Veil of the Skies by Crescent Dial Games

Veil of the Skies follows the struggles of an individual looking for their family in a post-apocalyptic world. Surrounded by a blockade routinely pounded by airstrikes, its a bleak and sad setting where scavenging for food is the norm and necessity.

The game does its best to make the player empathetic to the situation, and it mostly succeeds, though it can feel too much like a game at times.

Heavily Veiled

Veil of the Skies feels almost like a dream or a living nightmare. You go from one point to another, trying your best to find your family that has gone missing after an airstrike. Each location leads to another place your family may be, but the game is unclear about whats happening&or has happened. Abstract sections and narrative sequences leave you wondering what’s really transpired.

I wish the game was even more abstract and evocative with its imagery. When Veil of the Sky leans in on these elements, it gives the game more mystery, thankfully providing just enough story to without feeling too vague or confusing.

Red balloons encountered during your travels act as messages from people who came before or indicators of where to go next. They detail the struggles of others, detailing deaths, tragedies, and hardships. Scattered across the game, these messages help create a clearer picture of the setting.

Veil of the Skies can often feel too much like a video game; there are plenty of keycards to find, square blocks to push, key combinations to figure out, and traps like landmines and flying drones to avoid.

I get that these elements are there to create gameplay variety, but they feel like busywork, adding more tedium than anything else. Toning them down would make Veil of the Skies feel more impactful.

Sudden Death and Smokey Skies

Veil of the Skies is a bit rough around the edges. The camera clips through walls, and I got stuck on objects during some instances.

There is no checkpoint system in place within chapters, either, and since many things lead to instant death, it means restarting chapters over again. This isnt a big deal since most chapters are short and the game takes about 90 minutes to complete, but it can make certain sections a little annoying.

The presentation matches the depressing narrative. Thick shadows, dust from rubble, and smoke from fires are expertly implemented to make the world feel even grimmer, which makes for a heavy, dreamy, post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

There isn’t much music in the game, which feels appropriately isolating. Sound design is centered around the deep breaths of the protagonist as they run, driving home the feelings of desperation.

The Verdict:

Veil of the Skies does its best to give a glimpse into a horrible situation. It’s a different kind of post-apocalyptic game focused on human struggle. The gameplay leaves a lot to be desired, but the narrative is evocative enough to overlook some of its shortcomings.

Veil of the Skies is available via Steam.

Check out the official trailer for Veil of the Skies below: