Sky: Children of the Light

-1.13
Slightly Bad
Price: Free
Ads: No
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 130 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 134 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-1.36

35 votes
3 votes
Daily Rewards -
35 / 3 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

34 votes
4 votes
Grinding -
34 / 4 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

30 votes
8 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
30 / 8 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

13 votes
24 votes
Playing by Appointment -
13 / 24 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

13 votes
25 votes
Wait To Play -
13 / 25 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

5 votes
32 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
5 / 32 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

38 votes
Advertisements -
0 / 38 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 143 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 261 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-0.36

37 votes
1 votes
Premium Currency -
37 / 1 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

36 votes
2 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
36 / 2 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

26 votes
11 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
26 / 11 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

12 votes
25 votes
Pay to Win -
12 / 25 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

11 votes
26 votes
Recurring Fee -
11 / 26 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

6 votes
27 votes
Accidental Purchases -
6 / 27 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

8 votes
27 votes
Power Creep -
8 / 27 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

5 votes
30 votes
Pay to Skip -
5 / 30 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

1 votes
37 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
1 / 37 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

1 votes
37 votes
Pay Wall -
1 / 37 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

38 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 38 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 119 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 139 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-1.13

36 votes
2 votes
Reciprocity -
36 / 2 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

34 votes
3 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
34 / 3 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

26 votes
11 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
26 / 11 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

18 votes
15 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
18 / 15 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

4 votes
33 votes
Competition -
4 / 33 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

1 votes
37 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
1 / 37 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

38 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 38 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 94 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 160 votes indicating the absense of a dark pattern.

-0.47

32 votes
4 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
32 / 4 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

32 votes
4 votes
Complete the Collection -
32 / 4 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

15 votes
21 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
15 / 21 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

6 votes
31 votes
Variable Rewards -
6 / 31 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

4 votes
31 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
4 / 31 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

3 votes
35 votes
Illusion of Control -
3 / 35 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

2 votes
34 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
2 / 34 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (5.00) with 11,893 votes.
Google Play:  (4.68) with 43,318 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Playing by Appointment reported on Mar 9, 2023
Best time to gather currency is at 2 hour increments
Social Pyramid Scheme reported on Feb 1, 2023
It's basically a requirement to have friends, or you won't be able to keep up with certain currencies. Hearts are limited and the main source is getting someone to trade with you - and yet it is against TOS, apparently!
Artificial Scarcity reported on Feb 1, 2023
Occasional never returning events that offer never returning purchases. Every season, they add paywalled items as ultimate gifts that will never return.
Invested / Endowed Value reported on Feb 1, 2023
Yes. You play for a long time, you spend money, you work for any of the items you can possibly get that won't return for a long time - all of these aspects that make you a cooler, experienced player. You get attached to it, because why would you throw it away if you've invested so much already?
Complete the Collection reported on Feb 1, 2023
The default game has different cosmetic collections for different areas. It takes a lot of time and effort to get 100% of a constellation in game - and that's ignoring how demanding seasonal and event items are.
Grinding reported on Feb 1, 2023
It is a constant grind. All it is is running around and collecting currency with the same routes and areas over and over again.
Aesthetic Manipulations reported on Feb 1, 2023
Pretty cosmetics and environment encourage the player to grind or pay for said items, or else have the fear of missing out.
Fear of Missing Out reported on Feb 1, 2023
Due to the way this game is constantly updating with new items and events, as well as their system of travelling spirits every two weeks, if you miss even one day of grinding for candles you risk missing out on so many things. It is impossible to take a break without missing anything.
Reciprocity reported on Feb 1, 2023
Heart or light trades become, without a doubt, necessary for currency. If you don't have friends, well good luck getting hearts because they are very limited otherwise! There is no other way to get them once the default sources have been purchased.
Competition reported on Feb 1, 2023
It's a competitive dress up game. Rarer and older items are used as a flex against other players. The better items you have, the more items in your closet, the better you look as a player.


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot From the award-winning creators behind Journey (2013 Game of The Year) and the highly-acclaimed Flower, comes a ground-breaking social adventure that is set to warm your hearts.

Welcome to the enchanting world of Sky, a beautifully-animated kingdom waiting to be explored by you and your loved ones.

In Sky, we arrive as the Children of the Light, spreading hope through the desolate kingdom to return fallen Stars to their constellations.

In the kingdom of Sky, you can...
- Soar and explore 7 dreamlike realms to uncover the mystery
- Encounter and socialize with like-minded players from around the world
- Feel free to express yourself with a delightful selection of character customizations
- Team up with others to adventure into darker realms, save spirits and uncover ancient treasures
- Gift candles of light to share appreciation and grow friendships
- Enjoy a unique musical experience and create harmonies together
- Join an ever-expanding world with new upcoming attractions, including seasonal events and expansion of realms