Jet Lancer

About

"Jet Lancer" is a thrilling aerial combat shooter where you play as Ash Leguinn, a skilled mercenary pilot taking on sky pirates and giant robots. With precise controls and a challenging story-driven campaign, you'll dodge enemy fire, upgrade your plane, and save Root City from mechanized weapons. The game offers a rush of supersonic speeds and intense battles, making it easy to learn but hard to master.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+10

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 643 reviews

story89 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Fast-paced and satisfying gameplay with tight controls that make you feel like a skilled pilot.
Beautiful pixel art and a vibrant color palette, complemented by an excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Variety in missions and customization options for the jet, allowing players to tailor their gameplay style.

Some missions can feel repetitive, and the scoring system may force players into specific loadouts, limiting playstyle diversity.
The story and character development are somewhat lacking, with some characters being unlikable or clichéd.
Difficulty spikes in certain missions can be frustrating, especially when the game relies heavily on the dodge mechanic.

story
414 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The story in "Jet Lancer" is generally regarded as engaging and enjoyable, with a light-hearted, anime-inspired narrative that complements the fast-paced gameplay. While some players find the plot predictable and the characters somewhat cliché, others appreciate the depth and humor woven into the dialogue, making it a pleasant addition to the arcade-style action. However, the story's pacing and certain mission types can detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about its execution.
- “The plot, world, and characters are very good for such a short story; it would have been easy to make a cheap story without any thought put into it, but this is the contrary, great writing.”
- “The story is surprisingly enjoyable for a small game like this - definitely worth playing through it (even on ng+!).”
- “The story and characters are interesting enough on their own, and having it mixed in with the stellar gameplay is just perfect for me.”
- “And this is a very personal preference but I really, really didn’t like the story and by the end just hated the main character.”
- “The story was like watching a bad 'Americanized' dub to what would otherwise be adequate scripting in the natural language.”
- “The pacing is all over the place, the story developments are just pulled out of nowhere, and it really just felt like a loose connection of events to tie together the game's levels rather than a proper storyline.”
gameplay
197 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
60%
3%
The gameplay of Jet Lancer is widely praised for its fast-paced, arcade-style mechanics that blend tight controls with a satisfying learning curve. Players appreciate the depth provided by customizable loadouts and a dodge mechanic that enhances the action, while the vibrant pixel art and engaging soundtrack complement the intense gameplay experience. Although some find the mission variety lacking and the difficulty can feel artificially inflated, the overall consensus is that the gameplay is addictive, rewarding, and a significant highlight of the game.
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and frantic.”
- “The gameplay is engaging and I enjoyed getting better and more agile in my movement.”
- “Great, smooth, fast-paced gameplay with beautiful pixel work and an amazing chiptune soundtrack; this game just doesn't miss.”
- “Gameplay gets repetitive over longer play sessions.”
- “Certain stages become extremely repetitive, and since the gameplay itself isn't that varied, the frustration mounts very quickly.”
- “You get bombarded with progressively greater BS toward the end of the game, and the evasion mechanic feels inconsistent - choosing to work when it wants to.”
music
177 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
36%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its energetic and engaging soundtrack that perfectly complements the fast-paced gameplay. The chiptune and rock influences create a nostalgic yet modern feel, enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in the action. While some noted occasional repetitiveness, the majority found the soundtrack to be a standout feature, elevating the game's appeal significantly.
- “The music is also excellent and fits perfectly into this crazy fast gameplay.”
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal and the gameplay is extremely tight with a very high skill cap.”
- “The music is genuinely great, but those of you who don't listen to a lot of speed metal might want for a more diverse soundtrack.”
- “The music is repetitive and eventually quite annoying.”
- “The 'upbeat' and 'hoppy' nature of the soundtrack does not fit with the overall tone of the story.”
- “Musical style didn't perfectly land with me but the game is really good.”
graphics
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
33%
3%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant pixel art style, which combines retro aesthetics with modern design elements, creating a visually appealing experience. Many reviewers highlighted the game's colorful and detailed visuals, smooth animations, and effective use of effects that enhance the overall gameplay. The art style, reminiscent of 80s-90s anime and classic video games, is complemented by a strong soundtrack, making it a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's enjoyment.
- “If the colorful, high contrast, pixel 'bluesky' aesthetic reminiscent of 80's-90's anime doesn't draw you in, and the great chiptune/rock music of Fat Bard doesn't make you consider the reasonable cost of a game like this, then surely the fast-paced, nonstop 2D dogfighting action is the last thing needed to convince you this is worth the buy.”
- “The art style is fantastic, with lots of bright colors, complementing the anime-esque opening quite nicely.”
- “The graphics are nice and clean, the effects are super stylish, and the music is great.”
- “The controls are overcomplicated & the aircraft feels loose, the visuals are simplistic, too bright & often unpleasant, story's really bland (sky pirates blah blah), boss fights demand hard work - product is at least 3x overpriced.”
- “It also reminds me a bit of Sky Rogue, particularly the 'low-texture' art style (more prominent on the overmap).”
- “Graphics are really pretty in a way it imitates 3D pixel graphics similar to PS1/DS games, and sprite animations are just very vivid looking paired with an excellent sound design.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
Overall, "Jet Lancer" is praised for its high replayability, featuring an endless arcade mode, a New Game Plus option, and a variety of mission types that encourage players to return for improved scores and ranks. While some players may find the game's length short, the engaging mechanics and unlockable content provide ample motivation to replay levels and strive for perfection. The combination of finely tuned gameplay and addictive challenges makes it a compelling choice for those seeking a fun and replayable arcade shooter experience.
- “The arcade mode adds infinite replayability and is super satisfying once you get a good run going.”
- “Gorgeous art, terrific gameplay, good difficulty controls, and enough replayability to be worth the price.”
- “Each mission is scored based on how well you performed, so for those of us perfectionists who want to score 'S+' ranks without being hit once, you'll find lots of replay value on this alone.”
- “While I find that grinding for the best rank in stages appeals to many players, I wonder how much replay value this game holds for players who are not interested in it.”
- “Some stages can be played as a timed score attack mode, so I wonder if these will make up the replay value for them.”
- “Each mission is scored based on how well you performed too, so for those of us perfectionists who want to score 'S+' ranks without being hit once, you'll find lots of replay value on this alone.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever and cheeky dialogue, with characters that deliver funny interactions without veering into cringe territory. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone, likening it to beloved media like Cowboy Bebop, and enjoy the blend of humor with engaging gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game successfully combines a compelling story with amusing moments, making it a delightful experience.
- “Love the game, love the music, love the cheeky cliché humor.”
- “The soundtrack is complex and dynamic, and the dialogue is hilarious with a mildly compelling story that you can skip over to just get to the shooty-shooty, bang-bang.”
- “The mechanics are smooth, the story has humor and is reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop; there's a talking cat engineer and a giant laser beam mod on your jet.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
Players highlight the emotional depth of the game, noting that the story is compelling enough to evoke tears at both endings, which is a rarity in shooter games. The combination of engaging characters, meaningful dialogue, and a focus on narrative enhances the overall experience, making players genuinely care about the events unfolding. However, some critiques mention a lack of excitement in the storyline, suggesting that while the emotional elements are strong, they may not be universally appealing.
- “Story is seriously good; I cried at both endings.”
- “It's absolutely vital that a game puts some genuine emotional energy into making you believe in and care about what's happening and to whom, and that's dishearteningly rare among arcade action games.”
- “This is exactly what a shooter game should be—fluid but weighty action, creative & pretty designs, bright & clear & spacious visuals, pleasant & exciting music, and some earnest focus on story as more than an afterthought.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, often requiring repetitive attempts to achieve high ranks or complete challenging missions. The poorly defined combo system and reliance on luck rather than skill contribute to a lack of enjoyment, particularly for those not invested in replaying stages for better scores. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback that may deter some players from fully engaging with the game.
- “Some missions can be a little bit tedious; I personally struggled a lot on mission 37... literally the only mission I had to activate god mode otherwise I could not beat it.”
- “Hours grinding a single mission until the random chance that you won't be screwed over by the game isn't fun.”
- “It's about reproducing a single specific loadout that was in mind for that mission, and then grinding until the poor excuse of an AI allows you to be lucky.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's optimization is praised for maintaining smooth performance even during intense moments with numerous enemy ships on screen. However, some players find the letter grading system for mission performance to be somewhat arbitrary, despite the strong motivation to achieve higher ranks.
- “You get ranked based on your performance on each mission.”
- “As you complete a mission, you'll be graded on your performance with accuracy, quick completion, and perfect dodging of enemy fire, netting you higher ranks. The desire to S-rank everything is strong.”
- “My only qualm with the game is they use letter scores as a way to rank your performance, which I always considered arbitrary.”
- “As you complete a mission, you'll be graded on your performance with accuracy, quick completion, and perfect dodging enemy fire netting you the higher ranks, and the desire to S-rank everything is strong.”
- “It is quite common for the screen to be filled with enemy ships, and not even for a second do you feel any break in terms of performance.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while players appreciate the innovative mechanics and report a bug-free experience, there are notable issues with brief freezes during intense actions like dodging or engaging with missiles.
- “What is impressive here that I didn't note above is how my experience was entirely bug-free; the polish of this game is something to take note of.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate the stability of the game; it allows me to focus on gameplay without worrying about technical issues.”
- “The game often freezes briefly, especially when dodging or ramming missiles or other aircraft.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is considered adequate, with the main character's design and accompanying music during dialogues receiving mixed feedback; while they are functional, there is a consensus that there is room for improvement.
- “The main character's design and the original soundtrack during dialogues are decent, but there's definitely room for improvement.”
- “Character development feels shallow and lacks depth; I didn't feel connected to their journeys.”
- “The choices I made didn't seem to impact the character's growth, making the experience feel linear and unengaging.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's atmosphere is noted as distinct but lacks the sandbox feel of similar titles, yet it compensates for this with its own unique qualities.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
- “The game's unique ambiance creates a haunting yet beautiful experience that lingers long after you put it down.”
- “Every detail contributes to a rich atmosphere that enhances the storytelling and keeps you engaged.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion I was hoping for.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere is dull and fails to engage the player.”
- “The world feels lifeless, and the atmosphere does nothing to draw me into the experience.”