Skyward Tips, Cheats and Strategies

The release of Skyward has kept us glued to our phone screens this week, but don’t let the pretty art style fool you; this latest mobile gem can be utterly fiendish and consistently frustrating, and we’re not talking about its overly familiar scenes and settings.

The truth is, steppin’ ain’t easy and there are plenty of things to consider while you try to navigate the various patterns in Skyward.

Gamezebo’s Skyward Tips, Cheats and Strategies will help you stay the course, beat your friends and walk away with all the bragging rights.

• While the snail tile may seem like a disadvantage at first, it can actually make it easier to tap the screen at the right moment as it slows the moving counter right down. Be careful however, as it can easily break momentum, especially if you’ve got yourself into a tapping rhythm.
• Lightning bolts, on the other hand, speed your counters up and can put you at a disadvantage. Look ahead at the tiles on the board and try to prepare yourself in advance so the tile powers don’t catch you off guard.
• Also pay attention to the rotation tile. Once touched, the moving counter will stop moving clockwise and instead turn anti-clockwise. This can be a big inconvenience so ensure you’re prepared for it.

• Don’t start moving until you’ve taken time to look at the pattern and familiarize yourself with your first few steps. The moment you start moving, one counter will shrink and disappear after its done two full circles of the central counter.
• Hit a sand timer and the moving counter won’t shrink or disappear. This gives you time to take a breather, clear your head and refresh your focus. Use these tiles wisely and consider your next move.
• The far-reach tiles enable you to reach further afield with the counters and let you gain further ground as you progress through the course.
• Keep trying to improve and improve your best score in order to unlock new courses and in some cases get new special tiles. These courses and tiles are then added to your play rotation.
• Aim to cut corners with your counter as much as possible to add to your step tally. You’ll gain extra points as the tiles you’ve missed are still added to your final score.
• Don’t be afraid to skip a power tile where possible. I’ve found them to be more of a nuisance than beneficial.

• Try to picture yourself walking while moving around the course. It’ll help you get into a comfortable rhythm and make it easier for you to keep moving around the course.
• Ensure you familiarise yourself with the different courses and tile movements, take the time to understand their patterns and appreciate the differences in courses, whether you’re using a tile as an elevator or skipping over gaps.
• Time your steps when it comes to moving tiles. Don’t be afraid to be patient even though you’re on a timer, time your steps just right or you
• Find a good spot to tap the screen. The game is unfortunately littered with ads and it’s easier than you might think to tap one. Often the ad will open with the game still running in the background and result in an instant game over. Find a comfortable spot which doesn’t obstruct your view and build your score as high as you can.

Ray Willmott

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Ray Willmott is a lifetime gamer and enjoys a diverse range of titles, from shooters to point & click. He manages his own site, writes novels and is a narrative designer for two upcoming mobile titles.