![]() Genre: Shoot-‘em-up | Format: Switch (tested) / PC / Mac | Developer: Code Wakers | Publisher: Armor Games | Price: £13.Dutch indie studio Vlambeer ( Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box) and publisher Devolver Digital ( Hotline Miami, Serious Sam 3) announced today that the fast-paced and exceptionally stylish Luftrausers will be launching on the PS3 and PSVita this Spring. Verdict A sleek jet hampered by excess baggage and unwieldy systems. It’s also a solid but fair challenge, which rewards careful planning and flying. The pick is a huge mechanical spider, which stomps over the landscape, chucking out all kinds of projectiles. Sometimes blue sky thinking creates as many problems as it solves.īoss fights are a welcome change from plane-to-plane combat, and while some are underwhelming, a few are satisfyingly ambitious. But a game about the skill and bravado of jet fighting shouldn’t be so clumsily uneven or struggle so much to express itself. The basics of dogfighting in Jet Lancer are still enjoyable, and the breezy presentation remains attractive. ![]() For a game that’s otherwise mildly to moderately challenging, and has accessibility options including invincibility that make many stages unfailable, it’s a large oversight to gate progress behind these arbitrary tests of skill and luck. It’s possible to spend hours repeating these, performing near flawlessly and still failing to reach the absurdly high targets. Occasionally there’s a bigger twist, like when using your weapons attracts the attention of an enemy super-laser, but these are more extra irritations than interesting challenges.ĭifficulty is also imbalanced, with extreme spikes, especially in a couple of missions that require you to attain a certain points tally in a three-minute time limit. Whether you’re shooting waves of sky pirates, taking out specific targets, or escorting a ship through dangerous territory, you’re usually fending off swarms of insect-like planes. And while there are plenty of unlockable upgrades available, few force you to rethink your play style or feel like worthwhile improvements over the earliest available parts.ĭifferent mission objectives similarly add variety but little sense of evolution. As for defence, a barrel roll dodge manoeuvre is often most effective if you constantly hammer the button instead of trying to time reactions to threats. Victories rely heavily on deploying missiles and special weapons, which in practice usually means monitoring two separate cool-down timers to fire them as often as possible. Too much time is spent chasing down stragglers, and unavoidable collisions are common, as unseen combatants suddenly cut across your flight path.Some fancy moves and weapons help counter these inconveniences, but they distract and overcomplicate as much as add meaningful depth. It’s a shame then that the compact chaos of Luftrausers is somewhat lost in Jet Lancer’s broad play areas, as enemies spread out and disappear from view, leaving you shooting vaguely at icons dotting the edge of the screen. Rotate and thrust controls enable looping turns to throw missiles off the scent, or audacious 180-degree spins that see you coasting backwards, unleashing your cannons on a pursuing assailant. The simple pleasures of Luftrausers transfer across to Jet Lancer well enough.
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