Black Skylands: Origins Gameplay Preview – Twinstick RPG with Farming Elements

Black Skylands brings to mind the sprite based role playing games of old mashed with a little bit of Harvest Moon. You play the role of Walter, the son of the Earner chief. The Earner faction is in charge of farming and producing the needed materials in the land of Aspya.

The land is suddenly thrown into chaos as Kain and his band of marauders, named the Falcons, invade the once peaceful lands and force tribute on all of the peoples. Walter sets off on a quest to rebuild his home and set things right as he embarks on a quest for justice by…farming! And shooting, lots of shooting.

The main gameplay loop is very similar to a twinstick shooter. You control Walter from a top down perspective, and engage in combat by shooting while dodging enemy attacks.

To aid you in combat, you can find and build many different weapon types that suit different playstyles, such as the sniper rifle which excels at long range engagements or the shotgun, which is dangerously effective at close range.

You travel the skylands by way of your trusty airship, the Hippo. As you go from island to island, completing quests, fighting enemies, and gathering resources, you take all of that progress back to your mothership. On the mothership, you are able to build farms, construct buildings, and build and upgrade gear. It is equal parts base building and farming simulator.

The demo takes around an hour to beat and gives you a feel for what the finished product will be like. It’s out now and available for free so please feel free to check it out if you are so inclined!