SkyTime

It's been a quarter century since the rise of the first-person video games, and in that time we've seen technology grow and expand what developers are able to do in a 3D space. But for all the major advancements that have come along, there's still one thing developers can't seem to get right -- First-person platforming. That's not to say it has never been done well, but more times than naught it's the worst part of the game. That's why I went into SkyTime with a lot of concerns. It's hard enough for industry veterans to get first-person platforming right, so I'm always a little skeptical when a first-time developer steps up and bases their entire game around that mechanic. As it turns out, I was right to be concerned.

SkyTime is the kind of game where I knew something was seriously wrong right from the opening cinema. I guess the game revolves around a brilliant scientist who lost his family on a ski trip, but I'm honestly not sure. I simply couldn't understand one of the lines of dialog or how it connected to this game, which has absolutely nothing to do with mountains, snow or skiing. I guess it sets up an adventure where our hero Zachary is forced to save his family from something or someone. I honestly don't know.

Regardless of what the story is trying to say, SkyTime is essentially a racing game where you jump from building to building before time runs out. Think of it as a Mirror's Edge racer, only without the parkour, story, good controls, interesting characters or anything else people liked about that series. The result is a short and uneven first-person platformer where you're hundreds of feet in the air and doing everything in your power to not fall.

It's probably worth mentioning that Zachary is something of a superhero. Not only does gravity not affect him like everybody else, but he also has a stopwatch that slows down time. This power will help the distraught father jump much further than he normally would, allowing for some truly epic moments where you're jumping from one skyscraper to another while bullets are flying in all directions. Who cares that it doesn't make any sense, the idea of a footrace far above the city is a concept that immediately grabs my attention. Too bad it lets go just as quickly.

As both a first-person platformer and a racing game, SkyTime is a miserable failure. For starters, every level looks exactly the same. You'll see the same flying cars, the same skyscrapers and the same gun turrets in every single stage. They never change the time of day or add weather effects, it always looks exactly the same, no matter what level you're playing. And since there are only nine courses to choose from, you'll have no problem beating the game in a single sitting.

Of course, the issues don't end with a few repetitive backgrounds. The real problem with SkyTime is the gameplay, which simply isn't up for the task of racing high above the city. The buttons are often unresponsive and the platforming feels slippery, two things you definitely don't want in a racing game where every second matters. And it's actually worse than that, because the jump button will make the character bounce multiple times, often right off the side of a flying car.

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And did I mention that this game gives you no way to adjust the settings? I prefer an inverted aim, which is something that isn't offered in this game. A game released in 2018. How does that even happen? This made huge chunks of the game a whole lot more frustrating than they should be, especially when you're supposed to jump and destroy gun turrets at the same time. This is a game where you need precise first-person controls, and yet the game gives you no way to make the much-needed adjustments.

Another problem is that the course designs are terrible. I already mentioned that they all look the same, but the obstacles aren't that much fun to overcome. There are a couple stages that feel like everything is placed at random, to the point where it's not even clear where you're supposed to go half the time. And the trial and error path finding is only made worse by the repetitive soundtrack, which repeats the same thirty second song in a loop until you've either gone insane or thrown the system out the window. There's nothing about this game that I can recommend.

While the idea of racing high above the city certainly sounds like a good time, SkyTime is a miserable experience that is the worst of first-person platforming. The gameplay is bad, the graphics are dated, every stage looks the same, it's not always clear where you're supposed to go and there's no way to adjust the settings. It's inept in almost every conceivable way. I don't care how much you want to jump on skyscrapers and flying cars, SkyTime should be avoided at all cost.