LUFTRAUSERS

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,476 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • story
LUFTRAUSERS Game Cover
“Vlambeer delivers bullet-hell shmup action with a twist in its sepia-toned Steampunk wargame, Luftrausers.”
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"LUFTRAUSERS" is a single-player arcade game with awesome gameplay, ingenious graphics, and a perfect soundtrack. Customize your Rauser with over 125 deadly combinations, and take to the skies for epic battles against enemy planes and ships. With hilarious moments, lots of grinding, and high replayability, this game will keep you entertained for hours. Be aware of some bugs, but they don't detract from the overall experience.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,476 reviews
music282 positive mentions
story22 negative mentions
  • Simple and addictive gameplay with a variety of customizable planes.
  • Dynamic soundtrack that changes based on the parts equipped, enhancing the gaming experience.
  • Fast-paced action that keeps players engaged and encourages experimentation with different loadouts.
  • Limited content and can become repetitive after a few hours of play.
  • Frustrating enemy spawn mechanics that can lead to unfair deaths.
  • Poor menu navigation and control remapping options, making it difficult to adjust settings.
  • music550 mentions

    The music in *Luftrausers* is widely praised for its dynamic and adaptive nature, changing based on the player's aircraft customization, which enhances the gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to create an intense atmosphere, with each combination of plane parts producing unique musical layers that contribute to the game's fast-paced action. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's appeal and replayability.

    • “Your guns decide the high-end melody, the body changes the supporting instrumentation, and the engine changes the rhythm... there's just as many songs in this game as there are loadout combos.”
    • “The dynamic music adds massively to the intensity, and the controls feel tight and intuitive.”
    • “Each part of the ship has its own instruments to add to the song that plays during the game, and each part has multiple missions that you can only complete with that part.”
    • “The soundtrack is barebones; there's one song which is 'remixed' depending on which plane parts you're using, which is a lazy, albeit creative way of getting around making an actual soundtrack.”
    • “The music that blares through the speakers every time you die is ridiculously repetitive, almost unbearable.”
    • “Music is just a few looped bars that get annoying quickly.”
  • gameplay454 mentions

    The gameplay of Luftrausers is characterized by its addictive, fast-paced arcade style, featuring simple yet challenging mechanics that encourage experimentation with various aircraft combinations. Players appreciate the tight controls and dynamic soundtrack that evolves with different loadouts, although some find the gameplay can become repetitive over time. Overall, the game excels in providing a satisfying and engaging experience, making it a standout in the bullet-hell genre.

    • “Gameplay is deceptively simple and endlessly enjoyable; you duke in and out of dogfights in a modified World War-era warbird, outfitted with all sorts of spread guns, bomb engines, and nuke body armor.”
    • “The aircraft sprites and explosive effects add a layer of dynamism to the gameplay, making every battle a visually striking experience.”
    • “The gameplay is fast-paced and intense, as you rack up points and gracefully weave in and out of gunfire.”
    • “The gameplay is the same from the start to the time you stop playing.”
    • “The gameplay gets stale after about 20 minutes though.”
    • “Overall the gameplay feels overcooked while the program itself was raw.”
  • story257 mentions

    The game's story is largely non-existent, with players noting a lack of narrative depth or worldbuilding, focusing instead on a mission-based structure that feels repetitive and often frustrating. While the missions provide some direction and variety, they are heavily reliant on RNG, leading to a grindy experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. Many reviewers express a desire for a more engaging storyline or campaign to complement the gameplay, which is primarily centered around completing missions for high scores and unlocking new parts.

    • “This is hands down one of the best games I've ever played. The flying is incredibly satisfying, the enemies and their quirks are amazing, the customization of the planes and dynamic music that goes with them is gorgeous, and the missions are fun but challenging.”
    • “The missions have incredible variety and do take some strategy to conquer with regards to which parts you choose. The harder missions are challenging without being frustrating.”
    • “You play as a completely insane fighter pilot, who has the job of burning the skies in his 'luft rauser'. When you die, you respawn at your battleship, where humorously caricatured generals, nurses, and mad scientists brief you on your stats, missions, and new abilities.”
    • “Aside from that, no story or hub world, not much worldbuilding, doesn't really feel like you're doing this to any meaningful end.”
    • “The story is basically non-existent, the controls do not feel responsive personally, playing with a keyboard is tedious, i-frames are next to non-existent even though they are desperately needed... it's not that great.”
    • “There isn't really any story or plot to follow in Luftrausers.”
  • graphics236 mentions

    The graphics of "Luftrausers" are characterized by a minimalist, retro aesthetic that effectively utilizes pixel art and a limited color palette, creating a visually appealing and nostalgic experience. Many reviewers appreciate the game's unique sepia-toned visuals and the synergy between its art style and soundtrack, which enhance the overall gameplay. While some find the graphics simplistic, they are generally praised for their charm and effectiveness in conveying the game's fast-paced action.

    • “Luftrausers is a great indie game that delivers a wonderful combination of a stellar soundtrack and striking art style.”
    • “The sepia-toned graphics give it a unique, vintage look that stands out in the sea of modern, overly-polished games.”
    • “The graphics are simplistic yet effective, utilizing contrasting color schemes and pixel art to create a distinct aesthetic.”
    • “Graphics are mediocre which wouldn't bother me if the playability was good, but it isn't.”
    • “It's like they made this at some code day in about 24 hours, then slapped a very basic UI and some hired-gun graphics on it and then called it done, frankly, with no further follow-through to improve the core balance of the design, a very limited selection of enemy types, and game mechanics that basically just punish you for making progress, without mitigation.”
  • replayability65 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its extensive build variety, customizable plane parts, and numerous challenges and achievements that encourage players to experiment with different playstyles. While many players find it addictive and enjoyable for short sessions, some note that the overall experience may become repetitive after a few hours. Nonetheless, the combination of fast-paced gameplay, tight controls, and a dynamic scoring system contributes to its lasting appeal.

    • “The replayability of the game is also high, with various achievements and challenges to complete, and different planes to unlock and customize, and a multiplayer mode to compete against others.”
    • “The interchanging possible segments of your ship (the weapon, the body, and the propulsion) along with the unique names, themes, and benchmark goals for each combination, gives the game a sort of infinite replayability.”
    • “Tense gameplay with tight controls, heavy replayability, gorgeous pixel-style art, and awesome music combine to make a great experience overall.”
    • “Although there is much replayability, the most you could stretch out of this game is 5 hours, but you will have a blast while playing it.”
    • “The gameplay is tight and quite fun, but it unfortunately gets old pretty quickly, and 'challenges' such as destroying a set number of planes or ships do little to add to replayability.”
    • “The different combinations of plane parts don't really offer that much in terms of replayability.”
  • grinding24 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, especially when trying to achieve 100% completion. While some enjoy the initial fun and addictive nature of the gameplay, they quickly become frustrated with the grindy progression system and the lack of meaningful upgrades during combat. Overall, the game can be entertaining for casual play, but the grind can detract significantly from the experience, leading to boredom and a sense of stagnation.

    • “My con with the game is the progression system and how tedious getting 100% is; it's probably the worst progression I've seen in recent times. Missions will go from super easy to almost impossibly hard to complete, as some you'll have to complete in hard mode.”
    • “This game seemed interesting to me at first; I loved the old arcade style feel to it, but after a while of playing, it got really repetitive with its grinding system. The game gives you no upgrades while in combat, and you just have to pray for good luck. Honestly, I wouldn't spend money on this game and would buy something else instead.”
    • “You have to kill certain enemies for some missions, so it's unavoidable and pipes you into an unfun gameplay loop where the way forward gets increasingly restrictive in a very tedious and grindy way.”
  • humor18 mentions

    The humor in "Luftrausers" is widely appreciated, with players enjoying its quirky names for weapon combinations and the absurdity of its gameplay mechanics, such as flying through battleships. While some find the humor hit-or-miss, the overall experience is described as hilariously fun and engaging, contributing to the game's charm despite its minimalist design. The combination of addictive gameplay and comedic elements makes it a recommended title for those seeking a lighthearted gaming experience.

    • “Game has a good sense of humor and excellent shoot'em up satisfaction.”
    • “The different weapon/engine/body options keep the gameplay more than fresh and each combination even gets its own funny little name.”
    • “Luftrauser is a very funny game that I would recommend to anyone.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The stability of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, particularly in the spawn editor and menu systems, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. Many players experience mini freezes and performance drops, while some have encountered severe glitches that prevent them from even starting the game. However, a few users noted that they did not experience any issues, suggesting that stability may vary significantly across different systems.

    • “However on the store page it says 'full controller support' but it is buggy and the developer does not seem to either care or be aware of it, despite there being some community threads about this issue.”
    • “I hate how the game freezes when you get hit; please let me disable that. It's disturbing, and nobody likes lag!”
    • “However, when I tried to install the game on my gaming rig later that day, the game would not even get past the opening screen without one of about a million different variations of glitches taking over, making it impossible for me to even start flying a plane.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly immersive, characterized by a unique blend of sepia-toned graphics and nostalgic 8-bit soundtracks that evoke the feel of 80's arcade games. Players appreciate the coherent audiovisual design and the distinct dieselpunk aesthetic, which enhances the overall experience of aerial warfare. While some may have mixed feelings about the aesthetic choices, the game's setting and atmosphere are consistently praised for their originality and engagement.

    • “It creates an immersive atmosphere that draws players into its world of aerial warfare.”
    • “Soundtrack is almost entirely made of 8-bit style noises, which enhances the nostalgic atmosphere of 80's arcade games.”
    • “Between the old-timey, sepia-colored graphics and the grimy-sounding industrial music, Luftrausers boasts one very unique atmosphere that I've never seen elsewhere.”
    • “The soundtrack is almost entirely made of 8-bit style noises, which enhances the nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of 80's arcade games.”
    • “While some games may lack in gameplay, the story and atmosphere can still make them worth playing.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits a mixed response from players, with some experiencing profound feelings of joy and heartbreak, particularly during challenging missions and random modes. However, others find a lack of narrative depth, leading to a disconnect and disappointment over time. Overall, while the game can provoke strong emotions, it may not consistently engage players on a deeper emotional level.

    • “The different loadouts make it hilariously fun and the random mode can lead you to fun or heartbreaking surprises.”
    • “Also, the sfmt mode made me cry in the corner out of sheer terror.”
    • “But Vlambeer made me cry with the 25,000 points mission.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues such as stuttering and freeze-frame effects, while others report smooth gameplay without glitches. Despite these discrepancies, players appreciate the inclusion of performance statistics to monitor their experience.

    • “I have personally never experienced any glitches or performance issues.”
    • “You'll want to test out every new piece of equipment you unlock, and see how it changes both the appearance and performance of your super-plane, 'Luftrauser.'”
    • “The exaggerated freeze-frame effect occasionally leads to stuttering gameplay.”
    • “And major props to the developers for adding performance statistics.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

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Play time

6hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
3-18hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs

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