I haven't play Skies of Arcadia (aka Eternal Arcadia) since 2002.  But when I look back on it, that game was an allegory...

Anyone notice the parallel references in the game?

For instance, the settings are very similar to real world counterparts:
Nasrad = The Middle East
Ixa'taka = South America
Valua = The West
Land of Ice = Antarctica
Yafutoma = The Far East

The story focuses on a young group of Air Pirates rebelling against the Valuan Empire.  Valua itself seemed to be likened to the Western world... industrialized, militaristic, and most definitely imperialistic.  Even within Valua, there was the bourgeoise, upper class district and the rundown slums of the have-nots.  Sorta like the classism that exist in Western nations where a very small majority of the population controls an enormous and misproportionate amount of the wealth (not that classism doesn't exist in poorer nations).  Another interesting point was Yafutoma's technology.  Their airships were much more versatile than the airships of the rest of the world as they could reach heights and speeds that were impossible for other ships to attain.  Sorta like Japan's overall technological efficiency and superiority.  No doubt about it, they sure do make the best cars... *glances at Camry in the parking lot*  I had a few more examples too... 

But in the meantime, do you guys know of any other games that were allegorical in any way?

It's no secret that the game was meant to parrallel the world during the height of the British Empire.  It should certainly be obvious to everyone who has played the game that Valua is England, etc...
However, I certainly would NOT call Skies of Arcadia an allegory.  It's meant to be a swashbuckling tale.  When I think of allegory, two examples that right away come to mind are Plato's "Republic" (with the famous Cave allegory) or Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (which is an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare).  I would be interested to hear what allegory you think the game represents.  You should realize though (just in case you are unaware) that there is a big difference between parallels and allegory.

cheers,

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I don't remember the Cave allegory...  I had to write a paper on my interpretation of it for an Intellectual Heritage course, but that was a while ago  What's was your take on it?  I'll dig up that paper to see what I thought of it.

Also, why do you say Valua represents the British Empire as opposed to any other empire?  Because it had a monarchy?

My simplistic take on the Cave allegory is that it relates to human understanding.  We live in a cave because we often can not see the light (truth).  If we do see the light, we are often blinded by it (refuse to believe it) and if we do believe it we hunger for more (escape from the cave).  The ultimate truth (Sun) is something so powerful that it would blind us, and thus nearly impossible to find.  Also, if we do escape the cave, it will be difficult to convince others of the truth.  I think Plato was right in this case, since throughout history many people (especially religious fanatics) refuse to accept the truth, and this still holds today.

Also, I should say that Value is more like the Spanish Empire than British in many respects. 

a)the names (Enrique, Alfonso, Belleza) are of Spanish origin/influence.
b)the Spanish did indeed enslave and exploit many of the Indians which are represented by the Ixa'taka.

However, I think Valua can be seen as a combination of the Spanish and English empires, who in reality were constantly at war with each other (and also the French).

cheers,

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edit: fixed typos

You know you can edit the old post?

Yeah, I made a boo-boo!  Sorry about that.

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