Black Skylands

Black Skylands follows modern Open World design a little too closely sometimes and relies on resource collecting, outpost clearing and repetitive side quests a little too often. Nonetheless the core gameplay is fun, and the presentation of the pixelated world is charming. Due to the gameplay remaining largely the same throughout its runtime, this is best enjoyed in smaller sessions and some breaks in between.

Black Skylands has a compelling story and is a great mix of a twin-stick shooter with a flying game that switches between the two often enough that you won't get bored. Piloting a large airship can be frustrating at times, but it gets easier as you practise.

Black Skylands offers a unique setting and really fun combat both on airships and on foot. But the story and exploration are not at the same level of quality as the combat, making them less enjoyable in comparison.

There’s a spirit of adventure mixed with retro top-down sensibilities that has appeal here, but it also has stumbling blocks

Pirates are a pretty versatile group. Whether it’s on the high seas, in space, or on a distant planet. If a pirate’s involved then you know what kind of adventure you’re in for. On its surface Black Skylands ticks many pirate boxes. You’ll be the captain of your own ship, travel to interesting places, go on grand adventures, tackle someone wanting to destroy your way of life, and even find treasure. However, rather than taking place on land, this adventure sees you heading to the skies – and your boat…it’s an airship!

Black Skylands, meanwhile, is showing off its open world of endless clouds in the Early Access, with danger lurking around every corner. Pull your muscles out of your bag and go liberate the islands, or stay at base and tend to your home. The title brings with it incredible freedom, beautiful visuals, addictive gameplay, a lust to discover more of Aspy's beauty and a curiosity to see what lurks in the dangerous Storm. While the gunfights can be a little cumbersome, and so can the airship steering, it's nothing the developers haven't worked on before the full game's release.

With a scenario that is too anecdotal, Black Skylands could however have been a very pleasant sandbox experience. Unfortunately its gameplay loop does not renew itself enough and the exploration of its open world does not bring the satisfaction that could allow you to get lost for long hours.

While combat can get frustrating at times, the rewards across the different islands make it well worth it. The story is engaging, and the open world has been meticulously crafted to provide such a wholesome experience. If you enjoy the trailer, I’m sure you’ll have a great time exploring Aspya and building your own home in the sky.

While Black Skylands delivers an appealing aesthetic and some solid core gameplay, it quickly mires itself down in long, repetitive trips to gather resources and largely unchanging gameplay. While its slow, unchanging gameplay didn’t hold my attention very well, I can see how someone could find a relaxing challenge that they can just take their time with here.

The combat and controls doesn't feel as refined as it should but the exploration and world building are top notch which make Black Skylands truly one of the few early access worth buying the ticket to from the very beginning.