Up in the Sky: The Really Big Sky Review

"Ho, Ho, Ho! Here's your coal you rotten little jerk!" 
Courtesy of  Boss Baddie .

Since it is nearly the "night before Christmas", I thought I'd grace the senses with a game that will keep our eyes turned to the heavens for the flying fat man who breaks into our houses and reverse robs us every year. For those of you who worry that line will get me a lump of coal this year, jokes on you: I'm a collector!

It certainly is a Really Big (seizure inducing) Sky

"Really Big Sky", 
  PC

For those unfamiliar I'd like to introduce the fantastic indie shooter "Really Big Sky", created by UK developer Boss Baddie.  The games title sums up what it is pretty well: a "really big sky" that has been provided for you to shoot things in. Described very similarly in-game, RBS doesn't deliver a lot of frills outside of pure arcade action. Don't let that dissuade you though, while this game is driven by pure action, every aspect seems to have been planned to near perfection.

The gameplay is straight forward, following in the footsteps of classics such as "Tempest" and "Darius". There are only three basic controls: Move, Shoot, Drill. The drill function can be held down to detonate a temporary explosion surrounding your ship, a la the "bomb feature" found in almost every classic shooter. Using this can help boost scores, and/or save your ship; but can only be used three times on any given level. The controls are, of a necessity, tight and intuitive to players of all levels. Using a dual-stick system to fire and shoot, only one face button is used for drilling and "bombing"; unless you're using keyboard controls; which I recommend against due to the loss of precision found using a standard controller (Xbox 360 controller compatible). When deployed the drill prevents the player from shooting, but allows you to drill through the planets thrown at you, rather than just smashing into them.

With enemies ranging from triangles to laser spewing T-Rex skulls, and even the aforementioned full-sized planets, RBS is not a game that's afraid to stray away from norms in favor of fun. I feel this also may have led to the beautiful  graphical style. Very well done, not to mention psychedelic, you never know what to expect next. While at times the graphics can be a bit distracting, they never detract from the overall experience, and overall help draw the player in to the zen-like "zone" arcade gamers often seek. Be warned though, the flaring colors, sudden screen-wide color-inversions, and multitudes of flashes could have left this title crippled with dozens of seizure warnings plastered throughout. This is not a title for younger audiences or photo-sensitive players.

The music varies from  quick to relaxed, and is an electronic mix. Sometimes as the gameplay (purposefully) slows to a crawl, the music does also. A fantastic feat, and a nice touch. The only area I feel RBS lacks is story. What little storyline is presented is standard throwaway fair for the genre; Aliens are attacking, stop them. The tutorial flat out states they have provided a "Really Big Sky" for you to play around in; some things should be shot, some shouldn't. Simple as that. Although most traditional shooters (or shmups) lack a solid storyline, it always seems a bit of disappointment when a game that excels in every other area doesn't have the story to match.

Seriously, I want a storyline that explains why slow-mo dinosaur heads are shooting lasers at me in space. 

"Really Big Sky" is another in a long line of space shooters that have come before it. While many aspects of the game are not genre originals, including strange/psychedelic graphics, it's not a simple rehash, retread or remake. From the way the control complements the action perfectly, to how the music constantly highlights the surrealist backgrounds, effects and enemies, RBS has a flair and touch all its own. Even the scoring system is used in a unique, and effective manner. After you finish each level, your score is converted into credits, which can then be used to upgrade weapons and armor. This kept me coming back for more, as I knew that the higher my score, the better my weapons would be on the next play through. I've never seen something like this in a game before; and I think it's a brilliant way of using the players score for more than just a bragging right on an online-scoreboard. Another draw to the game is that every level is randomly generated; which helps prevent frustration from "cheap deaths", as well as making every game seem like a fresh start.

When jettisoning a flame many times the size of your ship for the first time you suddenly
remember why you wanted to be an astronaut when you grew up. 

I think that "Really Big Sky" maintains a learning curve that will appeal to hardcore shoot-em-up fans and players new to the genre alike. While the initial intensity may scare off those just looking for a quick fix, I'd recommend sitting down and playing through a few good runs. RBS's combination of incredible design, beautiful graphics, solid controls, great music and well thought out gameplay, make this a must own title for every arcade-action lovers library. At about $8 (full retail price) "Really Big Sky" provides some serious bang for your buck. So, whether you're looking for a quick fix of classic gameplay, or a psychadelic shooter that'll keep you coming back time and time again, RBS may just be the game for you.

I give "Really Big Sky" a 4.25 out of 5 Stars.

Until next time, keep on gaming.