Rainbow Skies, a turn-based combat RPG made by the German team SideQuest Studios, lands on PS4, PS Vita and PS3. A work that contrasts the particularly dated graphic style with a very substantial amount of content, which could appeal to many fans of the genre. His predecessor, Rainbow Moon, lacked character and liveliness, essential elements to compete in the dense jungle of RPGs. Five long years of waiting will be served to the boys of SideQuest to give their new game the right personality and a convincing qualitative depth?
In Rainbow Skies the party will consist of the three protagonists of the story. Damion (the swordsman) and Layne (the archer) are two inseparable friends with opposite personalities. Both live on Arca, a kind of gigantic city-ship that perennially floats in the clouds above Lunah, the planet below. The inhabitants of Ark are convinced that Lunah is uninhabitable, due to the poisonous air, which has become lethal and unbreathable. Both Damion and Layne would like to become monster hunters, but they still have to pass the exams necessary for their promotion: just during one of these tests, the two get into trouble and are attacked by a big slimer; the fight becomes more and more ferocious and the protagonists end up breaking through the floor and falling inexorably towards a tragic end. Meanwhile on Lunah, Ashly (the sorceress) is practicing her spells, which allow her to control the will of the monsters. While trying to throw one, he misses and inadvertently hits Damion and Layne, who with a stroke of luck land comfortably on the slimer without being damaged. From this moment the three protagonists will be forced to remain united towards an adventure that will lead them to explore a vast and colorful game world.
From the artistic point of view, understood in its widest possible meaning, Rainbow Skies does not make big steps forward compared to its predecessor. The storyline, to begin with, does not excel in originality even when it tries to create twists. The dialogues are at times witty, but suffer from an almost embarrassing flatness. A praise certainly goes to the localization in Spanish, precise and correct despite the countless lines of dialogue on the screen. Given the numerous unhappy precedents, even in titles with heavier budgets, from this point of view the work done is excellent. The overall design suffers from a strong lack of innovation. Damion, despite being one of the protagonists, is also one of the most anonymous characters. The palette of colors chosen and the appearance of the environmental elements give an aesthetic sector that does not favor immersion in the game. To this are added strong deficiencies from a technical point of view. The polygonal yield is low and it does not seem to be in front of a game designed for PS4, especially as regards the cut-scenes, particularly vintage to want to be magnanimous. The combat animations are fluid, but with elements that don't even seem to belong to the past generation of consoles, such as the presence of uploads every time you enter a setting. It is not clear how the computing power of the console is exploited.
If from a technical and artistic point of view Rainbow Skies creaks, as regards the contents and the structure of the combat system we are faced with a very solid title, albeit not entirely innovative.. Once we have selected our party lineup formations, we will be ready to fight. The battle arenas are characterized by checkerboard grids, within which characters and opponents can move and attack in turn, each with different points of movement and action. The order of the rounds can be checked thanks to an indicator at the top left of the screen, which is decisive for the success of each duel. There are two types of attack: the classic damage or the one through skill, different for each character, which will consume mana points. Through the combat menu you can choose to position your player in defense, use items such as healing potions, choose a talent, check your status or even run away. Interestingly, in this regard, the fact that the killed enemies drop a loot with coins and potions inside: when a treasure occupies a square the opponents will not be able to step on it, creating an excellent opportunity for further defense and revolutionizing the field of game. After winning a duel you will be awarded experience points and, for each level-up, the heroes will earn special skills and bonuses. Wins also grant skill stones of different grades, which can be used to level specific characteristics such as speed, strength or luck. The customization will also depend on the weapons and armor obtainable in the shops or in the hidden chests. The equipment will be improved thanks to the blacksmiths, and each piece of armor will have slots that can be occupied by materials that add different bonuses to the characters.
The game also has a management mechanic that has to do with the stomach of the protagonists: fighting with a full stomach will provide various bonuses and facilitate clashes. Among the many activities to be carried out, managing the hunger of your warriors can be frustrating: from this point of view there is nothing better than a visit to the inn which, for the cost of a few coins, will regenerate the trio's health, mana and appetite. . The combat and customization system, in any case, is really very deep: Rainbow Skies is not an easy title to complete. We will always have to keep an eye on the management of the numerous statistics of the party components, and also the difficulty will gradually and inexorably rise as we continue in the adventure. Layne, Ashly, and Damion aren't the only playable characters. A very interesting mechanic is that of monster eggs: after defeating a type of enemy, this will drop an egg that we can hatch at a breeder. Once hatched, just go back to the breeder and retrieve the friend "clone". Initially only one creature can join the party but later, by accumulating XP, we will be able to have more than one to take with us. These beings, in addition to being upgradeable, are very useful in battle since we have the ability to equip them with spells of various kinds, such as healing ones.
As for longevity, the title offers hundreds of main and secondary missions that will keep you busy for dozens of hours, while it takes about thirty to complete the main quest. Between management and customization elements, ever-new monster eggs, map exploration and much more, the amount of content is definitely satisfying.
