Time travel in video games is difficult to fix properly. It has been the basis for a great number of sci-fi stories; however, only a handful of games seem to understand the confounding, butterfly-effect chaos of changing the past as Old Skies does. Dave Gilbert and his team at Wadjet Eye Games have made a point-and-click that not only does not meddle with time loops—it dives into them and comes out with both story and gameplay a blend of old and surprisingly innovative.
Old Skies is basically a depressing prediction of 2062, a world in which time travel is not only feasible but is closely monitored, commercialized, and, of course, a sure way of getting a bundle of existential migraines. You are Fia Quinn, a field agent working for ChronoZen, an organization whose mission is to keep history from getting out of control. ChronoZen is run like a company, and the business is very good. Clients pay hefty sums to relive their dear memories or try to steer fate in their favor. However, bureaucracy is there: psychological tests are a must for all visitors, and a complicated algorithmic system assigns each historical figure a “timeline ranking” that specifies how much their lives can be altered.
The game world is built with a magnifying glass. Fia, a ChronoZen agent, has one major advantage – no matter how drastically the world changes around her, her memory is intact. So, you, as a player, always have the knowledge that survives each temporal ripple.
Fia is not alone on her missions. Frank “Nozzo” Nozzarelli, her handler, is the sarcastic wisecrack in her ear, offering help (and sarcasm) from the security of the headquarters. Also, there is Duffy, Fia’s mentor, whose calm and confident nature during the fieldwork support is a perfect contrast to the frenzy of the rest of the team. The relationship between the main characters is one of the strongest elements, with Sally Beaumont (Fia) and Edwyn Tiong (Nozzo) delivering powerful performances that are full of humor, compassion, and affection. Their exchange keeps the very complex idea strongly grounded in the reality of human relationships.
The story is presented in separate chapters, each one taking a different client to a different time in NYC’s long past. One mission will find you in the 2040s, while another will lead you to the rough side of the 19th century. Every era is different down to the graffiti, billboards, and street noises, which vary as you move from one decade to another. Although the riddles are deeply embedded in the point-and-click traditions, they also come with a twist: you are collecting data, not tangible things. The in-game search option, where you can look through historic records, is a brilliant piece of work. Nevertheless, to get the results, you have to put together full names and information from conversations and clues, so every minute of speech is important.
Old Skies is a great video game that deals with the issue of failure terrifically. The concept of death is not an option—it is a feature. Fia is going to die, and she is going to die a lot. Due to the Paradox Field Excluder of ChronoZen and Nozzo’s resourcefulness, every death error comes to a time rewind, leaving the lessons learned behind. Even further, the puzzles can have three or more deaths before you can figure out the clues. Instead of punishing the players for their failures, the game allows them to progress; thus, each death comes with witty comments or new ideas.
Their dialogues are the bright spot of the game. The script is intelligent, the characters unforgettable, and the emotional stakes are high. Whether you are clashing verbally with a quick-witted boxer or dealing with the messy politics of a broken family, every conversation is important. Voice acting is the tool by which the developers make these moments very attractive, even giving minor characters a bit of depth and personality.
From an artistic point of view, Old Skies swaps pixel art—characteristic of Wadjet Eye—with the richly detailed, hand-painted backgrounds. Every time is vividly visualized, stretching from the neon lighting of future waiting rooms to the warm mess of a 2020s flat. Through rotoscoping, the characters get a fluidness and expressiveness that is not typical for the genre. Similarly, the music is made with equal care; it changes from electronic beats in the future to smoke-filled jazz in the past, always matching the scene’s mood.
Old Skies is more than just a Valentine to retro adventure games—it’s an evolution of the genre. It deals with being here and now, realizing the importance of every decision, and accepting the uncertainty of a changing world. So, if you are a fan of time travel, crisp prose, or well-drawn characters, this is the ride you shouldn’t miss, and once the credits start rolling, you might find yourself wishing for a rewind button in your life.