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Description
I needed to stop messing with this, so I did. Here it is... my Skies of Arcadia 15th anniversary submission to . We were asked to encompass our love of the game into a drawing. I couldn't seem to do it in just one scene! This was an incredible undertaking for one who has rarely been doing detailed art as of late. However, when the subject is Skies of Arcadia, I had to go all out! I'm mostly happy with how this came out, but I still dislike certain aspects of it. Perhaps I have been staring at it far too long, and am judging myself too harshly as per usual. In any case, I'm calling it finished.

On to more interesting comments!

This game is amazing to me for many reasons, and I had a hard time choosing which scenes to show. I finally narrowed it down to the depicted. Some are straight out of the game, and others are more of my own interpretation. I wanted to convey the sense of the incredible bonds of the characters along with the adventure and danger that goes along with good against evil themed games. I could say there are spoilers in here, but they would really be more in the descriptions moving on. If you haven't played the game and don't like spoilers, stop reading here! Go pick up a copy instead!

- Top Right: (Hope) Who could forget the iconic scene of Marco, the snotty little homeless kid who could very well have been Vyse's undoing in Lower Valua. A character who deserved nothing but contempt suddenly spills his guts and unexpectedly makes the player feel for him. This is also where Vyse fires off my favorite quote "Impossible is just a word to let people feel good about themselves when they quit." Vyse shows Marco that you can't give up even against seemingly impossible odds. It's just so inspiring to me when characters are driven like this ;_; Even more so when they succeed.

- Mid-Right: (Unbreakable Bonds) One of my favorite scenes! A tearfully happy reunion involving a curious "treasure". The bonds of friendship grow ever stronger when the characters discover that a supposed legendary treasure to one famed pirate was nothing more than his closest companions. The word "nakama" comes to mind here. Eh, One Piece fans will get it.

- Bottom Right: (Adventure) Ah, South Ocean. This place looks terrifying. Obviously it's just a game, but if I were on the ship for real and tornadoes were swirling around, I would be hiding under the deck. Nature is God's territory I always say. And yet, onward they go to new lands, picking up some discoveries on the way.

- Bottom Left: (Danger) As lighthearted as this game is in many places, there are several incredibly dark moments. When evil comes to claim the life of a precious companion, destruction is left in its wake. I chose this scene because of the emotional intensity. I was genuinely upset at what was going on, and yet, I knew it had to turn out ok. Right? RIGHT?!

- Mid-Left: (Corruption) Ramirez is a very complex character when you think about his choices, and where he ends up. A single defining moment changed his life forever when he went against everything he was taught. Absolute power corrupts absolutely? Indeed.

- Top Left: (Discovery) Glacia is an amazing place. I loved that it seemed to be the only truly uncharted area in the game. It feels as cold and lonely as it looks, and yet it still manages to be incredibly beautiful. If I were there, I would be walking around staring at it in awe. Ice building hanging from an ancient glacier? Heck yes!

- Middle: Unifying all of these events is Vyse. His determination and intolerance to any kind of injustice is what drives the whole game. His friends are there to support him through thick and thin, and in return, he defends them with his life. It would be nice if everyone could have a friend like him. Just trying to be a friend like that is tricky enough!

Even though SOA is just a game, there are so many moments that have stuck with me since I first played it over 10 years ago. These are just a handful of my favorites! Though many games come close to this level of adoration, they just aren't the same to me. As much as I would love to see a sequel, Sega's incredible ineptitude at making games in recent years makes me glad that it's currently one of a kind. Perhaps in the future we will see a true sequel, but I can't imagine that it could even get close to this level of purity.

And... I could geek out about Skies of Arcadia forever, but I'm just glad that I was able to play it. Other favorite games eventually get replaced, but I'm not sure anything will ever replace this one at the top of my game list. It will be interesting to see!

Description
I needed to stop messing with this, so I did. Here it is... my Skies of Arcadia 15th anniversary submission to . We were asked to encompass our love of the game into a drawing. I couldn't seem to do it in just one scene! This was an incredible undertaking for one who has rarely been doing detailed art as of late. However, when the subject is Skies of Arcadia, I had to go all out! I'm mostly happy with how this came out, but I still dislike certain aspects of it. Perhaps I have been staring at it far too long, and am judging myself too harshly as per usual. In any case, I'm calling it finished.

On to more interesting comments!

This game is amazing to me for many reasons, and I had a hard time choosing which scenes to show. I finally narrowed it down to the depicted. Some are straight out of the game, and others are more of my own interpretation. I wanted to convey the sense of the incredible bonds of the characters along with the adventure and danger that goes along with good against evil themed games. I could say there are spoilers in here, but they would really be more in the descriptions moving on. If you haven't played the game and don't like spoilers, stop reading here! Go pick up a copy instead!

- Top Right: (Hope) Who could forget the iconic scene of Marco, the snotty little homeless kid who could very well have been Vyse's undoing in Lower Valua. A character who deserved nothing but contempt suddenly spills his guts and unexpectedly makes the player feel for him. This is also where Vyse fires off my favorite quote "Impossible is just a word to let people feel good about themselves when they quit." Vyse shows Marco that you can't give up even against seemingly impossible odds. It's just so inspiring to me when characters are driven like this ;_; Even more so when they succeed.

- Mid-Right: (Unbreakable Bonds) One of my favorite scenes! A tearfully happy reunion involving a curious "treasure". The bonds of friendship grow ever stronger when the characters discover that a supposed legendary treasure to one famed pirate was nothing more than his closest companions. The word "nakama" comes to mind here. Eh, One Piece fans will get it.

- Bottom Right: (Adventure) Ah, South Ocean. This place looks terrifying. Obviously it's just a game, but if I were on the ship for real and tornadoes were swirling around, I would be hiding under the deck. Nature is God's territory I always say. And yet, onward they go to new lands, picking up some discoveries on the way.

- Bottom Left: (Danger) As lighthearted as this game is in many places, there are several incredibly dark moments. When evil comes to claim the life of a precious companion, destruction is left in its wake. I chose this scene because of the emotional intensity. I was genuinely upset at what was going on, and yet, I knew it had to turn out ok. Right? RIGHT?!

- Mid-Left: (Corruption) Ramirez is a very complex character when you think about his choices, and where he ends up. A single defining moment changed his life forever when he went against everything he was taught. Absolute power corrupts absolutely? Indeed.

- Top Left: (Discovery) Glacia is an amazing place. I loved that it seemed to be the only truly uncharted area in the game. It feels as cold and lonely as it looks, and yet it still manages to be incredibly beautiful. If I were there, I would be walking around staring at it in awe. Ice building hanging from an ancient glacier? Heck yes!

- Middle: Unifying all of these events is Vyse. His determination and intolerance to any kind of injustice is what drives the whole game. His friends are there to support him through thick and thin, and in return, he defends them with his life. It would be nice if everyone could have a friend like him. Just trying to be a friend like that is tricky enough!

Even though SOA is just a game, there are so many moments that have stuck with me since I first played it over 10 years ago. These are just a handful of my favorites! Though many games come close to this level of adoration, they just aren't the same to me. As much as I would love to see a sequel, Sega's incredible ineptitude at making games in recent years makes me glad that it's currently one of a kind. Perhaps in the future we will see a true sequel, but I can't imagine that it could even get close to this level of purity.

And... I could geek out about Skies of Arcadia forever, but I'm just glad that I was able to play it. Other favorite games eventually get replaced, but I'm not sure anything will ever replace this one at the top of my game list. It will be interesting to see!