An unlikely pairing
It’s the engineers versus the artists in Hazel Sky, the left-brainers against the right-brainers. But, the engineers are described as “honored,” while the artists are called “reviled.” This is a society that’s very much governed by science.
Hazel Sky tells the story of Shane, a junior engineer on the flying City of Gideon who has to prove himself worthy of being a man of the machines. The process is more grueling than some written exams. Shane has to track down defunct planes across the island, fix them up, and take to the skies.
There’s an unmistakable adventuring quality to Hazel Sky. It looks in the vein of something like Uncharted, sans all the shooting. Ziplining, rope-swinging, dangerous rock-sliding — it’s all quite reminiscent of Nathan Drake, especially considering how Shane’s out to uncover the city’s mysterious roots.
However, there’s another analog to draw, and that’s to 2016’s indie sensation Firewatch. Shane strikes up an “illicit friendship” with fellow trainee Erin, and it all takes place over a two-way radio. It begs for comparisons between Henry and Delilah’s non-physical tryst in Firewatch.
If you aren’t yet sold, Hazel Sky is yet another indie game with a folksy acoustic soundtrack, except you can be the one who plays the guitar.
Hazel Sky is coming to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One later this year.
