Skies Above, a game inspired by classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Skies of Arcadia, is now on Kickstarter

Skies Above is a brand-new tabletop roleplaying game set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with marvellous airships, floating islands and forgotten magic. The game is currently featured in a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which is live until October 2nd.

Created by illustrator and designer Lost Haven, Skies Above is a tabletop RPG whose core concept, setting and gameplay take heavy inspiration from classic Japanese RPG video games like Final Fantasy VI, Dragon Quest V and Secret of Mana. Other key inspirations for Skies Above include Sega Saturn’s Grandia and the beloved Dreamcast JRPG Skies of Arcadia, as well as the entire Legend of Zelda series.

Skies Above takes place in a world shaped by a centuries-old cataclysmic event, which saw the destruction of ancient and highly advanced civilization. Though the world was once intact, it’s now a collection of floating islands that are home to the various cities and settlements of the Skyfolk. Living in the sky has led to the invention of wondrous airships, the taming of incredible flying beasts and the discovery of various levitation magics.

In Skies Above, you’ll be free to explore this floating world as either a player character or the game master: who’s responsible for narrating the story and managing the gameplay. 

When creating a character, you’ll first need to choose a classic JRPG archetype to form their foundations. Perhaps your character is an aspiring young air pirate or secretly the descendent of a royal blood line? You can even create an amnesiac hero who must journey to discover the truth of their past. 

Once you’ve finalized your character’s JRPG archetype, you need to choose their Skyfolk origins. You have nine origins to choose from, including several inspired by the Final Fantasy series - such as the Usagihito (who are strikingly similar to the Viera) and Pommos, who bear many similarities to the adorable Moogles.

You’ll then be able to select your character’s chosen Job, which will affect the sorts of special attacks and abilities you’ll have access to. There’s your classic Dark Mage and Light Mage, as well as Bards and Paladins, but also some more unusual JRPG options like the Biomancer (who can mimic the abilities of other creatures) and the Engineers, who are able to invent machines to overcome any obstacles they face.

Exploring the world of Skies Above is a wondrous but sometimes dangerous endeavour, from sheer drops and ancient booby traps, to all manner of enemies such as scorpion bots; ice sprites; flying rabbits; harpies; oinklings (think Zelda’s moblins) and Slimes. When attempting to overcome a challenge, you’ll roll one d8 dice before adding relevant modifiers from your characters’ core attributes, skills, proficiencies and abilities - with the goal of meeting or overcoming the GM’s target number. When fighting, you’ll need to use whatever abilities, weapons and magic you have to defeat them and subsequently level up.

Besides levelling up, you can improve your character by acquiring new weapons, armour and gear for them, either by purchasing them from merchants found across the floating islands, or by crafting them yourself using the correct materials. Your characters can also learn new spells by making or finding scrolls, with a litany of incantations to choose from.

Skies Above features a vast world filled with secrets to be discovered, powers to be unlocked and friends yet to be made. It’s the tabletop roleplaying game for lovers of classic JRPGs.

You can get a copy of the Skies Above core rulebook for a pledge of $54 (£40) through the crowdfunding campaign. The estimated delivery date for pledges is as soon as April 2026, meaning that backers don’t have long to wait to get their copies.