I was a bit sad that I wasn't picking up my dusty old Vita and bringing it out of retirement, but instead, I picked up the Nintendo Switch and set out to see what I had been missing out on for a number of years.
After a series of unfortunate events, he and his sensible friend fall from Arca and crash down to the town below, which just happens to be where Ashly is, as she is trying to master a bonding spell between her and her monster - but would you believe it, the spell works... but bonds her to the crash-landed Damion and Layne.
With the three unable to leave each other's sides, they decide to go on a quest to find a spell that will break the magic bind. I found this opening very charming and the first quarter of the game is dedicated to this problem before they get caught up in a more traditional plot of good versus evil.
The combat is a big focus, you will spend many, many hours in combat, it’s a traditional isometric grid that characters move across, and you have basic attacks (which handily you don’t have to press a button to use) just walk into your opponent and your character will automatically use them.
Layne specialises in ranged attacks, whilst Ashly uses magic, a lot of time is spent trying to position your characters in the right space to use attacks, unlike other games of this nature, it isn't about long battles, the battles here are short and snappy.
As you progress more abilities are available which makes the bouts more dynamic. Also, after reaching a certain part in the story you can then use monsters to fight by your side, you can capture them, or will sometimes get eggs after defeating a monster, these can be taken to a monster tamer to be hatched, and raised to fight in battle.
You could see this as just a thing to throw in, but with only 3 main party members you do really need these monsters, as you can face lots of enemies at one time, so your tamed monsters even the odds.
Rainbow Skies goes all in with upgrading, you can upgrade your characters, weapons, armour, and the spells you use, all are done in slightly different ways, some with experience from battle and others with certain stones or books, I was greatly pleased with how much you could do with all facets of your character, you could see growth and development with all stats going up over time.
The interface and map worked well, I loved how things were laid out and the map showed you how much you had accomplished in each region, it meant you were always aware of what needed to be done and how much had been explored. The music - though a little generic - does have a lot of variety, even having different battle themes in different areas, with the sheer scope of the game in mind it was nice not having to hear the same song over and over.
There are problems, and they do seep through the more you play. The combat is enjoyable, but you do have to grind after a while, and though I’m used to it, even for me it was a bit much.
The story gets bland really quickly, I thought the opening was charming and cute - and for a while that lasts - but the further into the narrative, the more bland it becomes. It doesn’t help that Damion just comes off as a massive tool who keeps getting you into crappy situations, I found him an obnoxious pain and very hard to root for, the other two protagonists are ok, but they won't live long in the memory.
SUMMARY
Rainbow Skies has a lot to offer and I enjoyed a lot of what it did, the combat was good, I loved the interface and map, and the game does a solid job of keeping you focused on what to do next, but as time goes on the game suffers with a bland story and forgettable characters. Lovers of the genre might still get a lot out of it, it’s a decent price and you do get a lengthy playtime with lots to do.
PURCHASE LINK:
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Rainbow-Skies-2417537.html
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