Sky's the limit
Sky: The Two Embers burns bright in spurts before smoldering out.
by Rollin Bishop
Game developer thatgamecompany isn't exactly known for making animated films (it's not "thatanimatedfilmcompany") and yet that's exactly what it has done with Sky: The Two Embers. Split in two parts, Sky: The Two Embers is a 3D animated film without dialogue that explores the world of thatgamecompany's Sky: Children of the Light (which is very much a game) 500 years in the past.
In other words, it's a huge lore dump. In the form of an animated feature. Animated prequels aren't uncommon, but they're also historically… not great. 2016's Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV isn't known for its quality; it's known for making Aaron Paul a JRPG protagonist.
Sky: Children of the Light is a social exploration game initially released for iOS back in July 2019. It's still going, with regular updates and seasonal content, and just passed its sixth anniversary. It's also the company's first and only game released since 2012's Journey, the critically acclaimed game where players explored a vast desert and ultimately climbed a mountain in the distance.
This context is necessary to fully understand Sky: The Two Embers. Produced by Light & Realm in partnership with thatgamecompany and co-produced by Illusorium Studios and Orchid, Sky: The Two Embers is not interactive in the way that every other narrative or adventure from thatgamecompany has been to date. The film also actually debuted virtually within Sky: Children of the Light as a one-time in-game cinematic experience, making it fairly difficult to broadly access.
Sky: The Two Embers - Part 1 (which is what I've seen thus far) follows an orphan as she grows up and befriends a wounded manatee, a creature that can float around in the world of Sky. The entire world is under threat of darkness, and a mysterious sickness plagues it. Life is light, and light is life, and it's a precious-enough resource that the ruler at the top of the city hoards it, ostensibly to keep the people below safe. It doesn't always work out that way, however, and grief and anger at these failings is as much a theme in Sky: The Two Embers as kindness.
"The story in Sky: The Two Embers - Part 1 is about choosing light," says Charley Pope, writer at thatgamecompany, in a brief video about the making of Sky: The Two Embers. "Choosing compassion in a world that is being overrun with darkness."
"We find the last character whose first instinct when they encounter any light source, any wealth, is to share it — is to distribute it to those in the most need," adds writer Liz Ellis.
While I absolutely adore Journey, and have played it much more than might seem reasonable over the years, Sky: Children of the Light's never managed to hook me. So, watching Sky: The Two Embers without that, without the interactive element to thatgamecompany's previous work that so enchanted, feels a bit like exploring a gallery of paintings while my eyes are dilated. I know what I'm seeing is beautiful, and emotionally resonant, but I'm largely gathering that through context clues.
"People seek power to change the world, but sometimes they have to realize the only way to save it is to give it away," says Jenova Chen, founder and CEO of thatgamecompany, in the same making-of video.
There are certainly moments in Sky: The Two Embers that gesture at this or evoke similar feelings and thoughts. The orphan painstakingly collects light for her own benefit and that of those close to her only to ultimately hand it out freely in the end. This is in opposition to the aforementioned ruler who seemingly continues to hoard to the very end.
I can't help but wonder if those beats would have landed better or more effectively if I'd actually been familiar with the game or if it's simply not strong enough. I keep thinking of Kam's Demon Slayer movie commentary: the integrity of a film, meant to be seen as a film. I'm not certain Sky: The Two Embers has that. Stretched to 40 minutes and change of traditional, linear story, perhaps the same magic I've found in thatgamecompany's previous games isn't the right fit or maybe even I'm no longer in a place best suited to receive it.
Sky: The Two Embers is fine. The animation is solid in a "decent video game cutscene" sort of way, although it's not revolutionary. I'm glad it exists, and I'm glad thatgamecompany did something different and continues to do something different, to be different. It's good and nice to have that light in the world.