Comparing Sky: Children of the Light and Syndesi
When it comes to video games, there are not many that are able to invoke deep emotions without relying on combat but thanks to the list made by Games for Change, I’ve found quite a few. Sky: Children of the Light and Syndesi are two wonderful games that offer unique journeys that do just that. While Sky allows us to explore the remnants of a forgotten kingdom, Syndesi offers a voyage across a vast desert atop of a colossal creature. Although the two games are different in execution, both explore themes of survival, connection, and exploration that leave a lasting impression without relying on combat, violence, or competition.
Sky: Children of the Light is a beautifully made game where you play as a small glowing being made of light that is trying to restore a kingdom covered in darkness. You explore different realms, help lost spirits, and solve puzzles. There’s no spoken dialogue, no fighting, or enemies in the traditional sense. It’s just you, the environment, and the connections you make with spirits and other players. The journey itself is symbolic and emotionally driven with a heavy reliance on the world’s music. Players fly or run through the realms solo or in hand with another player and experience its changing stages that seem to represent the stages of life. In these places, you find pieces of light to enhance your flying abilities and solve puzzles to learn the stories of the lost spirits that help them find their way back home to the kingdom.
Syndesi gives us a more grounded experience. You play as a nomad living on top of a massive brontosaurus-like creature named Ni’lah who is covered with gardening plots, tents, and workshops to make materials. Here, you traverse a barren desert while managing your resources and trading with small oases to survive and help care for Ni’lah. The game puts an emphasis on planning around the environment and the bond between you and Ni’lah. There are no spirits or supernatural abilities in this game, just the harsh landscape and the challenges that come with it. Although the game is a student project and understandably not finished, it does not lack depth thanks to its environmental storytelling and compelling relationship between the player and Ni’lah. As video game producer Matt Swanson mentioned, “Games are a risky, expensive, and a difficult business to get into…” (WSU CDSU, 2018).
One of the biggest differences between the two games is how they handle player connections. Compared to Syndesi, Sky is a very social game. Even though you can’t speak to other players unless you spend resources unlocking the text chat feature, you can still communicate with other players through emotes, giving candles, holding hands, and flashing your musical light. Through these interactions, you form connections with other players that can help you navigate the world and solve puzzles that need more than one person. On the other hand, Syndesi heads in the other direction as a solo experience. In Syndesi, there are no multiplayer interactions and your only companion is Ni’lah. The main focus in this world is building trust with Ni’ah and your environment. Both of these games challenge the idea that a game needs combat to be engaging. Instead, they keep things interesting with puzzles, exploration, resource management, and planning.
Playing these games changed how I think about what makes a meaningful gaming experience. I’ve played lots and lots of games in my life from first person shooters, role playing adventures, to massive multiplayer online games but I can’t recall one that had the same emotional effect without combat or dialogue. These games can be slow, quiet, and thought provoking which is really refreshing to play and much different from my normal games like Pokemon, Overwatch, VRChat, or V Rising. I really appreciated the assignments in the last two modules that led to me playing Sky and Syndesi. These two games proved that games don’t need constant action to leave an impact.
References:
Games for Change. (n.d.). Game Directory. Games for Change. https://www.gamesforchange.org/games
ISART DIGITAL. (2020). Syndesi 2020. Itch.io. https://isart-digital.itch.io/syndesi
Thatgamecompany. (2019, July 18). Sky: Content Guidelines. That Sky Game. https://www.thatskygame.com/content-guidelines
WSU CDSC. (2018, March 7). DTC 475 – Keynote with Video Game Producer Matt Swanson. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROdFFVKCu_I
Mahina Apuna 