There’s been a resurgence of 3D platformers, and indie developers have been leading the charge. Once these titles were created by higher-name developers, recently, indie developers have been showing us that they have the same technical and creative chops to play with the big boys. That’s exactly what an upcoming title called Fading Skies has shown me. Fading Skies takes inspiration from 3D platformers of the past, with some Action RPG elements and gameplay that many of us have fallen in love with over the past decade. It’s an enjoyable combination, and that tells me that the developer, Distant Blue, has been doing its homework.
The overall presentation of Fading Skies is top-notch, which is impressive, given that the game isn’t anywhere near being finished, and what I played is just a small slice of it. The last time I checked, Fading Skies wasn’t scheduled to be released in 2016. However, with the game eventually going up on Kickstarter shortly, there’s not much I can tell you regarding the game’s availability.
But I can tell you about the demo that’s currently available on Steam and my time with it.
What is Fading Skies all about?
Well, sadly, I can’t tell you that. Not because I don’t want to, but because the story bits of the game aren’t completely in place. Again, this demo is just a small slice of the game. I can tell you that this game revolves around a narrative that isn’t in place but will have the protagonist learning about herself and some magic powers that manifest that she’ll utilize for offensive, defensive, and utility purposes.
I’ve played for about four hours with Fading Skies, which really makes me want more. The gameplay, presentation, and world-building have me sold.
Visually striking
Again, while this game isn’t nearly completed, the visuals look amazing. Everything looks bright and colorful: from the environment to the characters, everything looks good. Everything in this game is visually stunning, but this is the sort of game that seeing in action is the best way to appreciate. It’s hard to believe that this game is still two years off. You could have shown me this game and told me it was completed, and I’d believe you.
Here’s a look at some gameplay I’ve captured so you can see the game in action for yourself.
It looks good, doesn’t it?
How’s the gameplay?
When you first start the game, the protagonist mentions something about finding her weapon, which we never do. About 20-25 minutes into the game, we discover she can create a magical sword and bow. These two weapons are used to dish out the damage, and the nice thing about them is you don’t need to swap between them. By pressing one button, you’ll dish out a melee attack, and then by pressing the same button multiple times, you’ll perform a multi-hit combo. You hold down the left trigger for ranged attacks and press the same attack button. Switching back and forth is simple, and when you’re surrounded by multiple enemies, I feel that the control scheme works out pretty well.
Still, I have some concerns regarding the combat, and I hope that Distant Blue either has this on its roadmap or takes it to heart. When you’re attacking enemies, they don’t stagger. Instead, it’s either swing, dodge, swing, dodge, as the enemies get too close to you. Adding some meaty staggering to knock them back would do wonders. I also noticed that if I’m performing the 3-string hit combo, the last attack seems to be interruptible if I press dodge right after. I don’t know if that’s intended or not, but I feel it cheapens the damage output. Unless that’s intended. Lastly, a lock-on option would fit in as you’re often surrounded by enemies, and you can lose track of which one you were damaging since there’s no damage indication for enemies outside of bosses. I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking, but the combat is solid; it could be a bit better.
After all that I’ve described, I know some will read into this and go to combat and say, “That’s like a Soulslike,” but it really isn’t. The game plays more like Nier: Automata or Darksiders with some Super Mario Galaxy tossed in. I’m not going to lie; when I finally got hands-on with the demo, I half expected Soulslike gameplay. Thankfully, that’s not the case, and it’s refreshing. The combat is fun and fast, and with a bit more refinement, it will be spectacular.
When it comes to the action RPG elements, there are resources that you collect, though the name of them escapes me. After collecting enough, you can enhance your character by increasing your offensive abilities, adding more shields (health), and various other things. There were more options on the screen, but they weren’t available in the demo. I also liked how the screen looks vastly different from that of most action RPG games and has a futuristic look to it.
Lots of puzzles and jumping
Remember when I said this feels like a Legend of Zelda game? That’s due to the puzzles that are found in the game, and it feels like the inspiration came from the recent Legend of Zelda titles. You’ll come across locations at various points in the game that serve as training points. There, you’ll learn a bit more about how to use your magic weapons, how to use dashing abilities that are both horizontal and vertical, and how to use that brain of yours to solve puzzles. In my head, I was going, “This is completely Zelda,” every time I’ve encountered one. Yes, I’ve failed multiple times, but thankfully, when you fail, you just get sent back to the beginning to start over again. Failing stinks, but it’s not punishing or frustrating unless you do the same puzzle for an extended time.
As for the platforming aspect, it has a great feeling. It wasn’t too hard and unforgiving to the point that you’d fall and sometimes to your death if you barely missed that jump. Instead, your character will grapple with the platform’s edge and pull herself up; it’s great stuff. And unlike Super Mario Galaxy or any 3D Mario title, the camera doesn’t suck. You can rotate the camera around your character to get a 360 view of the area versus the limited view that some other games have provided.
You can stumble across hidden locations or be shown by cutesy mystical creatures that inhabit the world. I’ve even wasted time trying to climb to the highest points of the map, finding new ways to get up there. The game has a great feeling of open-world gameplay that isn’t as serious as open-world games such as Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, or Elden Ring. The only downer is that the world feels empty, which will likely change once the game development progresses.
There’s a lot going on with Fading Skies, and I truly feel that Distant Blue has something special in its hands. I can’t wait to see the full product. Despite this being a demo, there’s a lot of potential here, and it feels so polished. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the developer has planned, but at the same time, I’m a bit saddened that the game isn’t slated to be released until 2026.
If you haven’t checked out the demo yet, please do. You’ll be happy that you did. Keep checking out the Kickstarter page to see when the campaign goes live. I’m all for supporting indie developers, and his project will definitely get my money. if you like what I’ve discussed, maybe you should consider supporting them. Fading Skies is in development for PC; there’s no word on whether the game will head to the PlayStation or Xbox Series X|S or even the Switch as of yet.
