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Skywire
- Action
- Skill
- Avoid
Keyboard
Flash(earliest known availability)
Newgrounds
HTML5(earliest known availability)
Skywire is an action Flash game released on March 28th-29th, 2007[1] by Nitrome. It is the first installment of the Skywire series, and is considered by Nitrome as their first very popular game[2]. The game was one of the first twelve games that were made distributable games on August 25th, 2011. The game was also released on Newgrounds on June 6th, 2008, and an HTML5 port of the game was released on April 30th-May 1st, 2021[3].
The player controls a cable car while trying to get at least one of the three passengers on it safely to the finish platform.
A sequel for the game named Skywire 2 was released on June 2nd, 2008.
Descriptions[edit | edit source]
Nitrome.com 1.2
Guide your cable car to the end of each level avoiding hazards![4]
Nitrome.com 2.0
Guide the sky wires passengers along the rail avoiding out of control toys.
Newgrounds
Short
Get your cable car passengers safely through each level - try not to drop them!
Author Comments
To celebrate the launch of Skywire 2 we thought we would upload the original game to NewGrounds. This game was created over a year ago in an old version of Flash. Get your cable car passengers to the end of each level avoiding the weird array of toy animals. Press UP to accelerate forwards and DOWN to accelerate backwards.
Controls[edit | edit source]
Up arrow key - Moves the cable car forward
Down arrow key - Moves the cable car backward
Gameplay[edit | edit source]
The player controls a cable car which starts on a designated platform on each level. The objective of the game is to safely transport at least one of the three passengers inside the cable car while avoiding any enemies encontered. Each time the cable car hits an enemy, a passenger falls out of the vehicle, resulting in a game over if all three passengers fall. Once the player reaches the end platform, the level is finished and the player can progress to the next one.
The score earned in each level is calculated by the amount of passengers saved multiplied by the time left on the timer seen on the top-left corner of the screen. The timer starts at 999 and, in the case the player takes long enough for the timer to reach 0, there is no score given for the level.
Levels[edit | edit source]
Incomplete section
This section is incomplete. You can help by adding the missing info.
Level 1[edit | edit source]
To start off level one, go up the ramp at the start of the track, but the player has to slow down when they get to the top; there is a giraffe-in-the-box. Wait until it recedes, then go quickly over, as they swiftly pop back out.
However, the player must immediately start to brake, as there is another giraffe directly along the track. Again, wait until it starts to recede to go past it. Let the cable car fall until you start up another ramp, brake when the cable car gets halfway from the start of the incline to snake circling the track above.
Edge slowly up the track until a little bit before the snake's head circles around. Go quickly between the gap and up the half loop. Stop immediately after the track is flat again. Once again, wait a bit before the gap is closed to go through it. Go slowly up the next hill until you see the frog. Go forward as soon as you see the frog fall back down.
Keep on going until you reach the downhill part. Pause for a little bit, if the cable car just goes straight through the track with the three seagulls it will not get hit, but be careful to stop right before you to get to the frog. Wait carefully until the cable car sees the frog fall back down, then simply go straight forward until the cable car reaches the end of the level.
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Level 2[edit | edit source]
This level has a group of seagulls. The easiest way to complete this level (but the player still loses one passenger) is to hold down the 'up' arrow key, which makes the player go forward. Another way is to wait for the Seagull's bombs to go past before the player goes.
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Level 3[edit | edit source]
The player should go forwards, then when they come to the bend, wait for the butterfly to pass. Then go forward past the second bend, and again wait for the butterfly to pass. Next, the player must head down, hold the down arrow key, and wait for the next butterfly to pass.
Then, the player should proceed down, close to the water, stopping when butterflies come near. When the cable car goes up, make sure the player does not hit any butterflies. Finally, go up into the bend, onto the finish platform.
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Level 4[edit | edit source]
This level has some butterflies. The player should start by going right, down, left, up and right
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Level 5[edit | edit source]
The player starts by going right, then left, encountering some parachute pandas and a pooping seagull. Then they go down and encounter three more pooping seagulls, and continue going right. The player encounters the parachute pandas again, then they go left, close to the water, where killer whales jump.
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Level 6[edit | edit source]
The player has to dodge some turtles and butterflies.
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Level 7[edit | edit source]
The player goes right, dodging a rabbit and monkeys, then he/she goes left, dodging another rabbit. Finally he/she ends dodging the monkeys again.
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Level 8[edit | edit source]
The player starts being chased by a bat, goes down and encounters a seagull and a hippopotamus. Then the player goes up and encounters a frog, another seagull and another frog. Then the player goes down dodging another seagull and another frog.
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Level 9[edit | edit source]
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Level 10[edit | edit source]
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Level 11[edit | edit source]
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Level 12[edit | edit source]
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Level 13[edit | edit source]
This level features many loops and eels. After the player makes it through some giraffes, they have to get past two squirrels throwing a chick over the track. Because the grey squirrel is too close to the track, it will always harm the cable car. The player then has to pass one more eel before coming to the end of the level.
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Level 14[edit | edit source]
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Level 15[edit | edit source]
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Level 16[edit | edit source]
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Level 17[edit | edit source]
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Level 18[edit | edit source]
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Level 19[edit | edit source]
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Level 20[edit | edit source]
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Ending[edit | edit source]
This collapsible box contains a spoiler! Use [show] to reveal.
A window pops up with "game complete" visible at the top in golden-brownish letters. The rest of the window's contents detail the player's score with confetti seen constantly falling on the game screen.
Enemies[edit | edit source]
- Giraffes - Long enemies that pop out of boxes every two seconds.
- Eels - Long enemies that can be found spinning by themselves or in pairs chasing each other's tails.
- Frogs - Stand on platforms and occasionally bounce.
- Seagulls - Flying enemies that drop bombs when approached by the cable car.
- Monkeys - A group of monkeys that swing around.
- Bees - Flying enemies that move in a straight horizontal path.
- Orcas - Big enemies that pop out of the water that can eat the cable car whole.
- Bats - Follow the cable car's path. They may spawn from the start alongside the player or start in a set position on the level.
- Hippopotamuses - Big enemies that open and close their mouths, occasionally obstructing passage.
- Robotic pandas - Move downwards in a straight vertical path. Once they fall in the water they later reappear on the top of the level.
- Polys - Shoot tiny spikes in all directions.
- Squirrels - Enemies that use trampolines to bounce a small chick.
- Rabbits - Stand on platforms and occasionally bounce on a semi-circular path.
- Turtles - Fast-moving enemies that move on platforms and bounce off ramps.
- Butterflies - Move upwards in a straight vertical path. Once they get to the top of the level they pop out of the water.
Development[edit | edit source]
Early on in development, the setting for Skywire was that the game's levels were part of a "sadistic" amusement ride that had gone out of control[5], however, this story was not integrated into the game and later partially changed, as most of Skywire takes place above water and not on the ground of an amusement park.
Credits[edit | edit source]
| Artwork | |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Music | |
| Testing |
Announcements[edit | edit source]
| Date | Title | Author | Category | Description | Media | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Title | Author | Category | Description | Media | |
| 14 Jul 2008 | Skywire Safety Concerns? | Mat Annal | Fans | Nitrome shares an article on Jay is Games about Skywire and an essay about Small Fry, both written by SonicLover. | ||
| 22 Jul 2008 | Nitrome Inspired Games | Mat Annal | Fans | Nitrome features a Nintendo DS version of Magic Touch made by Arthur Guibert (referred to as "Birslip"), as well as featuring fan-made Scratch versions of Hot Air, Cheese Dreams and Skywire. | ||
| 06 May 2011 | Kotaku Article | Jon Annal | News! | Nitrome shares an article by Kotaku about an iPhone ripoff of Skywire. | ||
| 25 May 2011 | Skywire Ripoff Video | Tom McQuillan | News! | Nitrome shares a video showcasing the Skywire iPhone rip-off. |
Unused and beta content[edit | edit source]
Kongregate icon[edit | edit source]
The icon for the game on Kongregate is from an early version of the game. This image shows an early version of the cable car and an early version of the passengers. The cable car is taller, has small doors in the middle, three small window areas instead of one wide window area, a more detailed blue handle base on the top, and a longer rod. The passengers are wider.
The early image
Unused content[edit | edit source]
Present in the game's files are images of words, these images likely used for the names of button in some sort of level editor. Much of the text does not seems to correspond to anything seen in the game, but rather programming and coding of the game.
GAME ENGINE. This is the only text in the game that is in large letters.
sfx manager. The name "sfx" stands for sound effects, this text likely used for something that contains sound effects.
sfx_ow . Likely the sound file name for the sound bean people groan when the cable car is damaged
sfx_ready . Likely the sound file for the word "Ready?" that is spoken at the start of the level.
sfx_go . Likely the sound file for the word "Go!", which is spoken after the word "Ready?".
sfx_welldone . Likely the sound file for the word "Well done" that is spoken when the player completes a level.
game music. This is one of two text images that appear in red font. It is possible it would have been used for a field in a level editor where the level music would be placed.
menu music. This is one of two text images that appear in red font. It is possible that this would have been used for a field in a level editor where the menu music would be specified.
Accolades[edit | edit source]
| Site/Event | Year | Contest | Prize | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay is Games | 2008 | Best of Casual Gameplay 2007 | Best Action or Arcade game of 2007 | Nominated - Eighth place (4.8% of votes) |
Ripoff[edit | edit source]
On May 6th, 2011, Nitrome posted an image[6] and a link to a Kotaku article[7] about Flash games ripped off the internet and ported to the iPhone without asking the original authors for the game. A part of the article was about Skywire illegally ported without permission from Nitrome. The image for the game on Nitrome's blog article about the link to the Kotaku article later changed for unknown reasons. The iPhone version of Skywire was a complete ripoff the original, with the background and platforms for the game changed.
Mat Annal requested that Apple take the game down, and they did. The game was then re-uploaded to the Apple App Store, with the cable car's, passengers', and enemies' graphics changed, but the rest of the game was the same. Version two of the game was still held as copyright infringement. Later, on May 25th, Mat posted a nine-minute video comparing the levels of Nitrome's Skywire game with the levels of the two ripoffs.
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Music[edit | edit source]
The music for Skywire was composed by Lee Nicklen on February 2007[8], roughly a month before the game was released. As early as December 17th, 2011[9], the music for the game was made available for listening on Kayotix[8], Lee Nicklen's website, with the links to the tracks that made it into the game being watermarked versions so that the listener would have to purchase the songs through Nitrome's Shop to listen to them without interruptions, however, hidden in Kayotix there are versions of the tracks that were used in the game that don't feature the watermarks. The music was later made available to stream for free in Soundcloud[10] on May 8th, 2012.
The naming of the tracks may differ between Kayotix and Soundcloud.
| Official links | File | Heard in | Reused in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayotix | Soundcloud | |||
| Menu Theme (with watermark • without watermark) |
Menu Song | Menus | All of the Skywire series | |
| Main Game Theme (with watermark • without watermark) |
Main Song | Levels | All of the Skywire series | |
| Extra Bonus Track 1 | Boss Extra Song 1 | |||
| Extra Bonus Track 2 | Boss Extra Song 2 | |||
| Extra Bonus Track 3 | Boss Extra Song 3 | |||
| Extra Bonus Track 4 | Boss Extra Song 4 | |||
| Extra Bonus Track 6 | Boss Song | Skywire 2 | ||
Cameos and references[edit | edit source]
Nitrome cameos[edit | edit source]
- Jelly Beanstalk - The ground in Jelly Beanstalk was edited and reused in Skywire.
- Chick Flick - Robotic squirrels and chicks make an appearance as enemies.
- Roly Poly - Robotic Polys make an appearance as enemies.
Cameos in other Nitrome games[edit | edit source]
- Nitrome Must Die - Bees, as well as Polys using their design from Skywire, appear as enemies.
Cameos outside Nitrome games[edit | edit source]
- Retro - A cable car, a robotic panda, two seagulls and a frog make an appearance in the skin.
- Party - A cable car and a robotic panda make an appearance in the skin.
- 100th Game - Poly with its design from Skywire and a bee make an appearance in the skin.
Cultural references[edit | edit source]
- Skywire's game mechanic was based off real-life aerial cable cars[11].
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Logos[edit | edit source]
Logo as seen on the menu
Logo as seen on the Nitrome Jam icon for 8bit Doves
Icons[edit | edit source]
Nitrome 1.2 icon
Nitrome 1.5 icon
Nitrome 2.0 icon
Search engine thumbnail
Nitrome Jam project icon as seen in the game page for 8bit Doves
Newgrounds icon (oldest version)
Newgrounds icon (old version)
Newgrounds icon (current version)
Screenshots[edit | edit source]
Slider animation
External links[edit | edit source]
- Skywire Tours Closed due to Safety Concerns - Humour post on JayisGames
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Miniclip Games - Play Free Games on the Wayback Machine (archived 28 Mar 07 ) (Miniclip front page, no mention of Skywire being released)
Jay is Games: Skywire - Walkthrough, Tips, Review, 29 Mar 07, retrieved 23 Apr 16. (contains a link to Skywire on Nitrome's website) - ↑ Gamasutra Interview with Nitrome: August 2, 2010
- ↑ archive.is:
Nitrome website, 30 Apr 21, retrieved N/A. (no Skywire HTML5)
Nitrome - Play Free Games on the Wayback Machine (archived May 1, 2021 from the original) - ↑ Internet Archive Wayback Machine: Nitrome - Play Free Online Games, 9 August, 2007, retrieved 4 February, 2025.
- ↑ Nitrome on Twitter: [1]: the original idea [for Skywire] is that it was supposed to be some sadistic fare ground ride that had gone nuts., 2 Aug 15, retrieved 3 Aug 15.
- ↑ Link to the image
- ↑ Kotaku: iTunes Flash Game Ripoffs Get More Brazen with Canabalt Clone, 5 May, 2011, retrieved 25 May, 2011.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Skywire site on Kayotix
- ↑ Internet Archive Wayback Machine: Kayotix - Lee Nicklen - Music, Multimedia, Web and Design -> Nitrome Games Music, 17 December, 2011, retrieved 4 February, 2025.
- ↑ Skywire playlist by one of Lee Nicklen's accounts on Soundcloud
- ↑ Developer Spotlight: Nitrome - MochiLand on the Wayback Machine (archived 26 Sept 7 )
| v • d • eSkywire series | |
|---|---|
| General | Skywire series • Skywire • Skywire 2 • Skywire VIP • Skywire VIP Extended • Skywire VIP Shuffle • Cable car • Passengers |
| Enemies | Pandas • Seagulls • Cobras • Butterflies • Turtles • Peacocks • Rabbits • Octopuses • Giraffes • Eels • Frogs • Crabs • Elephant • Orcas • Piranhas • Hippopotamuses • Gorillas • Bees • Monkeys • Pufferfish • Ducks • Alligator • Bats • Whales • Flies • Ostriches • Camels • Parrots • Rhinoceroses • Kangaroos |
| Bosses | Sea turtle • Vultures • Panther |