Airborne Kingdom

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,052 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Airborne Kingdom Game Cover
Airborne Kingdom is rarely a very exciting game, but it’s absolutely lovely to look at, feels relaxing and pleasant to play, and manages to stand out in a genre that has been crowded for decades
Starting at $2.05Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store Get on Epic Games Store

Take a fantastical journey - fly the desert and build your domain. Airborne Kingdom uniquely blends city management and exploration, with a world and lore all its own. Build housing, gather food, satisfy needs, and grow your tribe. Maintain lift, discover resources, and explore the desert for lost technologies. The kingdom, your journey, their lives - all of it is up to you to decide.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,052 reviews
story74 positive mentions
replayability18 negative mentions
  • Unique concept of a flying city adds a refreshing twist to the city-building genre.
  • Beautiful art style and soothing soundtrack create a relaxing atmosphere.
  • Engaging gameplay with resource management and exploration elements.
  • Short playtime, with the main campaign completed in about 6-10 hours.
  • Limited replayability, as the game lacks depth and variety in quests.
  • Some gameplay mechanics, such as the inability to reassign workers without demolishing buildings, can be frustrating.
  • story260 mentions

    The game's story is generally described as light and simplistic, serving primarily as a framework for gameplay progression rather than a deeply engaging narrative. Players appreciate the charming lore and the quest system, which involves mostly fetch quests that can become repetitive, but many find the overall experience enjoyable and relaxing. While the main storyline can be completed in about 6 to 12 hours, it lacks depth and replayability, leaving some players wishing for more substantial content and variety in quests.

    • “The story is interesting and cool, and it's very fun to try to rebuild and reconnect a broken world.”
    • “The mission of the game is established by the story, which guides you unobtrusively from the beginning of the journey to the conclusion.”
    • “It's a very lovingly crafted storyline that has linear progression.”
    • “The story is indeed relatively short, but you can continue playing beyond that point.”
    • “The quests themselves are repetitive, since there are only two types.”
    • “Sadly, the story is very short and the game's mechanics are too shallow to justify another playthrough.”
  • gameplay222 mentions

    The gameplay of this city-building game is characterized by its unique mechanics, such as managing a floating city and balancing its tilt, which adds an interesting twist to traditional resource management. While the art style and music are praised for their charm, many players find the gameplay to be relatively simple and repetitive, with a short campaign lasting around 6-10 hours and limited replay value. Overall, it offers a relaxing experience suitable for newcomers to the genre, but lacks depth and complexity for seasoned players.

    • “Extremely interesting game with unique mechanics and a very addictive formula.”
    • “The mechanics of the game and the world itself are well thought out enough to keep me immersed in the game for hours on end.”
    • “The gameplay while good, will not rock your world; your job is to build your flying city’s infrastructure while balancing the needs of its citizens.”
    • “Easily less than 10 hours of gameplay, and low replay value makes it feel unfinished.”
    • “The mechanics that do exist aren't that fun to work with and the buildings you use and the ways you need to care for your population are super basic and boring.”
    • “Sadly, the story is very short and the game's mechanics are too shallow to justify another playthrough.”
  • graphics185 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style, unique aesthetic, and relaxing atmosphere, often described as charming and visually stunning. Many reviewers highlight the game's integration of a middle-eastern theme and intricate animations that enhance the overall experience, although some mention performance issues on lower-end systems. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a delightful choice for fans of the city-building genre.

    • “The unique concept and gorgeous art style create a relaxing yet strategic experience.”
    • “Absolutely gorgeous artwork, where you build a flying city to do quests, gather resources, and uncover an underlying story.”
    • “The artwork is beautiful, using simple shapes and pastel shades to bring its world to life, easily capturing the sense of height and scale required to make you believe you’re hundreds of meters above ground.”
    • “This game may be unplayable on Mac without a dedicated graphics card; it runs about 1 frame per second on my ancient MacBook with an integrated graphics card.”
    • “Eventually, I turned every graphical setting to low or off, but did not notice much improvement in performance.”
    • “Graphically, I was pretty disappointed; they could have done so much more.”
  • music176 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beautiful, calming, and immersive qualities, often described as enchanting and perfectly suited to the game's atmosphere. Many players appreciate the unique blend of Middle Eastern influences and relaxing melodies, which enhance the overall experience and contribute to a meditative gameplay style. However, some users noted that the limited variety of tracks can lead to repetition over extended play sessions.

    • “A very pleasant game, from its bewitching soundtrack to its Arabian nights inspiration mixed in with Miyazaki's 'Castle in the Sky' which seldom misses a beat and successfully creates an 'out-of-time' vibe.”
    • “The music is calming and beautiful and kept me relaxed even at the one point I decided to wreck my residential district to rebuild it and most of my citizens got pissed and abandoned ship.”
    • “The soundtrack is equally impressive, with a variety of tracks that capture the adventurous and optimistic spirit of the game.”
    • “Music is ok but repeats infinitely which can be a drag, and the game is in no way difficult if you pay attention.”
    • “Also the music (basically 1 song playing on loop) gets really bland, and the unlockable colour patterns for your city are not really eyecatchers.”
    • “The background music captures the adventurous yet laid back nature of the game, however there are only like 2-4 tracks.”
  • replayability83 mentions

    Overall, the game exhibits limited replayability, with many players noting its short playtime—often under 10 hours—and a lack of depth in gameplay mechanics. While some users mention potential for replay through creative modes or new game+ options, the consensus leans towards it being a one-time experience with minimal incentive to revisit. Casual players may enjoy it for a brief, relaxing session, but those seeking depth and longevity may find it lacking.

    • “There is some great replayability here too, surprisingly enough.”
    • “Without these things, the base game alone would be short by RTS standards; my first complete playthrough was 30 hours from start to final credits, but there's probably several times that in replay value and value for price should not be a worry.”
    • “Some replayability experimenting with different designs and tech.”
    • “However, the overall lack of depth makes it an entry-level management game for a casual and relaxed experience, with limited replayability.”
    • “Easily less than 10 hours of gameplay, and low replay value makes it feel unfinished.”
    • “I do not think there is much replayability; it seems like a once and done.”
  • atmosphere39 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals, calming music, and immersive setting, creating a relaxing and engaging experience. Many reviewers highlight the harmonious blend of art and sound that enhances the gameplay, making it a standout feature. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as enchanting and conducive to a chill gaming experience, appealing particularly to fans of atmospheric city builders.

    • “Awesome game... really surprised me with unique challenges and it's extremely immersive setting and atmosphere, from the stunning art (map design) to the music... the game mechanics are delightfully captivating and original.”
    • “The atmosphere is great, in large part to the music.”
    • “Overall, a very nice and relaxing game, chill atmosphere, beautiful design and art.”
    • “Ok so, atmosphere can make or break a game for me.”
    • “All the creativity went into the general atmosphere and premise.”
    • “Setting aside the absolutely fantastical optimism of a technologically-advanced society that didn’t use their powers for conquest, this is a marvelous premise for a game and fits extremely well with the serene atmosphere of the gameplay.”
  • optimization23 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, especially when managing larger cities. While it runs smoothly in creative mode and some updates have improved performance, many users report that the game demands excessive computing resources, leading to poor performance even on high-end machines. Further optimization is needed to enhance the gaming experience, as current settings do not alleviate the performance hitches encountered during gameplay.

    • “The game is optimized for performance.”
    • “The semi-recent performance update did wonders for this game.”
    • “After allying with half the kingdoms, I received a developer message apologizing for breaking the fourth wall and informing me that my city size already exceeds what is needed to complete the game, which might impact performance.”
    • “Once you reach 200 citizens (which I did well before the end of the campaign), you are notified that further recruitment may negatively impact performance.”
    • “Game has interesting premises, but because it's using the Unity engine, it is badly optimized and therefore unplayable on high-end laptops (even at the lowest settings).”
  • grinding17 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat present, particularly in the endgame where tasks can become repetitive and tedious. While some appreciate the resource management and exploration elements, others note that the constant need to gather various materials and the limited storage can lead to a grindy experience. Despite these criticisms, many still enjoy the game, considering the grind manageable and even relaxing at times.

    • “It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but the rewards make it worth it.”
    • “The game feels a bit grindy, yet it keeps me engaged and motivated.”
    • “The endgame feels like it might be getting a bit grindy, and I have to groan at achievements set aside for hard mode/new game plus, but that half-dozen hours was worth the price.”
    • “I did really enjoy the game, it did get a little bit grindy and repetitive near the last hour, but it was not bad at all.”
    • “At the point of writing this, everything is really variations on a delivery quest (which thematically fits but does get a little tedious when you realize that's all the quests).”
  • emotional8 mentions

    Airborne Kingdom is praised for its wholesome and heartwarming atmosphere, offering a chill experience with beautiful visuals and engaging mechanics. While its story may be simplistic compared to more emotionally intense games like Frostpunk, it still manages to create a delightful and relaxing emotional experience that resonates with players. Overall, it is characterized as a charming city-building game that combines elements of Arabian nights and solarpunk.

    • “At the heart of it, Airborne Kingdom is an incredibly wholesome game.”
    • “Very casual and relaxing, the sweet atmosphere and heartfelt story is very easy to get behind, and the only pressure you feel is the one to balance your kingdom and the desire for coal.”
    • “Airborne Kingdom is probably not as emotionally potent as Frostpunk, but even so, the game managed to surpass my expectations.”
    • “An incredibly simplistic and boring story.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and crashes reported by users, indicating a lack of polish. While some players find it enjoyable and worth the price, the overall consensus highlights the need for substantial improvements to enhance its stability.

    • “It's a cool concept, but the game lacks polish and is buggy.”
    • “This game is really buggy and unpolished.”
    • “I tried it again and again, and it freezes and crashes. I will say it looks good, but the way it plays is going to take a lot of work from what I see.”
  • humor1 mentions

    Users appreciate the humor in the reviews, noting it as a standout feature that adds entertainment value. The humor is described as "super funny," suggesting it resonates well with the audience.

    • “We do, however, have some amazing tips for those of you who count on our super funny humor portion of our reviews.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Buy Airborne Kingdom

Play time

11hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
6-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 23 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News