Aeronautica Imperialis: Flight Command

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Aeronautica Imperialis: Flight Command is a tactical aircraft combat game set in the Warhammer

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Aeronautica Imperialis: Flight Command screenshot

45%

Audience ScoreBased on 158 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

story8 negative mentions

The game captures the essence of the tabletop experience, providing a tactical turn-based aerial combat system that is engaging and strategic.
Visually appealing with decent graphics and attention to detail on the aircraft models, enhancing the Warhammer 40,000 atmosphere.
The simultaneous turn mechanics create exciting gameplay moments, allowing for unpredictable and thrilling dogfights.

The game feels unfinished and lacks content, with only two factions and limited scenarios, making it feel barebones for the price.
Controls and UI are clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially with camera movement and issuing commands.
There is a lack of narrative and voice acting, which detracts from immersion and makes the campaign feel hollow and repetitive.

story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
80%
11%
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it consists mainly of basic premises without any engaging narrative or player choices. The campaign is described as a series of repetitive, barebones missions with little to no storyline or character development, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration among players. Overall, the absence of a compelling story detracts significantly from the gameplay experience.
- “Scenarios are closer to traditional campaign - there is always some story before the battle and they are pretty diverse (small skirmishes like saving 2 planes surprised by 4 orc dakkajets or big battles like the battle of Arcalan Pass where you also operate Hydra anti-air mobile artillery and you have to save 5 Leman Russ tanks running from the orc army chasing them - you can control only Hydras and airplanes, not the tanks).”
- “The campaign itself is non-linear; you choose at the start the difficulty and how long it should be (10-30 points). After wins, you get more points to reach the bar slowly to the right, which means you are going to have air superiority and win. Then you just choose which 'custom' mission to play, with some rules like investing a small amount of progress back to choose a different type of mission or improving your pilots after they gain experience.”
- “- Exciting (or should I say nerve-wracking) campaign with progression, permadeath, and sandbox missions. If things go sideways, you may try to get your pilots out of the dodge instead of pressing on with the mission.”
- “There are no voices, little story, next to no customization, and what takes place in combat is confusing.”
- “The campaign is just a bunch of barebones missions cobbled together, no real story or stakes... it's just boring.”
- “There's no real story or narrative here other than the basic premise of 40k.”
gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
8%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its exhilarating dogfights and strategic depth, while others criticize it for being slow, confusing, and lacking depth in mechanics. Many players appreciate the potential for fun and tactical experiences, but feel that the execution is marred by a barebones campaign, excessive tutorials, and a lack of customization options. Overall, while the core mechanics can be engaging, the gameplay experience is hindered by various design flaws and a need for more content.
- “Despite these issues, the core gameplay mechanics shine with exhilarating dogfights and strategic depth.”
- “The mechanics of the game are interesting but very difficult to master.”
- “Put that aside, and it's one of the best tactical gameplay experiences I've had in 2020, a year that has seen a lot of tactical releases.”
- “The core gameplay loop consists of setting orders before watching 5-10 second clips of action while both sides move before repeating until either twelve turns are up or everyone is dead.”
- “I was already bored during the tutorial; while it started promising, there was too much information to read. The gameplay is really slow and more frustrating than fun; the UI and HUD are confusing and the goals unclear.”
- “Disappointing to say the least, the game lacks any kind of gameplay beyond the dogfight mode. Managing the squadron just revolves around rolling dice for abilities; there is no customization, and pilots can fly anything.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that while the artwork is visually appealing and well-executed, the overall graphical fidelity is average and sometimes feels clunky. Combat animations are criticized for being too fast and juddery, making it difficult to follow the action. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the graphics in relation to the game's price and its faithful representation of the tabletop experience.
- “I'm giving this game a recommendation if you can get it cheap, also for all the work that went into the artwork, which is very pretty.”
- “Visuals are nice, respecting the actual models; the terrain isn't shiny but it gets the job done. All in all, very well put together.”
- “Graphics - 10/10 (for that price)”
- “In-game UI is weird and unwieldy, arena size is way too small for this kind of game (every fight's a dogpile). Graphics are okay, but the combat animations are juddery and go so quickly one after another, there's no way to really tell what's going on.”
- “The graphics are not great but work well for what the game is; gameplay is great.”
- “The menus and in-game graphics settings feel like something I could create myself in Unity.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The music in the game has been widely criticized for being lackluster and uninspired, often described as boring and reminiscent of royalty-free tracks. Players noted the absence of voice acting and a minimal soundtrack that fails to enhance the gameplay experience, with some even experiencing issues like sound cutting out during menus. Overall, the audio elements contribute to a feeling of emptiness and do not add any significant value to the game.
- “There are no voices in the game, so you're left with a very mellow soundtrack with the beep-booping of menu options.”
- “The audio options consist of the ability to mute all sound, disable the music, and a variety of sliders for volume settings.”
- “However, the bad UI, none-too-bright AI, and pretty meh sounds and music, along with absolutely no lore, story, or character in the campaign, makes one question why play this game instead of the tabletop Aeronautica Imperialis in the first place.”
- “The soundtrack is boring and feels like the royalty-free version of the typically great offerings other 40k games give us.”
- “The soundtrack is merely there, failing to offer any enrichment of what is playing out on screen.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and frame drops, even on high-end systems. Many find the camera controls inadequate and the lack of customization options frustrating, leading to an overall impression of a poorly optimized experience reminiscent of mobile games. While the release is stable, the barebones menus and unoptimized performance detract from the gameplay.
- “I'll start this game off with about the only positives I can come up with: it appears to be a stable release without the performance issues seen on some YouTube pre-release footage.”
- “The barebones menus and unoptimized performance are frustrating to deal with out of the box, and the tutorials don't teach you some of the most important lessons of the game.”
- “Optimization is non-existent.”
- “It's a janky, poorly-optimized mess that feels like a mobile game.”
- “Yet the optimization is not very well done with stuttering and consistent frame drops on my relatively high-end computer.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate its fun air combat and find it less buggy than many similar titles, others report ongoing issues with glitches and a lack of updates, leaving it feeling unpolished. Overall, it appears to be in a beta-like state with significant room for improvement.
- “Been a while since it came out and it's a buggy, glitchy mess still.”
- “What's there is fun for a beta, but it is severely unpolished, buggy, and is not receiving updates.”
- “Unlike 90% of other game workshop games, I don't feel this one is a complete bug-ridden mess, but you need to like air combat and be willing to learn the gameplay.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The game's atmosphere resonates well with Warhammer 40k fans, providing an immersive experience during battles. However, outside of combat, the immersion falters due to the presence of a faceless character and a stark, silent interface.
- “If you're into Warhammer 40K, you will enjoy the atmosphere of this game.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
- “The game's environment is rich and detailed, creating a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
- “Atmosphere: While I can find immersion in battles, as soon as I leave them, my suspension of disbelief is shattered, as I am met by a faceless character on a silent blue screen.”
- “Atmosphere: The world feels empty and lifeless, lacking any real sense of danger or excitement.”
- “Atmosphere: The environments are visually appealing, but they fail to evoke any emotional response or connection.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The game has a moderate replayability score of 5/10, with users noting that it is fun, addicting, and offers replayable experiences. However, the overall consensus suggests that while enjoyable, it may not have enough variety to encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “The game is fun, replayable, and addicting.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making it hard to put down.”
- “With multiple endings and choices, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is initially amusing but tends to wear thin, especially in a strategy context where players feel their planning is undermined. While some find the comedic elements entertaining, others express frustration that it detracts from the strategic experience.
- “It's funny the first few times, but it can become deeply frustrating in a strategy game when you're robbed of the ability to 'make your own luck' through careful planning and positioning of that sniper, while leaving the assault in the wings to flank that muton or whatever.”
- “That's funny to see, but I feel like there is room to add more in some way.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy is perceived as a cash grab, lacking depth and effort, which ironically aligns with the original tabletop game's approach.
- “In short, it seems like a cash grab with not much effort or thought behind it, which is the most faithful thing it can be to the tabletop game it's based on, if I'm being honest.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, prioritizing profit over player experience.”
- “I feel like I'm being constantly pushed to spend more money just to enjoy the game fully.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect in most 40k games to be tedious, often exacerbated by overly dramatic voice acting that can become grating over time.