Skies of Arcadia

Skies of Arcadia is a console role-playing game developed for the Sega Dreamcast by Overworks, a division of Sega. Released in 2000, it was known as Eternal Arcadia in Japan. It was critically well received thanks to its stylish graphics and lighthearted setting. A swashbuckling tale of pirates, discovery and adventure was a great change from the then highly popular cyberpunk-influenced brand of dark fantasy that was popularized by such games as Final Fantasy VII. A similar motif was used by Final Fantasy IX, released around the same time for the Sony PlayStation. Battles could be conducted both on foot and between ships (both using a turn based system, but the latter being more strategic). The game's musical soundtrack, composed by Yutaka Minobe and Tatsuyuki Maeda, is especially well-noted among its fans, with strong, soaring melodies that effectively underscore the adventurous themes of the plot.

The game also received acclaim for its advanced battle system and unique fighting style. Unlike many RPG's of its day which held players to strict positions during fighting, Skies of Arcadia allowed more movement around the battlefield. In addition, further strategy was incorporated into the game through the use of the Elements system. By equipping the right element color against a given enemy, the player could effectively increase the delivered damage. For instance, equipping the fire element against an ice enemy would deliver greater damage. The use of Spirit Points to deliver special moves is reminiscent of the Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII. However, the increase in Spirit Points is determined by certain actions performed each turn, whereas the Limit Breaks increased upon damage to a playable character.

One major complaint about the game was the high rate of random encounter-based battles, which made travelling from location to location somewhat testing on the player's patience. This was fixed to a degree in the GameCube version of the game, Skies of Arcadia Legends, the director's cut version which also added some new content and improved graphics. The game was successful enough that it was re-released in Q2 2004 in Japan, which vouched for a similar release in North America on January 27, 2003.

There was a planned PC re-release of Skies of Arcadia which would have added even more new content, however, it now seems the PC port has been shelved for the time being. Fans have long wanted a sequel to the game, and from comments by Noriyoshi Oba of OverWorks one was in development, although this too has now been put on hiatus. A port for the Playstation 2 was supposedly also in the works, but for now, recent updates have suggested that the port has been cancelled.

Though the Final Fantasy were the originators of Airships in role playing games since Final Fantasy I, many Skies Of Arcadia fans believe that Square Enix have ripped Skies Of Arcadia by copying some parts of the story and in some parts of the character designs in Final Fantasy XII.

Travel

The travel complaints largely stemmed from the fact that overworld travel - typically done on foot - is accomplished in Skies of Arcadia via "airship," which is traditionally a method of random encounter-free conveyance in RPGs. Later in the game, the same freedom of movement is accomplished by an advanced mechanism discovered for the Delphinus which allows her to rise above the upper cloud layer and sink below the lower cloud layer of Arcadia and fly in the monster-free skies at high and low altitudes. The player can also find Discoveries hidden throughout the world while flying their airship. Information about discoveries can be sold at Sailor's Guilds located in cities throughout the game; the value of a discovery is determined by how well-hidden it is, and falls over time. When finding a new land, a Discovery is recorded. This will happen by not pressing the action button, as these Discoveries are part of the quest. The new lands you will find are as follows:

Ixa-Taka

Lands of Ice

Yafutoma

Versions and release dates

Eternal Arcadia

Eternal Arcadia (@barai version, Japan, Dreamcast): 10/05/00
Eternal Arcadia (standard edition, Japan, Dreamcast): 10/05/00
Eternal Arcadia (limited edition, Japan, Dreamcast): 10/05/00

Skies of Arcadia

Skies of Arcadia (NTSC/North America, Dreamcast): 11/13/00
Skies of Arcadia (PAL/Europe, Dreamcast): 04/27/01

Eternal Arcadia Legends

Eternal Arcadia Legends (Japan, GameCube): 12/26/02

Skies of Arcadia Legends

Skies of Arcadia Legends (Sega, NTSC/North America, GameCube): 27/01/03
Skies of Arcadia Legends (Sega, PAL/Europe, GameCube): 23/05/03
Skies of Arcadia Legends (Sega, PAL/Europe, GameCube): 30/05/06 (2nd Release due to demand)

Characters

Main articles: List of Skies of Arcadia characters and Skies of Arcadia things and events. Note that these sub-pages pages bear spoilers.

Main player characters

For the voice actors, JP indicated the Japanese voice actor, and EN indicates the English voice actor.

In the American Skies of Arcadia fandom, the main characters are sometimes referred to in an only somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner as OT3 (One True Threesome).

Vyse: 17 year old boy, "Blue Rogue" ("good" Air Pirate). Vyse has a highly upbeat personality and a strong will to succeed. Vyse fights with twin cutlasses. Vyse's magic is relatively weak compared to that of Aika and Fina, but his physical attacks are the second strongest in the game (after Drachma's). His super-moves often become a staple in boss battles. Voice acted by Tomokazu Seki (JP) / Christopher Sullivan (EN).

Aika: 17 year old girl. Vyse's close friend since childhood and fellow Blue Rogue. Aika has a strong personality and easily-inflamed temper. Aika fights using an oversized boomerang. Aika balances her high speed and respectable attack strength with fairly strong magic. Aika becomes mostly used for buffs and items rather than attacking enemies. Her Super Moves are best used to destroy large numbers of common enemies at once. Voice acted by Tomoko Kawakami (JP) / Victoria McCreary (EN).

Fina: 17 year old girl, "Silvite" (survivor of the ancient, defunct Silver Civilization). Fina is sweet-natured and demure, like many typical love interest characters in RPGs, but her sweet nature hides an iron will. Fina's pet, a silver ball-like creature named Cupil, fights for her. Cupil can morph into various shapes, and gains power by eating chams, which are hidden throughout the game. His most powerful form is Final Cupil, although it required a download in the Dreamcast version in order to get the final cham. She has very strong magic powers, and her super-moves are very useful when fighting bosses like Galcian, Ramirez, and Piastol, for their healing abilities. Voice acted by Yui Horie (JP) / Julissa Aguirre (EN).

Secondary player characters

Drachma: A maimed man in his early 70s. Drachma has a mechanical arm replacing his right arm, which he uses as a weapon in battle sequences. His obsession with hunting the purple arcwhale Rhaknam (Mobys in the Japanese game in a homage to Moby-Dick) leads him to search the skies. Drachma is the captain of the small fishing airship, Little Jack. He travels with Vyse and the others for part of the game, and pretends not to care about them, but he shows up just in time to save them quite a few times. Voice acted by Mugihito (JP) / Joseph Hughes (EN).

Gilder: A rakishly handsome man in his early 30s. Gilder wears a pince-nez and uses twin pistols as his weapons. Gilder is the captain of the light, swift pirate vessel Claudia. He has a parrot named Willy, who can be helpful when Gilder needs to break out of jail cells. Voice acted by Norio Wakamoto (JP) / Jay Styne (EN).

Enrique: 25 years old, Enrique is the Crown Prince of the Valuan Empire, but disagrees strongly with the imperialist policies of his mother, Empress Teodora I. The name of his father is unknown. Enrique uses rapiers as his weapon in battle. He joins the party and gives Vyse his flagship, the Delphinus, when he escapes Valua with Vyse, Aika and Fina. Voice acted by Soichiro Hoshi (JP) / Robb McCulloch (EN).

Antagonists

The general villains of the piece are the Valuan Empire, however the main characters are specifically opposed by the six (later seven) Admirals of the Imperial Armada:

Galcian, Lord Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Galcian is a dark, cold and calculating man. He is strongly connected to the mysterious Ramirez. His flagship is the Serpent, although in the later part of Disc 2, his flagship becomes the floating battlestation, the Hydra. Galcian is an incredibly powerful fighter, and wields a gigantic sword as a weapon. Voice acted by Kinryuu Akimoto (JP) / Dennis Lancaster (EN).

Alfonso, First Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Alfonso is a foppish noble with very little courage. He is closely related to Empress Teodora, which goes a long way to explan his high ranking despite his incompetence. The player never fights Alfonso, only his mechanical bull Antonio, although he is seen using a fencing sword. His flagship is the Cygnus. Voice acted by Ryotaro Okiayu (JP) / Jerry Lawrence (EN).

Gregorio, Second Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Gregorio is an old man, the long time friend of Teodora's late husband. Gregorio serves as a father figure of sorts for Prince Enrique (who calls him "Uncle Gregorio") and obviously cares deeply for him, even though they are not related. He is known as the Iron Wall Admiral for his impenetrable defenses, and fights with a shield and spear. His flagship is the Auriga. Voice acted by Takehiro Komaya (JP) / Steve Cloyes (EN).

Vigoro, Third Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Headstrong and aggressive, Vigoro is a lecher of the first rank. Vigoro has a very large ego, thinking himself impossible for women to resist. He develops a romantic interest in Aika when she is in the Valuan prison. His flagship is the Draco, whose biggest feature is the massive cannon on its front. Vigoro also uses a scaled-down cannon for close quarters. Voice acted by Masashi Sugawara (JP) / Charles Martinet (EN).

Belleza, Fourth Admiral of the Valuan Armada: Sultry and dangerous, Belleza, an expert in espionage, is the head of Imperial intelligence. Her flagship is the cruiser Lynx. Late in the game, she sacrifices herself to prevent Galcian from escaping the damaged Hydra. Her name means "beauty" in Spanish. Voice acted by Yuri Amano (JP) / Andrea Satin (EN).

De Loco, Fifth Admiral of the Valuan Armada: A deformed, insane little man. De Loco, nicknamed bubble head by Vyse due to his distinctive glass helmet, is the head of the Armada's research and development programs. He cares more for his machines than the lives of his crew, and will go to great lengths to punish anyone who damages any of his inventions. His flagship is the Chameleon, which serves as a test bed for his numerous prototype weapons. He developed the powerful "Moon Stone Cannon" which serves as the Delphinus's most powerful weapon later in the game. The player faces De Loco three times in airship battles; in each encounter, he is armed with a different "super cannon." Voice acted by Issei Futamata (JP) / Bill Broughton (EN).

Ramirez, Sixth Admiral of the Valuan Armada: The youngest admiral by far at the age of 24. Ramirez has a mysterious connection to Fina. He is a deadly swordsman, and a brilliant tactician. However, he does not scruple to shed blood. (quite the contrary: Soldier:"We can take Nasrad without damaging it, sir." Ramirez: "Maybe, but I want it to burn to the ground.") His flagship is the Monoceros. Voice acted by Hikaru Midorikawa (JP) / Ian Reddoch (EN).

Piastol, A gothic looking woman who hunts air pirates. Also known as "The Angel of Death" She is after Vyse because she thinks that he killed her father, however there is a reason for her anger. 10 Years before the story began, she was the daughter of Admiral Mendoza of Valua. One night, her Father's ship the Aquila was on fire. Vyse and Aika saw the ship and assumed it was a rescue mission, however Piastol thought differently, she thought it was they who set the ship on fire and attacked the first person she saw, which was Aika, she came ill-equipped thinking it was a rescue mission, so Vyse defended her and got a scar on his cheek which remains to this day. When Mendoza's corpse was found and examined, it turns out it was a sword wound that killed him instead of the fire. From then on she planned to avenge her father's death by hunting down any and all air pirates. Armed with a scythe and Eterni spells, along with a Deathhound at her side. Included in Skies of Arcadia: Legends as part of a side quest.

Magic

Elements

There are six elements in the game, each designated by a color.

Green

Contains the power that works upon life force. It has power to heal wounds and create poison.

Name	SP Cost	Normal Effect	Effect on Ships
Sacri	2	Restores 500 HP to one ally	Restores 4000 HP to ship
Sacres	4	Restores 1000 HP to one ally	Restores 8000 HP to ship
Sacrum	6	Restores 1000 HP to all conscious allies	N/A
Sacrulen	8	Completely restores one ally's HP	Completely restores ship's HP
Noxi	3	Weak poison-based attack against one enemy	N/A
Noxus	6	Strong poison-based attack against a group of enemies	N/A

Red

Contains the power of flame to burn all. It also has the power to raise abilities.

Name	SP Cost	Normal Effect	Effect on Ships
Pyri	2	Weak fire-based attack against all enemies	Weak fire-based attack
Pyres	4	Decent fire-based attack against all enemies	Decent fire-based attack
Pyrum	6	Strong fire-based attack against all enemies	Strong fire-based attack
Pyrulen	10	Super-strong fire-based attack against all enemies	Super-strong fire-based attack
Increm	4	Increases one ally's Attack and Defense by 25%	Increases ship's Attack and Defense by 25% for 2(?) rounds
Incremus	16	Increases all allies' Attack and Defense by 25%	Increases ship's Attack and Defense by 25% for 4(?) rounds

Purple

Contains the power of ice. It also has effects that influence the mind of the opponents.

Name	SP Cost	Normal Effect	Effect on Ships
Crystali	1	Weak ice-based attack against one enemy	Weak ice-based attack
Crystales	2	Decent ice-based attack against one enemy	Decent ice-based attack
Crystalum	3	Strong ice-based attack against one enemy	Strong ice-based attack
Crystalen	4	Super-strong ice-based attack against one enemy	Super-strong ice-based attack
Sylenis	2	Silences one enemy	Silences enemy ship
Panika	3	Confuses one enemy	N/A

Blue

Contains the power of wind. It also has power to alter conditions.

Name	SP Cost	Normal Effect	Effect on Ships
Wevli	2	Weak wind-based attack against a small group of enemies	Weak wind-based attack
Wevles	4	Decent wind-based attack against a small group of enemies	Decent wind-based attack
Wevlum	6	Strong wind-based attack against a large group of enemies	Strong wind-based attack
Wevlen	8	Super-strong wind-based attack against a large group of enemies	Super-strong wind-based attack
Quika	6	Increases one ally's speed	Increases chance of going first
Slipara	6	Puts all enemies to sleep	N/A

Yellow

Contains the power of lightning. It also has power to weaken opponents.

Name	SP Cost	Normal Effect	Effect on Ships
Electri	2	Weak electricity-based attack against a line of enemies	Weak electricity-based attack
Electres	4	Decent electricity-based attack against a line of enemies	Decent electricity-based attack
Electrum	6	Strong electricity-based attack against a line of enemies	Strong electricity-based attack
Electrulen	8	Super-strong electricity-based attack against a line of enemies	Super-strong electricity-based attack
Driln	3	Decreases one enemy's Attack and Defense by 25%	Decreases enemy ship's Attack and Defense by 25% for 2(?) rounds
Drilnos	6	Decreases all enemies' Attack and Defense by 25%	Decreases enemy ship's Attack and Defense by 25% for 4(?) rounds

Silver

Contains the power to void. With special powers created from nothingness, it presides over life and death.

Name	SP Cost	Normal Effect	Effect on Ships
Curia	2	Eliminates bad status for one ally	N/A
Risan	4	Has a 50% chance of restoring 50% of an unconscious ally's HP	N/A
Riselem	8	Completely restores unconscious ally	N/A
Eterni	5	Instantly kills one enemy--failure results in a miss	N/A
Eternes	10	Instantly kills all enemies--failure results in a miss	N/A
Eternum	15	Instantly kills one enemy--failure results in a lot of Silver-based damage instead	N/A

Reviews

Skies of Arcadia was well received by most game reviewers. IGN gave the game a 9.2, praising it for its "solid overall visuals, lively and appealing characters, excellent use of camera angles, and some of the coolest mechanical designs for the airships". Staff, IGN. (2000) "Skies of Arcadia". Retrieved November 14, 2000. Gamespot gave the game a 9.2 as well, also praising the visuals, stating that they were "some of the most painstakingly detailed ever seen in a role-playing game". As a whole, Gamespot concluded that the game "lives up the high expectations". Shoemaker, Brad. (2000) [http://uk.gamespot.com/dreamcast/rpg/skiesofarcadia/review.html "Skies of Arcadia". Retrieved October 17, 2000. At Gamerankings, it currently ranks in the top 10 highest scoring Dreamcast games, with an average score of 90.3%.

References

External links

Skies of Arcadia | エターナルアルカディア | Skies of Arcadia

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Skies of Arcadia

Travel

Versions and release dates

Eternal Arcadia

Skies of Arcadia

Eternal Arcadia Legends

Skies of Arcadia Legends

Characters

Main player characters

Secondary player characters

Antagonists

Magic

Elements

Green

Red

Purple

Blue

Yellow

Silver

Reviews

See also

References

External links