also contributed to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.14): Frustration was largely caused by persistent bugs, clunky controls (especially for ships), and quality-of-life issues such as tedious UI or unskippable cutscenes. Repetitive gameplay loops, unbalanced difficulty, and resource management problems also led to player annoyance.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players found enjoyment in the game's overall fun and engaging gameplay, including lively combat, satisfying exploration, and effective customization. The cool setting, appealing art style, and well-crafted storyline also contributed to a positive and entertaining experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement was generated by the game's unique and chaotic gameplay, thrilling ship combat, and engaging exploration. Players were also excited by the game's overall quality, innovative mechanics, and the potential for future content or sequels.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Joy was primarily derived from the game's overall enjoyable experience, including its beautiful pixel art, satisfying combat, and engaging story. The game's ability to provide a fun, carefree, and nostalgic experience, especially when fulfilling a gaming dream, also contributed to this emotion.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom arose from repetitive gameplay, a lack of variety in content, and uninspired or shallow progression systems, particularly in the mid to late game. Generic combat, characters, and story elements also contributed to a monotonous experience.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger was primarily caused by unacceptable and persistent bugs that hindered progression, poor design choices, and a significant perceived downgrade from early access versions. Players also expressed anger over misleading marketing, changes to rewards, and a loss of faith in the developers due to unaddressed issues.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players showed appreciation for the developers' effort, the game's unique setting, and its detailed pixel art and sound design. The value for money, convenience features, and the developers' responsiveness to bug fixes also garnered positive recognition.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise was often linked to the unexpected quality or enjoyment of the game, especially when it exceeded initial expectations or offered a unique experience. Unexpected endings, the vastness of the world, and the discovery of hidden content also contributed to this feeling.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stemmed from unclear initial guidance, inconsistent story elements, and difficulties with controls. Players also expressed confusion regarding the reasons for significant changes between game versions and the purpose of certain underdeveloped mechanics.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration was expressed for the game's creative world-building, high-quality artistic direction (especially pixel art), and original story. The game's ability to deliver a polished experience despite low visibility also garnered admiration.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Players expressed a strong desire for more content, including additional story, exploration, and specific features. There was also a wish for multiplayer functionality and similar games to play.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope was primarily focused on the game's future potential, including the addition of cut content, new DLC, or a sequel. Players also hoped for developers to fix existing issues and continue improving the game.
- Annoyance (weight 0): Annoyance was caused by cumbersome gameplay, repetitive puzzles, and minor bugs. Initial discomfort with controls and the ineffectiveness of specific weapons also contributed to this feeling.
- Caution (weight 0): Caution was advised due to the game's repetitive gameplay loop, potential risks associated with early access, and warnings about specific platform versions or bugs.
- Criticism (weight 0): Criticism was directed at specific design decisions, a perceived lack of innovation, and issues with ship combat quality and resource scarcity. General design flaws were also a point of critique.
- Curiosity (weight 0): Curiosity was sparked by the developer's decision to abandon the project, the game's world, and the presence of cut content or underdeveloped mechanics, leading players to wonder about their original intent.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0): Mixed feelings arose from the game's simplification of systems, changes to the story, and limited enemy types, making it difficult for players to give a clear recommendation. Changes in game mechanics also contributed to this ambivalence.
- Nostalgia (weight 0): Nostalgia was evoked by the game's successful atmosphere, its ability to capture a childhood feeling, and its resemblance to old-school games. Content from early access versions also triggered nostalgic sentiments.}