Luftrausers Review

Luftrausers is an unusual game; yet, at the same time, it’s incredibly familiar. Indeed, anyone who’s played an arcade-style shooter over the past 30 years will instantly understand what the game requires of them; the destruction of various things primarily incurred through obscene amounts of shooting. It’s an archaic concept, and one that’s been championed by the indie scene as of late. Despite this old format, Luftrausers shines through as an example of independent ingenuity and originality. With simple but highly effective changes to the core shooter mechanics, as well as a winning presentation, Luftrausers manages to stand out from the pack of modern arcade-shooters. That, however, doesn’t stop it suffering from some of the classic limitations of the genre.

In a pleasing move away from the norm, Luftrausers does not feature a Star Trek-esque sci-fi theme; something that genre fans may find either intriguing or repulsive. Regardless, it should certainly help the game find an audience outside of the standard arcade-shooter fanbase. Essentially, physics-defying spaceships are out, gravity enslaved warplanes are in. The game maintains a brilliant ‘post-WW2’ theme, and while links to any formulation of background or story are practically nonexistent, that theme still shines through in every aspect of the game. What first strikes you while playing Luftrausers is the creamy beige colour palette that you’re unlikely to find in any other game on the market. It gives off a ‘WW2 propaganda poster’ vibe that excellently sets the tone for the rest of the game.

Of course, some genre conventions had to be met. The player is still a pilot of a devastating flying weapon, only this time you play as some sort of Nazi-inspired wing commander who’s capable of getting more than a few kills to his name. A game begins with your plane launching out of a boat, it’s then up to the player to fight his or her way through an endless horizontal landscape capped up and down by the high skies and the deep sea. The key changemaker in Luftrausers is the gravity mechanics that force you to concentrate just as much on your own plane as your enemy’s. Rather than the standard twin-stick control scheme, the player simply points the plane in the right direction and hits the boost button to accelerate.

That gravitational pull is a large part of what makes Luftrausers fun. Keeping your plane at the correct height requires a deft touch and the constant pull means that moves like nose dives and bombing runs are hugely satisfying to pull off. The mechanics are by no means realistic (a detail championed by the fact that you can turn the plane around and fire backwards), but they’re more dependent on real-world physics than any other shoot-em-up. There’s a tendency for these types of games to almost blend into one another, but Luftrausers manages to set itself apart. Anyone who’s familiar with arcade shooters should certainly give the game a try, even if it’s just for the basic mechanics. They’re original and refreshing in all the right ways.

Great mechanics, however, will only get a game so far. In terms of replayability, Luftrausers is a mixed bag. What the game does contain is a brilliant array of upgrades and parts for your super-powered plane. Completing the numerous in-game challenges unlocks the plane parts which are broken up into three categories: weaponry, propulsion and body model. Within these sections are a decent selection of individual plane parts that begin with obvious changes like stronger hulls and faster engines. By the time you’re completing large numbers of challenges, you’ll be unlocking more inventive upgrades like an engine that shoots from the rear of the plane or a model that prevents damage when going underwater. These individual parts are a fantastic addition to the game; they each bring something new and provide a slightly different way to play. The only downside is that you’re likely to find, and stick with, your favourite combination after a few hours of play, but it’s good to know that there’s plenty more to choose from.

An excellent leaderboard system will keep the competitively minded interested in the long term, and the missions are good fun, but for those who don’t have in-game friends to compete with, Luftrauser does have some longevity issues. This is true not only for the game as a whole, but also play sessions. The game is arguably more suited to the mobile play found on the PS Vita version, as the game encourages quick bursts of fun that aren’t exactly ideal for PC or console play. By the time you’ve unlocked all the parts and completed the majority of challenges, you may not find the draw of play to be so strong. The game is great fun, but after a few hours the experience starts to get a little stale and repetitive. There’s a good deal of variety, from the excellent enemy types to the random nature of enemy movements and appearances, it’s just not enough to keep the game feeling fresh over long, or even short, sessions.

Luftrausers is, despite appearances, an interesting modern take on a classic genre. The visuals are wonderful to behold, they’re not retro as such, but they’re strikingly unusual. The base mechanics are well balanced and great fun, while the variety on offer is generous for a shoot-’em-up. As is often the case with games of this ilk, it’s likely to only keep gamers of a certain sort interested for the long haul. If you’re a fan of online leaderboards and satisfying gameplay, then we can fully recommend Luftrausers. Otherwise, this might not be quite enough bang for your buck. There’s a good chance that you’ll be bored of flying around familiar skies after a few hours of play and while the price is nothing to be snorted at, there are better ways to spend the cash. Luftrausers is a good game with an excellent presentation, it’s just too repetitive to recommend to all of the gamers out there.