Floating islands, steampunk airships, pirates. 20,000 Leagues Above the Sky has tapped straight into the Davy Jones’ Locker that is my heart. Taking nods from Baldur’s Gate, Firefly, and Studio Ghibli, the game has you fly between different floating skyports, picking up odd jobs and brigands, all the while learning about the strange world you inhabit.
“20,000 Leagues Above the Sky is set in a world of floating islands and steampunk airships far up in the sky,” says That Brain in the video introducing the game. “In fact, no one’s quite sure if there is dry land below the clouds. All we know is that people who fall off the ship or walk the plank don’t tend to come back.”
And, with that, I’m sold, hooked by the prospect of what 20,000 Above has to offer.
The game itself seems to be relatively simple. You click to fly your ship between ports, trading resources, hiring crew, picking up passengers, and upgrading your ship but attached to such an intriguing world it becomes compelling. There’s plenty of depth to those base mechanics, too. The upgrades and crew you collect for your ship provide you with new abilities. Those abilities aren’t just for combat, you’ll need a sturdy ship to fly deeper.
The best loot is found deep within the clouds but so, too, are the stronger pirates. As you travel down, closer to the surface of the old world, you’ll find the sharks that float there.
That Brain are still looking to expand their team but I can’t wait to see what they’re capable of producing when they’re more than just two developers.