The Sky Project Land of Noris: first impressions from the playtest

After publishing my top games from devINITIVE Showcase, the team behind The Sky Project Land of Noris got in touch to offer me a Steam key for its playtest. So I have been playing it to give you my impressions from this first hands-on.

The premise of The Sky Project Land of Noris

The game had already caught my eye before, because it is a 2D RPG and platformer about catching monsters, with a very polished cartoon look. Pokémon is my favourite series, so I usually like any game with creatures and turn-based battles.

For now, it looks like the game will come out at the end of 2028 on PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

The story

At first glance I sensed the game would have something to do with the sky, but its world ended up hooking me with a story that is more romantic and tender than usual.

The Sky Project is set in Celestia, a ”celestial” world where every character has a partner bound to their soul, since they stay joined through their life force from the moment they are born.

We play as Kael, one of these celestial beings, who sets out in search of his lost soulmate, Aeris. He decides to set off on an adventure to find out what happened, and is forced to forge his first pact with a Nori and begin his journey beyond the comfort of his city.

The Noris and the turn-based battles

To face the world that awaits him, Kael has to catch Noris, the creatures that fight, and he can take up to 3 into battle. To do so he uses scrolls that work like a ”Poké Ball”, with different types and different catch rates.

The Noris have a really adorable design and at first glance they can seem endearing, but in reality they are quite aggressive and powerful. While they roam the maps they look blurred, so you do not know what you are facing until the battle starts.

Each one has its own strengths, weaknesses, stats and moves. So yes, the game has its own type chart, although it is not very hard to learn.

Demanding difficulty

The interesting part here is that turns and actions depend on the mana you build up and spend. In my opinion the battles are not easy, because they punish bad decisions quite strictly. For example, I accidentally hit the skip-turn button and the whole battle got complicated.

On the other hand, there is the penalty of permadeath. Forget about getting attached to your creatures or reviving them: if they die, they are gone for good. This adds an extra tension to the gameplay that we do not usually get in other games in the genre.

Oh, and by the way, there are also battles against Noris ”trainers”, not just against wild creatures. They tend to be considerably stronger, so you have to train and level up to stand a better chance of winning.

If all your Noris die, a sort of deity appears and offers you a pact with a new creature. You can choose between three, but you either spend coins or pick the worst one for free.

Sky Project lets you play on easy mode (not available in the demo) or normal mode, which is worth bearing in mind if you are looking for a cozy game with a lovely story where you can catch creatures without too much hassle.

The platforming

The second component of the gameplay is the 2D platforming. Here it feels like a fun way to move through the world and explore without being too challenging. You jump from one platform to the next and boost yourself to reach the farther ones, but it is nothing complicated.

The hand-drawn art

Without a doubt, the hand-drawn art is gorgeous and possibly one of the strongest points of The Sky Project Land of Noris. The style is cartoon with a very strong dark outline that makes the characters stand out really well.

But the real highlight here is the cutscenes, which are gorgeous and make you feel like you are watching a modern animated series set in the sky, because of the characters, the creatures and the settings alike.

If I had to point out one small flaw, I would say the decorative clouds sometimes stand out too much against everything else on screen, but that does not stop it from looking beautiful.

Celestial music

The music really does feel cosy, both while you explore and in battle. The soundtrack is sweet, melancholy and delicate, which adds even more to that celestial personality the game is going for the whole time.

I went in with fairly high expectations because of its look and its premise, but The Sky Project really surprised me and left me wanting more. Apart from sometimes getting frustrated in the battles on medium difficulty and the odd small performance bug, I think that if it already has this level of quality at such an early stage of development, I would bet the final product will be very good.

Add The Sky Project Land of Noris to your Steam wishlist if you like creature-catching games, a slightly more intimate story than we are used to in the genre, or if a setting with this much personality appeals to you. Try it when the public demo comes out: you probably will not regret it.