Sky Odyssey

Sky Odyssey is an arcade flight adventure from Cross Company that sets itself apart from typical combat simulators by emphasizing exploration and scenery rather than combat. The player pilots historical propeller aircraft through varied environments inspired by real-world locations around the globe, completing tasks such as rescue operations, precision landings on hard-to-reach strips, or navigating through canyons and mountains, rather than shooting down enemies, of which the game features only a handful.

The emphasis on atmosphere and freedom of flight makes Sky Odyssey more of a meditative experience akin to later flight games like Pilotwings than a classic action flight simulator of its era. The graphical treatment of the landscape, weather, and lighting effects, such as sunlight glinting off water or fog drifting between mountain peaks, was among the ways the game demonstrated the graphical capabilities of the new console at launch, even though the actual range of available missions and gameplay options remains fairly limited, making the game more of a short but intense experience. The aircraft controls are simplified so as to convey the feeling of flight even to players with no experience of the genre, meaning the game can be played practically without a tutorial.

The game earned a small but loyal fanbase who appreciated its unconventional, non-confrontational take on a flying game on a console full of combat titles focused on war and rivalry. A scoring system for landing precision and smoothness of flight gives even seemingly free-form flying a clear goal and motivation to revisit individual sections again and again until the player manages to fly through them flawlessly. Today it plays as a pleasant, relaxed-paced diversion that shows the flight game genre on PS2 wasn't confined solely to military action, and it offers an interesting alternative for players looking for something different from Ace Combat.

Why play it: Anyone looking for a calm alternative to combat flight games like Ace Combat will find in Sky Odyssey a pleasant, relaxing experience with a flight-precision scoring system that motivates you to revisit individual sections again and again.