Skyward is a free basic and simple arcade game developed by Ketchapp, who is also behind the popular games ZigZag and Bounce. In this game, you simply tap your finger to help the dots move from the bottom to the top of the tower. There is no help page associated with Skyward, so when you first download it, you will have to take a few minutes to figure out how you are supposed to get through the fun and intricate maze-like labyrinths. Once you do, you might find this simple game to become one of the most addicting games you have ever played.
Specifications
You can get Skyward on Android and iOS, which is great since you can play using a Nexus 7 or an Apple iPod Touch. If you want to download this game via Android you will need Android version 2.3 and up along with 15 MB of room. This game is rated for everyone and it’s still only on version 1.0.1, which means it’s a fairly new game to the system. If you decide to download this game for iOS, you will need at least 4.3 or later and it comes in at 15.9 MB. Currently, the iOS version of this game is at 1.2 and comes in a variety of languages including Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Ko, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish. You can play this game on your iPod Touch, iPad or iPhone, but this game is optimized for iPhone 5. One good thing about this game is that there are no in-app purchases, mostly due to Skyward being so basic and simple, there is no need to purchase anything in order to become a beast at this game.
When you first download and open Skyward, it will take you quite a while to figure out what you are supposed to do. This is due to the fact Ketchapp did not include a “Help” menu anywhere within the main menu of the game, and you are also not given any examples of how to proceed or what the purpose of the game even is. The point Syward is that you need to get the dot to the next part of the platform, but you have dots that are moving and rotating all around each other. There is a lot of strategy and rhythm needed for this game, because you have to move the dots at specific times, so it’s more than just a mindless time-waster. You might want to think of the two dots as they are trying to walk up the labyrinths, so focus on moving one up a step at a time, and then the other dot will eventually find somewhere to land as well. As you tap your finger to move the dot, you need to be very quick, due to the fact the dot will disappear within seconds and then you will have to wait for it to come back. There will be moving steps that you need to pay attention to, because if it moves before you land on it, then you will have to start over. You also have to be quick because the dot ends up getting smaller and smaller, which is how it will seemingly vanish into thin air before you can move it up.
There is also a lot of variety in Skyward as far as backgrounds and labyrinths, and you will also have to deal with a 3D plane later in the game. When you get to the 3D plane, you will have to move the dot up three different types of planes, which each move getting more difficult to try to make it to the top. There are various tiles in the game as well that give you different outcomes, so you need to think about the effect of the tile before you decide to jump there. There are some tiles that are placed so that you can move ahead 3 or 4 steps on your next turn, so you aren’t always going from one tile straight to the next. It can be difficult to find these tiles however, since you really do have to pay attention to the time and make sure you get your dot moved before it disappears or before the tile moves too much. While the developer says you will find your “inner-peace” with Skyward, it’s more like you will become frustrated because one wrong move can ruin your entire run up the tower. The higher in levels you go, the more complicated the run up to the top will be, and the more complex each tile can become.
While Skyward seems to be really addictive and fun, there is one huge downside to this game, which is the ads. The ads are everywhere in the game, popping up almost after every couple of times you lose your life. They need to come out with an in-app purchase to get rid of the ads, because it just ends up taking over and frustrating you more than the game itself. You will go to click the ad by pressing the “X” but it can end up making you mess up on your tile move, and then you will die and wind up back at the beginning. Sometimes ads are not intrusive and don’t mess with you and of course, it’s something you come to expect when you talk about downloading a free game. Skyward takes ads to a whole new level though, which is a really bad thing when it starts interfering with your gameplay and strategy. You can download Skyward and check it out, but if you are someone who gets into a zone and doesn’t like to be interrupted, then you will also be highly aggravated over the never-ending pop-up ads.
The developers of Skyward also make you rate the game 5-stars in order to continue playing once you get to a certain point, which I find to be unethical and really low. It’s one thing for an ad in the game to ask you, but Skyward demands you rate it 5-stars or you can’t continue to play. Some people find this tactic very low-class and will refuse to rate it, in which case your game will end at that point. While it might be okay for some people, others think of this as a way to game the rating system in the App Store, which is true. Other people also don’t like to give out their personal information such as their user name or would rather not rate an app they haven’t had much time to play, so it’s a real questionable move on the part of Ketchapp.
Look for Special Pickup Icons: When it comes to playing Skyward you want to make sure you are looking out for the special pickups you can find along the way. These pickup items can allow you to do a variety of things, such as a lightning icon that will help speed up your orbit, but only for the next step. There is also a snail pickup you can get which will slow the dot orbit down for one turn and an hourglass icon that will slow down your time limit. You might also find a circle icon, which will flip the orbital direction, and this can mess you up if you are not paying attention. These special pickup icons are located through various points in the game, most of the time they will help you out, especially if you are new at the game and need some more time to make your move.
Only Tap the Ad Once To Close: There is no doubt about how annoying the ads are in this game, so in order for it to not affect you as much as possible, only tap on the ad once to close it. Sometimes you might tap the ad 2 or 3 times because you think you didn’t hit the “X” at the right time, but doing this can pose a huge threat to your game. Since Skyward is a tap-based game, tapping the screen for things like getting rid of ads, poses a risk that you might be tapping in the game itself. It’s best to just tap the ad once to close it and wait a few seconds to make sure that the ad is still there before trying to tap it again. If you end up tapping in the game by mistaking because you thought the ad wasn’t going away, you will likely find that it moved your dot, which unless you get lucky means that the move will cost you a life.
Always Think Ahead: When it comes to challenging games where you need to think quickly, Skyward embodies that philosophy head on. Due to the challenging nature of Skyward, you really need to make sure you are thinking ahead and planning your next move. Since you should look at this as walking up the labyrinths towards the top, you should be thinking about where to step next with the dot. As you are moving one dot, keep your eyes open to where you can then move the other dot forward, just like you would be thinking about your feet if you were walking down the road. The dots in Skyward will go away fairly quickly and the tiles are moving on top of that, so you have a lot going on at once. No matter how much is going on around you, make sure you keep in mind the next best place to put the dot, so that you can stay ahead of the clock and learn how to time your moves perfectly. Skyward becomes more challenging the deeper into the levels you get, so you need to practice the thinking ahead concept from the start to stay up to speed with the depth of the higher levels.
Find a Rhythm Early: Since there is no tutorial for this game, you have to sit there and play over and over until you figure out how to move the dots successfully. The best thing to do is to stay on the lower levels and continue playing and restarting the game until you find your rhythm. The higher in levels you go, the more precise you will need to be when it comes to moving the dots from one tile to the next. The best thing to do is spend some time moving halfway up the labyrinth and then starting the game back over, which can help you learn the timing needed to continue up the labyrinth to the top. You don’t want to get almost to the top and then make a mistake, which might force you all the way back to the bottom. I have found that the longer you can stay at the lower levels and practice, the better you can understand how long it takes for the dot to go away and the tiles to move, although these things also change the higher in levels you get. The main goal in the beginning should be to understand how to move successfully up the labyrinths without making mistakes, so stay low level until you feel comfortable with your abilities to move the dots quickly.
Music: When it comes to music, Skyward is really good at knowing how to put music on the game that is not annoying or too upbeat. Since the concept is for this game to help you find your inner-peace, the music helps convey that message with low and relaxing type of sounds and songs. I give the music a 9/10 because it will relax you but also help you concentrate, and it’s not annoying or out of place for the type of game this is.
Gameplay: Overall the gameplay in Skyward is really good, since there isn’t much to this game besides tapping your finger once to move. It’s a simple arcade game that doesn’t require much in the way of movements or controls, which means there is no lag and it never shuts down for no reason. Skyward gets an 9/10 on gameplay due to the ease of playing and being able to move through the levels without anything messing up or being overly complicated.
Animation/Graphics: When it comes to animation and graphics, this game did not set out to be that intense of a game, so the score is relative to the concept of the game. It is for that reason I give it an 8.5/10 because it was supposed to be a low-intensity arcade game and nothing more. You can’t compare the animation or graphics of this to some MMO RPG hardcore game, because it’s all different styles. It’s not that intense or heavy and there isn’t a lot of detail or animation, but sometimes that is a good thing. It’s almost like an old-school classic type of game setup, although the higher levels do get a bit more involved in the graphics department.
Overall: When you talk about everything together Skyward is easily a 9/10 game, but the ads really do detract a lot from the fun of this game. The ads are downright excessive and intrusive, not to mention can easily mess up your game. Due to the ads, I drop this game down to a 6/10. If they make it where you can remove the ads through an in-app purchase, this game automatically goes back up to 9/10 or 9.5/10. It’s just something that really impacts the ability to concentrate and have fun with the labyrinths.
Wubu Guess the Music Artist Answers All Levels
Guess The 80s All Level Answers
Who’s the Celeb? Answers Level 151-200
What’s the Close Up? Answers All Levels
Reveal 2 Answers All Level Packs