Hazel Sky Preview – An Aeronautical Adventure

Hazel Sky is an upcoming adventure game that had a demo available as part of the Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition. The demo begins with a boy named Shane and his father rowing toward an island, while a narrator explains that he is being taken there to pass the trials so he can return to the city and become an Engineer and that the Engineers are losing their grasp on the city. I would have preferred this premise established in a more natural way, such as a conversation between the two characters, but the monologue did its job of setting up the story.

After a confusing section where the screen is entirely black because Shane is blindfolded–without the game making that clear ahead of time–you’re given control in a small building where you must repair a flying craft to reach the island. You can pick up and examine objects and notes, sometimes for worldbuilding details and sometimes just for Shane’s thoughts, while other items will be added to your inventory for later use. I found a couple of collectibles while looking around, as well.

Now, I’m not entirely sure what the major gameplay focus of Hazel Sky will be. From the bulk of the demo, I’d call it an adventure game, since I spent a lot of time examining items and my ultimate goal was to bring the correct items to the aircraft on top of the building to repair it. However, there also was a part where I had to move boxes and jump across a gap in the floor, so there might be somewhat of an action element here too. Nevertheless, the overall feel gives me the impression that it will be slower-paced.

Once you repair the craft, Shane starts it up and glides toward the island… and the demo ends. It’s a very short demo, which was disappointing since I was hoping to get a taste for what the island exploration is like compared to the restricted space you’re in before you repair the craft. It can’t tell yet if it will be open and exploration-driven or if it will be more of a guided experience. The game’s description mentions radio conversations between Shane and another trainee as a core part of the game, but I didn’t get to see that in action either.

Nevertheless, Hazel Sky is beautiful, the world is intriguing, and it has a lot of potential. I’d just like to see a little more of its core gameplay to form a proper impression.