Many have been waiting to hear more about Sky, the newest game from Thatgamecompany, since it was revealed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV back in September. Today, the developers showed off six uninterrupted minutes of gameplay through IGN First, finally giving us a good look at how the game functions
For those of you who don’t know, Thatgamecompany is known for artistic award-winning titles like Journey and Flower, with Sky being their newest endeavor. The game has only been announced for iOS, iPad, and Apple TV, but many Thatgamecompany fans (including myself) are eager to hear about a possible console release of Sky, though the developers are continuing to be quiet about that.
As for Sky itself, the game is described as a “global social adventure experience” by Jenova Chen, who narrates the video. It takes place above the clouds and encourages players to fly around with their family and friends. Thatgamecompany decided to pursue a more social multiplayer game as many fans of their previous games contacted them saying they wish they could play those games with their family and friends.
At the beginning of the video, the player characters is a black husk called a “child of shadow”, who washes up on the shore of the island and starts to explore. Soon, a light from a shine hits the child of shadow, giving it a more colorful and distinct appearance. Players can then give light to objects throughout the world like candles to reveal hidden information about the world. Jenova Chen also highlights how many of Sky’s puzzles require help from other players to enhance the social experience. Individually, players are quite weak, but many of the game’s challenges can be overcome if players work together.
About 2/3 of the way through the video, the child of shadow finally takes off from a cliffside and start gliding. It is here where we get a better look at the game’s touchscreen controls, and Sky is re-confirmed as a “mobile-first” game by the developers. The player character glides throughout the world and next to many wonderful looking creatures as Jenova explains that a majority of Sky can be played only using the swipe of a finger.
You can check out the six-minute gameplay video below. Sky is currently set to release on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV sometime in the future.