Sky Dancers
Score: 55% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Crave Developer: Gravity-I LTD. Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: Sky Dancers looks more like a first generation SNES Platformer than a late-comer to the GBA. The motions of the animated objects on the screen are minimal, and the resolution is a bit grainy. Each of the five levels has a distinctly different locale, but the variation of scenery within each level is extremely low. In an attempt to change up the monotony of the game, the developers allow you to unlock new costumes and hair styles for each of your Sky Dancers that you can trade with other players. While it’s a nice thought, it does little to alleviate the painful scenery. There isn’t much of a sound suite to talk about. The music is different for each level, but by no means impressive. The sound effects are limited to jumping and dying, and both grow old in their own ways. To say the least, Sky Dancers is lacking in the audio/visual departments.
Gameplay: Sky Dancers is based on the line of toys of the same name. In the game, you take control of three of these Sky Dancers in an attempt to defend their Wingdom from the evil Sky Clone and his evil servants. While I have taken into account that this game is intended for a much younger audience, the fact that the gameplay is flawed cannot be overlooked. It makes no matter to me what story or franchise a game is based on; if it isn’t fun, it’s not worth anybody’s time or money, and Sky Dancers fits directly into that category. There are a total of 5 worlds in Sky Dancers, each comprising of 4 different stages. Your only objective is to reach the end of one stage so that you can go onto the next. There is little variety in each of these stages; dodging enemies and jumping on platforms is what it boils right down to. As you beat certain stages, you unlock the different Sky Dancers. Each one has a different special ability, and you can switch between any of the Dancers in the middle of a level. The only differentiating factors between each are their looks and their so-called special abilities. These include stopping time, becoming invisible, and activating clouds upon which you can walk. I say so-called because instead of being able to use them at your own pace, you have to activate them at scripted points in each level by picking up their respective power-up. This forced use of the special abilities contradicts the term "special", and instead makes them a normal part of play. In an attempt to throw in some replay value, the developers have added mini-games that can be unlocked by completing levels. At first, it would seem they might have some quality about them, but there are only three and each is not so much a challenge as it is a grind to find the right way to complete it. For instance, one is an "accuracy" game where you set an angle and then launch your Sky Dancer towards a target. It’s hit or miss every time, and completing the mini-game leaves one with a hollow feeling inside.
Difficulty: To put it bluntly, Sky Dancers is easy but boring. You can run through each level, skipping all of the items and special power-ups in less than a minute. The only challenge is timing your jumps so that you miss enemies (you cannot kill any enemies in this game). To top it off, though you have three lives, you can always start back at the beginning of any level when you run out, and a password system allows you to come back any time with a full complement of lives.
Game Mechanics: Since you cannot kill anything in Sky Dancers, your main task is to avoid enemies. You have the ability to jump, and that’s about it. While the system is simple in theory, it is executed very poorly. Enemies move either back and forth horizontally, or up and down vertically, leaving you to simply time your movement. However, if you are to touch one of these enemies, control is lost and you fall like a brick to the ground. Since there are many pits in Sky Dancers, and you normally get hit by enemies who are off screen before you jump, most deaths are a result of contacting an unforeseen enemy in mid-air over a pit. This trial and error approach to making your way through a level is not only bad design, but frustrating, and will especially anger younger players. There are a variety of items in each level that you can collect, but there is absolutely no point in collecting them other than to unlock more costumes for your Dancers. All they do is up your score, a feature in games that is becoming less and less meaningful as it is a wholly depressing way of measuring your skill in a game. Sky Dancers isn’t just a bad game in general, it is an awful children’s game. Game design is universal, proven by the fact that many young gamers started out on Mario and still go back to play it when they are 30. Kids don’t need mundane games that have almost no challenge to them; they need good games, and Sky Dancers is certainly not one of them.
-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz
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