Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings is a game whose crafting mechanic is a lot more interesting than the rest of the gameplay. It doesn’t feel broken, it just feels like the flying gameplay is secondary to the inventive crafting.

76%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

grinding, replayability

87% User Score Based on 116 reviews

Critic Score 65%Based on 15 reviews

Platforms

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About

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings is a single player arcade shooter game with a historical theme. It was developed by Blindflug Studios AG and was released on July 23, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Airheart - Tales of Broken Wings is a dieselpunk airplane action rogue-like game set in the flying city of Granaria. As pilot Amelia, you'll engage in sky fishing to reach the world's edge, while defending yourself against pirates and scavenging for parts to enhance your aircraft. With various customization options and over 40 weapons, take down enemies and rule the skies.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings screenshot

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 116 reviews

gameplay21 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

The game features a charming aesthetic with beautiful graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The gameplay loop is engaging, allowing for customization of planes and weapons, which adds depth to the roguelite mechanics.
The crafting system, while challenging, offers a unique trial-and-error approach that can be rewarding for players who enjoy experimentation.

The crafting system is often frustrating and unintuitive, leading to trial and error that can feel tedious and unrewarding.
The game lacks a sense of progression, as players can lose all upgrades and items upon death, which can be discouraging.
Levels are repetitive and do not offer enough variation, leading to a grindy experience that may deter players from long-term engagement.

gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The gameplay of "Airheart" is characterized by a straightforward yet engaging loop, combining basic mechanics with unique features like crafting and a permadeath system that adds challenge. While the game offers enjoyable combat and exploration elements, some players noted issues with distinguishing objects, bugs in achievements, and a punishing loss of progress that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many found the mechanics to be solid and the art style captivating, making it a fun pick-up-and-play roguelite.
- “It's a fun game with a great gameplay loop.”
- “An awesome dieselpunk action roguelike twin-stick shooter that is challenging yet a lot of fun to play and has a ton of charm and solid core gameplay.”
- “The mechanics feel very fluent and are easily understood, which allows for a fast immersion into the gameplay.”
- “Mechanically, Airheart does so much but does not do any of it exceedingly well.”
- “There's a lot to appreciate in Airheart, but the failures in gameplay, most notably the huge problem in erasing progression, is too much for me to recommend this.”
- “The crafting system is also not persistent, so it becomes a chore when crafting items you have made and lost/used. The tutorial instructions clearly skip critical gameplay mechanics like harpooning planes/guns/big fish and then diving back to base with them in tow.”
graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
44%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their distinct and appealing cel-shaded art style, vibrant colors, and charming visuals that enhance the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers appreciate the unique aesthetic, which combines elements of dieselpunk and steampunk, alongside a captivating soundtrack that complements the visuals. While some players noted minor issues with gameplay mechanics, the overall impression is that the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal and immersive experience.
- “The developers over Blindflug Studios went with a cel-shaded art style for Airheart, which works really well for the gameplay. It makes things pop on the screen and keeps you captivated, wanting to explore more of the world with its different fish, planes, and floating islands.”
- “The graphics are charming and colorful, with a unique world of floating islands and a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the experience.”
- “The visual art style is so beautiful, and the soundtrack throughout the game is so fitting, creating an overall flowing experience.”
- “Graphics quality, which is one of my gripes as you can't adjust what you want, it is just one slider.”
- “The mechanics are solid from what I've played so far of it, but the music upon the 3rd level I don't think fits very well with the visuals of the game.”
- “No, not the graphics, but the option menus.”
story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
68%
9%
The story in the game is generally perceived as light and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it serves primarily to provide emotional context rather than a substantial narrative. While some appreciate the charming premise of Amelia's journey as a pilot and fisherwoman in a whimsical sky world, others criticize the story for being underdeveloped and overshadowed by grindy gameplay mechanics. Overall, the narrative is seen as a mixed bag, offering a cute concept but failing to fully engage players due to its simplicity and gaps in storytelling.
- “Airheart is the story of Amelia, a young pilot and fisherwoman who lives in a world among the clouds. Amelia fishes through dangerous skies collecting scrap in order to upgrade her plane and avoid pirates, all in the hope of one day making the catch of a lifetime, and you are tasked with guiding Amelia on her journey.”
- “Airheart is a roguelike shooter telling the story of Amelia, a young pilot with the objective of reaching the stratosphere to capture a legendary whale and honor the inheritance received from her father.”
- “This is a fun and fast arcade-style shooter with a nice story.”
- “The story is almost non-existent, but also cute.”
- “The story and setting is bare bones.”
- “It felt like an afterthought, like they had this great concept for a game and just didn't have the story quite there.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
27%
9%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its beautiful and immersive quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the blend of modern and retro elements in the soundtrack, which complements the visuals and evokes feelings of adventure and anticipation. However, some critiques mention that certain tracks may not align perfectly with the game's action, occasionally feeling too calm for intense moments.
- “A beautiful game with a great atmosphere, wonderful music and unforgiving enemies that will punish you for reaching too high, too fast.”
- “The music in Airheart is actually a nice mix of modern and retro, and they add new layers as you fly to new heights within the game. I actually found myself bobbing along with the music; it really helps to immerse you in this world and makes the action feel that much more intense.”
- “The visuals are great and the music really supports the overall flowing experience, even though I sometimes find it a bit too calm for the heavy fighting.”
- “The mechanics are solid from what I've played so far, but the music upon the 3rd level doesn't fit very well with the visuals of the game.”
- “When you get into a huge air battle with pirates, things are exploding and planes are ducking in and out, yet the soundtrack is usually closer to elevator music than to sky battles!”
- “It's hard to describe, but the skyscape and the music just evoke a feeling I haven't gotten from many other games; of loneliness and adventure, anticipation and hope.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often unfulfilling. Players express frustration over the lack of fast travel, slow cash accumulation, and the necessity to repeatedly farm for resources and upgrades, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the game's charm and challenging gameplay, many find the grinding aspect to be a major drawback that hampers their experience.
- “It's just so damn grindy and unfulfilling.”
- “I will say it is a bit too grindy, and even though I was enjoying the cute story, I wasn't able to finish due to how difficult and grindy it is.”
- “Overall, I found the game to be one with good concepts and setting, but bugs and some very debatable design choices prevent me from being able to truly recommend it, as it soon becomes tedious, frustrating, and repetitive to a fault, far more than is acceptable for a roguelike game.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beauty, engaging music, and unique setting, creating an immersive experience. However, some players note that the lack of atmospheric fog can make the environment challenging to navigate, as visual elements blend together at higher levels. Overall, the atmosphere is described as charming and captivating, despite some control difficulties.
- “A beautiful game with a great atmosphere, wonderful music and unforgiving enemies that will punish you for reaching too high, too fast.”
- “A cute, very atmospheric game.”
- “I love the game idea, the crazy setting (I mean fishes in the air - come on!), the music and the whole atmosphere.”
- “A good game, difficult to control at times, but I love the atmosphere and graphics of the game.”
- “I love the game idea, the crazy setting (I mean, fish in the air - come on!), the music, and the whole atmosphere.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game has limited replayability, as players feel that once achievements are completed, there is little incentive to play again. Its short length further diminishes replay value, leading some to suggest it may only be worth purchasing on sale.
- “Once you finish the achievements, the game has no replayability whatsoever.”
- “If you can get the game on sale, it's probably worth it, but I don't know if I would pay full price for a game that destroys its own replayability.”
- “Since the game is short, I'm not sure if there is much replay value in the game.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while it initially starts fast and runs smoothly, users report frequent crashes and ongoing performance issues that detract from overall stability.
- “Starts fast and runs smoothly.”
- “Performance & stability are well-implemented.”
- “At the time of writing, this game crashes regularly and has performance issues.”
- “At one point in time, developers chose to use this style for performance purposes.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a light story that effectively adds some emotional depth, enhancing the overall experience for players.
- “The story is light but effectively adds a layer of emotional depth.”
- “The characters' journeys resonate deeply, making you feel every triumph and loss.”
- “The game masterfully weaves moments of joy and sorrow, leaving a lasting emotional impact.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences some stability issues, including glitches and bugs, particularly within the crafting system, which users find problematic and in need of improvement.
- “There are some glitches and bugs, though.”
- “The crafting system needs to be redone because, at the moment, it can be a bit buggy when trying to learn it.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted by clever design choices, such as the 'cratefish' health pickups that visually resemble regular health items but inflict damage instead, adding a comedic twist to gameplay and challenging players to discern between them amidst the action.
- “There are health pickups, and also ones that are 'cratefish', a hilarious joke by the developers that will damage you if you try to collect them - they are visually a few pixels different, so good luck identifying which is which in the heat of battle.”

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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 15 critic reviews

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4h Median play time

3h Average play time

1-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings is a arcade shooter game with historical theme.

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings.

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings was released on July 23, 2018.

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings was developed by Blindflug Studios AG.

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings is a single player game.

Similar games include Black Skylands, GoNNER, EVERSPACE, Outpost, Patch Quest and others.

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings

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