Old Skies

Poorly written with a lackluster story. It doesn't feel like a Wadjet Eye game. Usually I really like their titles. It felt like this was written in a hurry and that the story and world was just made up on the fly. It rarely feels more than slightly thought through. Most of the puzzles boils down to "go there and talk to that person, then go back there and talk to that person, then tell that person what this person said or did" into oblivion. Like a constant barrage of dialogue fetch quests. Most of the remaining puzzles are trial and errors, where you replay the same scene over and over until some condition has been met. I've never been a fan of these trial and error puzzles but at least most games that use them don't over rely on them as much as this. Modern political sentiments galore, for anyone who is tired of that. Good music and overall fluent gameplay but in the end a point and click game depends too much on the story, writing and puzzles for that to matter much.

Not a bad game, but definitely nowhere near "Unavowed" or "Technobabylon". Not even close. Gameplay and difficulty are fine for the most part, even though the rewinds can get annoying real fast. What I disliked most about them is that more than once it takes several iterations until the game finally gives you the options you need to resolve the current situation, even though sometimes it's blatantly obvious from the start what you should be doing. The individual chapters were okay narratively, but felt a bit disjointed (as in lack of overarching plot) until the last chapter basically ties them all together. In a far too "on rails" fashion, for my taste. There are also strong LGBTQ themes here, but they're competently included in the worldbuilding, without the incessant preaching that makes them so obnoxious in other games. Bottom line: if you like other WadjetEye games this might still be worth checking out, but wait for a discount.

I was just about to replay the game with commentary on, but first, a review! I have been looking forward to Old Skies for a while, following any developmental update along the way, and, as expected, it did not disappoint - it felt as if I was meeting up with an old and incredibly dear friend. As someone who began the journey with Wadjet Eye Games via the Blackwell series, I immensely enjoyed all the references to the characters I have grown to love throughout the years and throughout all the games. However, even if this is your first game from the developer, I am sure that you will enjoy it. As always, the quality is incredibly high and it is felt that this game was made with a lot of love and care from the whole team (especially as Dave has mentioned this game is very personal for him). In this game, they will take you on a very emotional and, honestly, very human, journey, and you will grow to love these characters just like I've (and probably many fans) have grown to love the characters from the previous games. Two things I absolutely must mention as special praise that truly makes it feel like a Wadjet Eye Games game, other than the amazing writing that is full of wit, of course, are the backgrounds and music. As always, the background art is beautiful, and the soundtrack, also as always, is wonderful. The atmosphere they create truly immerses you into the game until hours (relative time) have passed and you haven't even realized the day has ended. Do yourself a favor and dive in, especially if you are a fan of the old school point-and-click adventure games. I guarantee you won't regret it!

Fantastic adventure game, good pacing, good puzzle design, excellent writing and voice acting and an affecting story

The ending made me cry, had to sit with myself for a bit and take it all in. This was a beautiful experience. The puzzles are fun and drive the narrative forward. Also enjoyed the references to other Wadjet Eye Games. This was my favourite.