Darkened Skye brings to life a magical and enchanting world called Lynlora. The main character, the heroine of the story, is a girl called Skye. The game is based on the skittles candy…yes, you heard correctly Skittles. Skittles are magical cand…er…stones that have great power. But what is the meaning of these "stones"? Better yet….is the game so good you can "taste the rainbow"?

Graphics:
When you pop the Darkened Skye disc into your GameCube, you'll be delighted with the amazingly executed CG Full Motion Videos. And I think this is Skye's major graphical problem. It makes you want more…until…you get a load of the in-game graphics. Don't get me wrong…the graphics are not bad, but after seeing what developers like Retro-Studios and CAPCOM pull off with the GC hardware, you know this game deserves better quality. Some textures are old, it is severely lacking in special effects, you find pop-ups everywhere, and it has some major technical problems. The levels are big, but you'll find fog everywhere. You can really tell that this is an old PC port, with a few upgrades. Big worlds, lots of fog, decent frame-rate, but unfortunately, the only eye candy in this game comes from its FMV sequences. Unless, of course, you count the Skittles as "candy"…It was a joke people, come on!

Sound:
This is easily the game's strongest area, the voice acting is amazing. Linda Larkin, who did Princess Jasmine's voice (Aladdin), does some incredible work portraying Skye. Her clever and sarcastic jokes will make you laugh. There is a great script in this game, and the voices of all the other characters fit surprisingly well. Because of the amazing voice acting, the plot feels very professional and it flows brilliantly. The music of the game is really simple, it doesn't stick to your head, and that says a lot, considering that well done tunes usually do. Some of the enemies' grunts and screams are well done, especially the monster tentacles you encounter during your journey. Another cool feature in this game is that Skye keeps a diary in which not only does she write down hints (with the sarcastic humor this game offers) but also, the "quotes" mentioned in all the game, so if you didn't listen to what a character said at some point, you can just check your diary and read the script, a great feature.

Gameplay:
If the gameplay were as fun as the story and script, then this game would be awesome. However, the gameplay is pretty average…to the point of boring you. The game doesn't innovate the 3D platform concept in any degree, and the default controls are really annoying. You have to switch the buttons for them to be in a comfortable position for you. This is very frustrating, considering that too much of the game involves hopping around on platforms. Another annoying thing is that the L and R buttons don't respond unless you click them, which is rather uncomfortable. The game's combat system is very awkward, mainly because the enemies keep attacking you even when you hit them, so you can't really block their attacks, the combos are automatic(a la SFA) so you simply hold down the button, which isn't challenging at all. The puzzles are very simple, and not really intelligent, which doesn't really make you come back for more.

Overall:
Darkened Skye really has some amazing moments, especially in the script. The jokes will make you have some fine moments, but that's not enough to make this a must-buy. If you really believe a well done script is all it takes to have a fun experience, buy it. If not, then give this one a rental.