One of the leading developers forLost Skieshas shed light on the new game’s connection toWorlds Adriftand what lessons the team at Bossa Games learned from its last major project.Lost Skiesis a survival and exploration title set in a world populated by floating islands that players can explore for resources to build up their growing skyships. A demo of the game was released as part of Steam Next Fest back in February, and before that, players could download the free-to-playIsland Creatorand make their own tropical environments to explore.
Lost Skiesshares many elements withWorlds Adrift, the MMO released by Bossa Games back in 2017. It also allowed players to navigate floating islands and build custom airshipsto battle PvP opponents. WhileWorlds Adriftearned rave reviews and was nominated for the “Creativity” and “Heritage” awards at The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards in 2018, it would ultimately be discontinued about a year later.
Game Rant recently spoke with Luke Williams, Lead Designer at Bossa Games, to discussLost Skiesahead of its Early Access Steam launch on April 18. One of the topics mentioned in this interview was howLost Skieswas connected toWorlds Adriftin terms of gameplay and overall themes. Williams answered thatwonder and exploration were always at the heartof both games, especially in how players could build their own skyships and explore the open world either by themselves or with friends, saying, “We knew the core exploration mechanic was compelling, and a major pillar ofLost Skieswas expanding on that.”
Lost Skies and World’s Adrift Share A Narrative and Sense of Exploration
Williams also explained that narratively,Lost SkiesandWorlds Adriftare set in the same universe, thoughLost Skiestakes place after a great catastrophe ended the world ofWorlds Adrift. Players will piece together the mystery of what happened by exploring the floating islands ofLost Skies, an approach that Williams attributed to thegame’s co-op PvE format. In contrast,Worlds Adriftwas more focused on PvP battles, so the lore could only be discovered through note fragments. Williams elaborates on the narrative connection:
“Narratively, the games take place in the same universe, though we split the timeline at around the point where the catastrophe ends the world. SinceLost Skiesis a more focused co-op PvE experience, we were able to lean much more into the story and allow players to unravel the mystery of what happened to the world,Worlds Adrift’s story could only be pieced together with fragments of notes.
Lost Skiesis still heavily physics-driven and features a grappling hook and other familiar yet refined mechanics fromWorlds Adrift.”
Now thatLost Skiesis available on PCthrough Steam Early Access, Bossa Studios will be focused on gathering player feedback and making updates, as well as adding new content like ship parts and more islands to explore. It is the developer’s hope thatLost Skiescan carry on inWorlds Adrift’s place by providing a strong sense of freedom and discovery while allowing players to create their own worlds to navigate and share with friends online.
