Before I even start, I should probably make something clear here. If you haven't played FC yet, do yourself a favor and get to it if you're interested in this arc of games. This game's the textbook definition of a sequel done right, but it won't mean much without FC.
To give my short version of the review first, Sky SC is simply one of the best games I've ever played and I think everyone should give this series a shot for its world building, amazing cast of characters, memorable music, and its narrative. It takes everything good about FC and just cranks it up to 11.
For the actual review, Sky SC is one of the best sequels I've ever played for several reasons. Back in Sky FC, you get to see Joshua and Estelle's journey through Liberl through the lens of Estelle, where her pure yet unknowledgeable view of the world lets you learn more about the continent of Zemuria, glimpsing into some of its political conflicts, different nations, the time line, etc. Joshua, on the other hand, is Estelle's much more intelligent half, often being the one to guide Estelle and make up for her more reckless and head empty actions. On the journey, you meet what is the main cast of the arc as each chapter passes by, with each character coming and going after their respective chapter until the final chapter, where they all come back together. This allowed them to get some spotlight, but it also made this game feel almost episodic in nature with the main plot slowly building up till the end. With Sky SC, Joshua has left and Estelle is now left to find him, leading to some of the best character development I've ever seen. Her naivete is left behind as she is faced with worsening odds of finding Joshua due to her getting a glimpse at just how powerful some figures in the world of Zemuria truly are, but even when her idealistic views are put to the test, her core as a bright and bubbly character who attracts everyone around her "like the sun," as the game puts it, never changes. Rather, it is recontextualized and takes on new meaning because said ideals are no longer coming from a bubbly and naive child, but rather an experienced bracer who has gone through many hardships and having to make up for what she lacked when Joshua left, making their reunion all the more emotional. She's not the only one that gets excellent characterization, as everyone in the main cast gets more attention in this game now that FC has set the background for not only the rest of this arc, but also the rest of the series I'd argue. We get to see more of the effects of the Hundreds Day war that happens before the events of the series personally through Agate's backstory, where he lost his sister to the battle and has been since venting his anger as a bracer as almost a form of self punishment, like a wandering blade with no purpose. Tita ends up helping him through this trauma and accepting what happened, and although no one could replace what Agate lost, she serves as a little sister figure to him that makes him realize what he still has and gives him new conviction to fight, rather than running on sheer anger. Hell, you can see how Agate develops just by comparing his Sky portrait to his Cold Steel portraits. His fire is still there, but he's overall a much more mature and less angsty character now. Olivier doesn't change that much, but he is still probably one of my favorite characters in the series and one of the contributing factors is this game, where we get to see his true identity as an Erebonian prince and glimpse into what would be his main battle for the rest of the saga, which is his opposition to Osborne. He also just makes every cutscene he's in better with his whimsical nature lmao. There are more examples, but this reviews already getting awfully long. Gameplay wise, this game is nothing too special, but I always have fun customizing with the games orbment system, even if there are some spells you will quite literally never use. To cut it short, this games overall an amazing experience with peak characters, peak story, peak music (which I didn't get to talk about all that much, but this game has one of the best final boss tracks I've ever heard), and peak world building. It takes everything good about FC and just makes it better on every front, building on every story beat, character, etc. A must play series for any rpg fan.
To give my short version of the review first, Sky SC is simply one of the best games I've ever played and I think everyone should give this series a shot for its world building, amazing cast of characters, memorable music, and its narrative. It takes everything good about FC and just cranks it up to 11.
For the actual review, Sky SC is one of the best sequels I've ever played for several reasons. Back in Sky FC, you get to see Joshua and Estelle's journey through Liberl through the lens of Estelle, where her pure yet unknowledgeable view of the world lets you learn more about the continent of Zemuria, glimpsing into some of its political conflicts, different nations, the time line, etc. Joshua, on the other hand, is Estelle's much more intelligent half, often being the one to guide Estelle and make up for her more reckless and head empty actions. On the journey, you meet what is the main cast of the arc as each chapter passes by, with each character coming and going after their respective chapter until the final chapter, where they all come back together. This allowed them to get some spotlight, but it also made this game feel almost episodic in nature with the main plot slowly building up till the end. With Sky SC, Joshua has left and Estelle is now left to find him, leading to some of the best character development I've ever seen. Her naivete is left behind as she is faced with worsening odds of finding Joshua due to her getting a glimpse at just how powerful some figures in the world of Zemuria truly are, but even when her idealistic views are put to the test, her core as a bright and bubbly character who attracts everyone around her "like the sun," as the game puts it, never changes. Rather, it is recontextualized and takes on new meaning because said ideals are no longer coming from a bubbly and naive child, but rather an experienced bracer who has gone through many hardships and having to make up for what she lacked when Joshua left, making their reunion all the more emotional. She's not the only one that gets excellent characterization, as everyone in the main cast gets more attention in this game now that FC has set the background for not only the rest of this arc, but also the rest of the series I'd argue. We get to see more of the effects of the Hundreds Day war that happens before the events of the series personally through Agate's backstory, where he lost his sister to the battle and has been since venting his anger as a bracer as almost a form of self punishment, like a wandering blade with no purpose. Tita ends up helping him through this trauma and accepting what happened, and although no one could replace what Agate lost, she serves as a little sister figure to him that makes him realize what he still has and gives him new conviction to fight, rather than running on sheer anger. Hell, you can see how Agate develops just by comparing his Sky portrait to his Cold Steel portraits. His fire is still there, but he's overall a much more mature and less angsty character now. Olivier doesn't change that much, but he is still probably one of my favorite characters in the series and one of the contributing factors is this game, where we get to see his true identity as an Erebonian prince and glimpse into what would be his main battle for the rest of the saga, which is his opposition to Osborne. He also just makes every cutscene he's in better with his whimsical nature lmao. There are more examples, but this reviews already getting awfully long. Gameplay wise, this game is nothing too special, but I always have fun customizing with the games orbment system, even if there are some spells you will quite literally never use. To cut it short, this games overall an amazing experience with peak characters, peak story, peak music (which I didn't get to talk about all that much, but this game has one of the best final boss tracks I've ever heard), and peak world building. It takes everything good about FC and just makes it better on every front, building on every story beat, character, etc. A must play series for any rpg fan.