Airborne Kingdom

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

72%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, optimization

87% User Score Based on 1,234 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.96

Buy NowGet on Steam€22.99

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Buy NowGet on Epic Games Store

About

"Airborne Kingdom" is a sky city builder game where you construct and manage a floating metropolis, seeking resources and opportunities across the world's skies. Your goal is to reconnect isolated nations, complete quests, and usher in a new era of harmony and prosperity. Create housing, service buildings, and research technologies to develop your city and revive the legendary Airborne Kingdom.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+12

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,236 reviews

story77 positive mentions

replayability21 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 a balance of resource management and exploration.

Short playtime, with the main campaign taking around 6-10 hours to complete.
Limited replayability, as the quests and mechanics become repetitive.
Lacks depth in city-building mechanics, making it feel simplistic for experienced players.

story
299 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
The story in the game is generally described as light and simple, serving primarily as a framework for gameplay progression rather than a deeply engaging narrative. Players embark on a series of fetch quests to ally with various kingdoms, which adds a whimsical charm but can become repetitive over time. While the overarching plot of restoring a once-glorious kingdom is appealing, many reviewers noted that the quests lack variety and depth, leading to a relatively short playtime of around 6 to 12 hours.
- “The campaign has you explore the map and reunite 12 different civilizations, all while building up your own structure and supplies, in order to keep your people alive as you complete short quests for each of the major cities.”
- “The story is interesting and cool, and it's very fun to try to rebuild and reconnect a broken world.”
- “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.”
gameplay
257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
6%
The gameplay of this city-builder is characterized by its unique mechanics, such as managing a floating city and balancing resources, which provide a relaxing yet engaging experience. While the exploration and resource collection elements are enjoyable, many players find the overall gameplay loop to be repetitive and lacking depth, leading to limited replayability. The game is visually appealing and offers a charming atmosphere, but its simplicity and short campaign may leave some players wanting more complexity and variety.
- “A fun city-builder with some neat mechanics (like keeping the city balanced) and a cool theme.”
- “You have a solid city builder that does everything right; in addition, the game's primary mechanic of being a mobile city doing quests makes the game limitlessly more interesting and fun than it has any right to be.”
- “The combination of exploration and city-building is pretty innovative, and very well supported by in-game mechanics in both an intuitive and fun way: on top of the usual resource juggling, the fact that most resources are on land below means you have to explore, and you have to improve your ability to do so.”
- “Not being able to disable buildings or set resource caps adds nuisance to the gameplay instead of complexity.”
- “As it stands, the gameplay loop is quite repetitive; you fly around the map, collect resources, upgrade your kingdom, unlock technologies, and complete quests, which all amount to basically fetch quests.”
- “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.”
graphics
208 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and unique aesthetic, often described as a blend of Middle Eastern and steampunk influences. Many players appreciate the charming animations and overall visual appeal, although some have noted issues with optimization and performance, particularly on lower-end systems. While the visuals contribute to a relaxing atmosphere, a few reviews mention that the graphics can feel simplistic or lack detail in certain areas.
- “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.”
- “The graphics are nice and the concept is nice.”
- “There are many poor design choices, the graphics are terrible, and the game is overall too simple for my taste.”
- “My only concern is the weird graphic choice; it is impossible to explain, but it is slightly blurry, slightly smogged, and no color is vibrant. Everything feels like you have the beginnings of cataracts.”
- “The game runs way worse than it has any right to do given the graphic fidelity.”
music
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
30%
2%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many players praising its calming and immersive qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack is often described as beautiful, relaxing, and fitting for the game's theme, contributing significantly to the enjoyment of the gameplay experience. However, some users noted that the limited variety of tracks can lead to repetition over extended play sessions.
- “The music is mesmerizing, the art is so unique, and there is so much to explore that it didn't feel like just another city builder to me.”
- “The soundtrack is enchanting, the setting is unique.”
- “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.”
- “Even the music is painfully mediocre.”
- “Music is okay but repeats infinitely, which can be a drag, and the game is in no way difficult if you pay attention.”
- “Also, the music (basically one song playing on loop) gets really bland, and the unlockable color patterns for your city are not really eyecatchers.”
replayability
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
64%
23%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its limited replayability, with many players noting that it can be completed in a short time frame (typically under 10 hours) and lacks depth and content for multiple playthroughs. While some users mention minor replay value through modes like New Game+ or creative challenges, the consensus is that the game feels more suited for a single, casual experience rather than repeated play.
- “I got a good 12 hours of enjoyment out of it, but it lacks replayability.”
- “The game can be beaten pretty quickly if you rush it, and at the moment with only one campaign it's not the most replayable game, but I'll probably play it a second time now that I know what I did wrong the first time.”
- “New game + adds some replayability.”
- “Finished the final goals in only six hours, and there isn't much replay value.”
- “It's a very simple game, offering very little content, no challenge, and no replayability.”
- “Easily less than 10 hours of gameplay, and low replay value makes it feel unfinished.”
atmosphere
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
19%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals, calming music, and immersive design, creating a relaxing and engaging experience. Many reviewers highlight the harmonious blend of art and sound that enhances the overall ambiance, making it a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's appeal. Overall, the atmosphere is described as charming, serene, and integral to the enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “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.”
- “Great atmosphere, fantastic soundtrack, relaxing gameplay.”
- “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.”
optimization
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
70%
19%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and effective resource management, many others experience significant performance issues, especially in late-game scenarios with larger cities. Despite some updates aimed at improving optimization, users have noted that the game struggles on higher graphical settings and requires substantial computing resources, leading to frustration for those with less powerful machines. Further optimization is widely requested to enhance the overall experience.
- “At this point, you're mostly focusing on some optimization of your city and managing enough resource stockpiles to explore.”
- “The final third is just around optimization and exploration.”
- “Between the quests, resource gathering, and airship optimization, I was kept busy while the game was relaxing enough to enjoy the lore.”
- “My only complaint is that it is kind of badly optimized, so it is hard to run it on higher graphical settings, especially in late game, when I have a lot of buildings.”
- “After allying with half the kingdoms, I already got a developer message apologizing for breaking the fourth wall and telling me that my city size already exceeds what is needed to complete the game and that it might have an impact on the game's 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 lowest settings).”
grinding
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the resource management and city expansion without excessive grinding, others note that certain tasks can become tedious and repetitive, especially towards the endgame. The need for constant resource gathering and the slow pace of certain mechanics contribute to a sense of grindiness that may detract from the overall enjoyment for some players.
- “It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but it adds to the overall experience.”
- “The game feels a bit grindy, yet it keeps me engaged and motivated.”
- “Research can be sometimes long and tedious in the game and will require multiple academies to properly progress in the game.”
- “As it becomes quite tedious to constantly click in a general direction, open up the map and realize you're off, and repeat again until you're headed to where you want.”
- “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.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
91%
9%
The emotional aspect of "Airborne Kingdom" is characterized by its wholesome and heartwarming narrative, complemented by beautiful visuals and a relaxing atmosphere. While some find the story simplistic, many appreciate its charm and the gentle pressure of resource management, creating a casual yet engaging experience. Overall, the game evokes a sense of warmth and tranquility, making it a delightful escape.
- “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.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 and enhances the overall experience.
- “We do, however, have some amazing tips for those of you who count on our super funny humor portion of our reviews.”