App Army Assemble: Merchant of the Skies - "Does this tycoon sim take flight?"

Merchant of the Skies sees you, well, taking flight in your airship to trade your various wares. It's a fun little premise, and it also promises to be cosier than you might expect, given the fairly dry set-up. But did our App Army enjoy it?

Here's what they said:

The game looks graphically impressive and runs well, but I found it a bit complicated for players who are not familiar with trading-style games. The tutorials could be more interactive, simpler, and easier to understand for beginners.

Merchant skies is a nice trading game with on the i phone a point and click interface (text can be small as well as icons as I’m not afraid to admit I was stumped for a few seconds for where to click weh I was asked to buy something I didn’t see the tick box in the corner) with retro graphics reminding me of an old 90’s PC game and music it’s a nice game nice calm atmosphere it feels like a pleasant game to play. Go to the floating islands, complete tasks, and upgrade your ship. Get more cash and trade. It might not have been my usual type of game, but I can see myself dipping in from time to time. Recommended.

Merchant of the Skies is an engaging trading and economic sim. I love the feeling of starting with very few resources and slowly building up both your knowledge of the game and your resource base over time. The progression feels rewarding, and the game captures the satisfaction of discovering profitable trade routes and systems for yourself.

The tutorial is short, and the game quickly drops you into the world with little guidance. I enjoyed that approach because it made exploration and experimentation feel meaningful, though players wanting more direction may find it frustrating.
The music and art direction are excellent, giving the game a calm, cosy atmosphere that fits the gameplay perfectly.

My biggest issue playing on iPhone is that the text can feel very small at times. On my iPhone 13 Pro Max, it’s readable, but I would still love a larger text option. Overall, though, I keep going back to it. I recently found an island where I could finally sell a stockpile of flowers I had been hoarding for a huge profit. The moment I sold them, I immediately wanted to head back out searching for more flowers and profitable trade routes. If that gameplay loop sounds appealing to you, I think you’ll really enjoy this game.

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Merchant of the Skies is a delightfully eccentric, low-pressure trading sim that is incredibly easy to lose an entire afternoon to. The interface is straightforward; it has a red exclamation mark to remind you of the places you need to go. The core gameplay is flying around one island to another, completing guild missions, guiding tourists, extracting resources and selling them. In the early game, the ship often requires a recharge, so I just try to get a bigger ship. 

The trading, ship management, building factories and the upgrade feel rewarding. Buy low, sell high is also an important aspect of this game. It also features banking for passive income and mansion-building. Also, there are some NPCs like a giant fish god, a massive carrot and an octopus DJ to interact with. The real magic happens when you unlock Caravans. You can purchase additional ships and assign them to automated routes. 

Watching your fleet of AI ships autonomously shuttle goods between your production islands to maximise passive income is deeply satisfying. The sandbox mode lets you ignore the plot entirely and focus solely on your mansion and financial empire. This game has beautiful pixel art and pleasant music. It is a highly recommended voyage for fans of cosy, casual strategy.

Merchant of the Skies is yet another hit PC game that’s been brought to mobile. I love seeing this, as it really just continues to strengthen the legitimacy of the mobile platform. Merchant can best be described as a cosy style trading tycoon game. You start off with a brief tutorial that gives you the very basics of the gameplay. 

The limited hand-holding I found to be part of the fun I started to have as I began to feel more and more comfortable in my role of managing my ship, my trade routes, and my goods as I worked diligently to complete my quests. All this led to my desires for upgrading and customising my ship as I grew my wealth. I liked the steampunk aesthetic, the clean, colourful graphics and the vibrant music. The combat-free design of Merchant of the Skies makes it an easy recommendation for those looking for a more lighthearted adventure.

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Merchant of the Skies