SkyRider & the Journey to the AirCitadel

Co-op games are not as popular nowadays as they used to be, especially back when splitscreen was an almost required feature in most console games. However, technological advances when it comes to graphics have made this component rather unfeasible, so most co-op games are mostly designed for casual audiences, and they feature basic graphics.

SkyRider & the Journey to the AirCitadel is a 2D platformer with puzzle elements, in which you have to work with a friend in order to overcome a variety of traps, enemies and other obstacles. One of the players controls the character while the other controls a flying drone that can modify the environment, so they should be able to tackle all sorts of annoyances along the way.

The whole story takes place in a strange world that appears to be home to floating islands, robots and various other contraptions. There’s no need to worry too much about the story or its accuracy, on the other hand, because the important thing is to have fun with the mechanics and solve the puzzles. Hence, the co-op mechanics should make the experience a lot more fun in the long run.

In short, one of the players uses the keyboard to move the character around by running and jumping, while the other one handles the drone that can place additional platforms, or even move certain objects. However, the drone has the tendency to disappear from the screen entirely, not to mention the fact that it’s very imprecise when it comes to movement.

Hence, you often place the platforms in the wrong spot, or even have to restart the game in order to have the drone working again. You also have to deal with errors and bugs that force restarts, so the experience can get pretty frustrating in a rush. Thankfully, at least the graphics are nicely done, especially when it comes to the background artwork, even if that too gets a tad repetitive later on.

All things considered, SkyRider & the Journey to the AirCitadel could have done a lot more with the elements it had to work with, but the end product feels very unpolished. Hence, it needs some serious work before the game can actually be fun to play.