Developer: Vlambeer
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release: 2014
Platform: PC (played), PS3, Vita, Android
Genre: Shoot ’em-up
Maybe because they were there from the very beginning
(from Spacewar! to Asteroids and beyond), arcadey shoot’em-ups could usually
beat grievous flight simulators regarding excitement and empowerment with a
wing tied back. But dogfighting, specifically, was another matter entirely.
Well, LUFTRAUSERS pulls off that trick effortlessly—or
at least it’s very convincing in seeming to do so.
The slick “monochrome with shades” palette (coupled
together with a solid silhouette-only depiction of the objects) hides a very
well-tweaked physics system, “casual” but still believable and weighty. It’s
frequently exhilarating (turning the plane’s motor off and letting it drop
while maneuvering and downing enemies never gets old) and at times even
redefining when it comes to classic gameplay (ramming through an enemy and
shooting it down from inside updates River Raid’s “fuel tank syndrome” in
awesome fashion).
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| Up to a pristine start. |
Sadly it starts trading amusement for annoyance when
it tries too hard to justify itself as a “retail” game—and a “modern retro
hardcore” one, by the way. Goals and missions aren’t bad per se, but when they
feel like chore—completing a task just to be asked to perform the
very same task again with a different weapon, for instance—things stop looking
that bright. Even worse when every single mundane task is mandatory for beating the
game—rendering customization and player choices meaningless since each machine
setup available must be mastered regardless of the player’s personal
preferences and skills.
LUFTRAUSERS is at the top of its game when it doesn’t
take itself too seriously. Perhaps it’s just the case for players to do the
same.
