A young girl falls, flailing, into deep water, coming to rest on the bottom.
That same girl wakes, on a floating island above the clouds.
Thus begins Lila's journey...
Lila's Sky Ark is a 2D Three-Quarters View Metroidvania, made in 2022 by developer Monolith of Minds.
Combat in this game is somewhat unusual: Lila carries no sword, bears no firearms, casts no spells. Instead, (and with one exception) she picks up what objects she can find or buy and throws them at her foes!
Which is not to say that her attacks are ineffectual: some of the things that she can throw are devastating.
And she'll need to fight: the musically-themed Empire is landing its airships around the island, each bearing a member of the orchestra—and eventually, the Conductor herself.
To this end she'll have to explore the floating island, defeating mooks along the way, discovering items with which to fight or heal herself, working her way to each new airship and the Boss Battle found thereon.
The art-style is cute and colourful—but there are hints that all may not be as it seems...
Lila's Sky Ark contains examples of:
- Abnormal Ammo: Lila can attack her foes with pots, wisps, extending branches, titan's eyes, expanding dungballs, and more besides!
- Background Boss: The Slug Cat God rears up above and behind the little islet on which he's encountered, standing against the sky.
- Cyber Cyclops: "Dr.-Father-Sir", a large, intelligent computer of some sort who gives Lila her objectives over the course of the game—and who has a single, round eye. (Which can be given half-glasses.)
- Heart Container: In various places around the world, Lila may find items that cause her "life's flower" to grow, attracting more "blooderflies", and thus increasing her maximum health.
- Improvised Weapon: Lila carries no actual weapons (barring the "Banshee" upgrade). Instead, she throws various items at her foes!
- Mana Meter: In the Banshee form, Lila's ability to use her "scream" attack is limited to a count specified by a little meter that appears under her health. This meter can be refilled either by exiting the form, or by drinking bottles of "Liquid Fear".
- Metroidvania: A 2D isometric variant. As Lila overcomes various challenges, she gains new abilities; these abilities in turn often grant her the means to reach areas previously unreachable. Along with certain gates being opened as the story progresses, this expands in stages a large, interconnected map.
- Our Banshees Are Louder: One of the upgrades that Lila will acquire in the course of her adventure allows Lila to change into a Banshee version of herself. In this form she has a devastating scream—and the ability to light her way in dark places.
- Story Breadcrumbs: Not for the present story, but for the backstory—and hinting at what's really going on. In various places Lila may find letters, most written by herself, describing her life as a military child, and the work of her stern, one-eyed, military-scientist father...
- Super-Scream: The Banshee-form upgrade grants Lila the ability to scream ghostly projectiles. This is useful both for defeating foes and for knocking aside the stone titans that block certain paths.
- Three-Quarters View: The island is presented from an elevated view, without perspective.
