Red Wings: Aces of the Sky
- October 13, 2020
- All In! Games
Yet another arcade flight simulator that fails to properly take-off.
"Red Wings: Aces of the Sky" is a WW1 arcade air combat game where you fly as a rookie pilot in a variety of single-player and multiplayer modes. Engage in thrilling aerial battles, perform dizzying loops and dogfines, and upgrade your plane as you progress. This game offers an exciting and historically inspired experience with colorful graphics and intuitive controls.
Reviews
- The game features nice visuals and a fun, arcade-style gameplay that is enjoyable for casual players.
- It offers a variety of missions and a skill tree that adds depth to the gameplay, making it engaging for players who enjoy unlocking new abilities.
- The game runs well on older hardware and is particularly fun when played with friends in co-op mode.
- The controls are clunky and poorly optimized for PC, with no mouse support and limited key remapping options, making gameplay frustrating.
- Many players find the missions repetitive and the difficulty spikes can lead to frustration, especially when trying to earn stars for progression.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which detracts from the overall experience and enjoyment.
- story83 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it mediocre and lacking depth, often describing it as repetitive and simplistic. While some appreciate the variety of missions and the engaging art style, others criticize the voice acting and narrative coherence, leading to a sense of frustration as missions become increasingly challenging without sufficient guidance. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative experience.
“The graphics have an interesting cartoon drawing, which is great and adjusted to the age where the plot is developed, during the 1st World War.”
“The art style is amazing, the music and 'here-and-there' acting is fun, and the story is mad entertaining!”
“With comic book style introduction to the story and colorful graphics, it's really pleasant for the eye.”
“The voice acting and storyline aren't good; it felt like the person talking was bored and it wasn't interesting.”
“Story mode is... more or less something I didn't expect to be that mediocre yet wasn't surprised to be 'that bad'.”
“No idea what the single player story is all about; the narrative is all over the place.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and cartoonish art style, which enhances the overall aesthetic and fits well with the gameplay. Many users appreciate the vibrant colors and smooth performance, although some note a lack of graphical settings and minor glitches. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere, making it visually appealing despite some technical shortcomings.
“The graphics have an interesting cartoon drawing, which is great and adjusted to the age where the plot is developed, during the 1st World War.”
“Beautiful graphics and nice gameplay.”
“I loved the cartoonish graphics; they fit very well with the fun gameplay.”
“It's also very amateurish in some ways, like the fact that there are really no graphical settings (including vsync) and the existence of a skill, which I imagine the devs envisioned as the most important one since it deals damage and heals, that plays a brief cutscene every single time you use it.”
“No graphics options, not even vsync to remove all the screen tearing.”
“Unplayable, still stuck in menu, not possible to open stats, graphics glitches.”
- gameplay31 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its fun and simple mechanics, while others criticize the controls and lack of depth. Many appreciate the satisfying challenge of achieving three stars in missions, but frustrations arise from limited upgrade options and repetitive elements. Overall, while the game has decent production value and enjoyable moments, it suffers from issues like poor flight mechanics and a lack of historical accuracy.
“Great gameplay, mad fun for everyone.”
“The gameplay itself is fun and simple enough, and trying to get 3 stars every mission so you can get more perks and become stronger is very satisfying.”
“This game is exceptionally well-made and mechanically it's well thought out.”
“Weird controls, boring gameplay.”
“Every new level puts you directly into the gameplay and doesn't allow you to change your upgrades or plane. The only way to do that is to back out to the main menu and start the process over again, which is super annoying because on some levels you only want speed, so you want faster planes for that.”
“The gameplay suffers from a lack of button reassigning, which is really annoying. One of the worst special moves, calling up the squadron, actually requires a target lock to confirm its use. During that, you cannot use your other abilities, which is infuriating during dogfights when you accidentally press it.”
- music7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the enjoyable and fun elements, particularly during flying sequences, while others criticize the repetitive soundtrack and express a desire for a more original score. Overall, the music complements the game's art style and enhances the entertaining story, despite some critiques.
“The art style is amazing, the music and 'here-and-there' acting is fun, and the story is mad entertaining!”
“Also, the selection of music is a nice touch :)”
“The soundtrack is repetitive.”
“I wish there was an original soundtrack, but it is not a big flaw.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, running smoothly even on non-gaming laptops without dedicated graphics cards. Its simplistic art style contributes to both its aesthetic appeal and performance efficiency.
“My laptop is not a gaming computer, and without a dedicated graphics card, the game runs smoothly!”
“Despite its simplistic art style, it still looks very beautiful and runs smoothly because of it.”
“The video lag performance is unacceptable and severely impacts gameplay.”
“I experienced significant lag during critical moments, making the game nearly unplayable.”
“The optimization issues lead to frequent stuttering and frame drops, ruining the overall experience.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Replayability is primarily driven by the challenge of unlocking three stars for each mission, but it is limited in scope, as players have few opportunities to utilize the unlocked skins. The game is more enjoyable with a controller, and its overall replay value may not justify a purchase for those without one.
“I suggest you buy it only if you have a controller, at least until they make it more playable on keyboard, but if you have one, it's a lot of fun.”
“While it does not provide much replay value, you have limited occasions to use all those unlocked skins.”
“Replayability comes from unlocking 3 stars for each mission.”
“And as it does not provide much replay value, you have only limited occasions to use all those unlocked skins.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, screen freezes, and graphics glitches, rendering it largely unplayable. Users report being unable to access menus and stats, often requiring restarts to continue. Overall, the stability problems severely detract from the gaming experience.
“Sucks and boring game, buggy and suddenly the screen hangs during gameplay, requiring a restart of the whole game.”
“Unplayable, still stuck in the menu, unable to open stats, and experiencing graphics glitches.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is noted for its cartoon-like visuals, which can clash with the serious tone of the cut scenes, leading to a disjointed experience. However, many players appreciate the overall atmosphere and gameplay, drawing comparisons to the whimsical charm of "Porco Rosso."
“Great atmosphere and gameplay that makes you feel like Porco Rosso.”
“The sometimes cartoon-like atmosphere clashes with the seriousness of the cutscenes. It's telling when you have to award achievement badges for people to actually look at them, highlighting how much most players find them useless and boring.”
“The game fails to create a cohesive atmosphere, as the vibrant colors and whimsical designs often undermine the darker themes it tries to convey.”
“Despite the game's attempts at immersion, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, leaving players disconnected from the world.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for prioritizing profit over quality, with gameplay perceived as overly simplified to appeal to a broader audience, suggesting that the PC port feels like an afterthought and a cash grab.
“The gameplay is heavily dumbed down to cater to the target audience; the PC port feels like an afterthought and a cash grab.”
“The monetization strategy is aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“It feels like the developers are more focused on squeezing money out of players than creating a balanced and enjoyable experience.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users feel that the grinding in the game is not worthwhile for extended periods, as it is primarily seen as a fun arcade experience rather than a grind-heavy title.
“Not worth grinding for many hours, just a fun arcade game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by charming characters with amusing English and German accents, who provide a lighthearted and entertaining experience as they perform whimsical antics in the clouds.
“Instead, you get gentlemen with funny English and German accents who hide in the clouds and put on a jolly good show in the air.”
Critic Reviews
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky Switch Review
Yet another arcade flight simulator that fails to properly take-off.
64%Red Wings: Aces of the Sky review
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is filled with over 50 missions, and although there's plenty to do and the controls are easy to get used to, it does become repetitive after a while.
60%Mayday, mayday! --- Red Wings: Aces of the Sky review
In summary, when it comes to Red Wings: Aces of the Sky, there just isn’t that much to talk about. It’s a fun little game for a while, but it gets repetitive quickly, and it’s very easy. I think most experienced gamers will enjoy it for a couple of days and then forget about it because it doesn’t inspire any strong feelings or make you want to go all completionist on it for the achievements.
65%