Skies above the Great War
- July 24, 2024
- Puntigames
Get on Steam"Skies above the Great War" is a First World War flight simulation game where players lead air forces on either the allied or german side. Take control of any aircraft in real-time, engage in dogfights with detailed damage models, and manage resources for missions like reconnaissance and strategic bombing. Hire manufacturers to produce and develop new aircraft as you wage war across a 10,000 square kilometer game world.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of strategy and arcade-style flight mechanics, allowing players to manage air squadrons while also engaging in dogfights.
- The developer is responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game based on community feedback.
- The game features a variety of customization options for aircraft and pilots, along with engaging mechanics like pilot training and mission planning.
- The flight controls are often described as unresponsive and clunky, making it difficult for players to enjoy the flying experience.
- Many players report significant performance issues, including low frame rates and crashes, which hinder gameplay.
- The lack of tutorials and a clear user interface makes it challenging for new players to understand the game mechanics and controls.
- story17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around the management of an air force squadron, where players take on the role of a squadron commander responsible for training pilots, building planes, and executing missions. While there is a degree of freedom in choosing missions and managing resources, players have noted a limited variety of mission types, primarily focusing on reconnaissance. The narrative experience is enhanced by the challenge of balancing mission planning with the realities of combat, including dealing with losses and resource management.
“You get to manage pilots and equipment of squadrons, orders for new planes from factories, launch missions against the enemy, deal with losses, replacements, etc.”
“A cool aspect of the game is that you don't control the whole operation, just the air force, and so you have to fulfill missions given by high command, but have a lot of freedom to decide what missions you carry out and with what squads or pilots.”
“For me, I love being a squadron commander and sitting back and watching my men carry out the missions.”
“Not a huge variety of missions. I only played 2 hours, which could be the reason I did not see anything but mostly recon missions. I did take my fighters out to try and chase down the enemy aircraft, but there were no official missions for that sort of play.”
“Often after finishing the mission, they just loiter over the target until shot down, intercepted, or run out of fuel.”
“You can pick what role the airplane is (photo, bomb, or combat) rather than actually assigning a mission to your squadrons.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game evoke a strong WW1 aesthetic, but players report significant issues, including lag, frame rate drops, and various graphical glitches such as pixelation and full-screen color errors. While some appreciate the visual feedback during action, many criticize the outdated art design and overall graphical quality, describing it as low-fi and buggy. Overall, the graphical performance detracts from the gameplay experience, leading to frustration among users.
“The WW1 aesthetic is spot on, and the ability to move from the strategic level to the tactical level is very cool.”
“The graphics seem tame at first, but that is deceptive; when the action starts, there is a lot of good feedback.”
“The graphics are low-fi, the handling of the planes is arcadey and works better with mouse and keyboard than with gamepad.”
“I've experimented with using the AI, or controlling everything, reducing all the graphical bars and options to nil, and saving and reloading - but nothing seems to prevent lag and frame rate issues.”
“Do not know what the problem is, but the graphics keep crashing while trying to figure out how to play the campaign.”
“The graphics and art design are outdated, reminiscent of the 2000s, but somehow the optimization is on par with combat missions (this is not a compliment).”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The gameplay offers a mix of engaging mechanics, allowing players to control various aspects of flight and combat, reminiscent of classic WW1 flight sims. While it is accessible and fun, some users noted issues with bugs and lag, which can detract from the experience. Overall, the game strikes a balance between arcade-style play and enjoyable mechanics, though future support for more advanced controls remains uncertain.
“You can man the rear guns, drop bombs, take control, or leave it to the AI to look around to find targets - really nice mechanics.”
“This is not some hardcore sim, but offers enough fun mechanics to evoke the spirit of older WW1 flight sims.”
“This game's a good time; it's a little bit rough around the edges and I've seen quite a few bugs while playing it so far - but the core gameplay is fun and it's super easy to hop into.”
“I'm unsure about future HOTAS support being possible, given how arcade the gameplay is.”
“The gameplay was extremely laggy, which is understandable for a game running an entire battlefront simulation in real time, but it still has to be mentioned.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance and low frame rates even on capable machines. Many have noted significant stuttering during gameplay, particularly while flying, and have described the overall optimization as subpar, reminiscent of outdated titles.
“The graphics and art design are outdated, reminiscent of the 2000s, but somehow the optimization is on par with combat missions (this is not a compliment).”
“Unfortunately, this game has awful performance.”
“Performance can definitely be rough even on machines you'd think would play this easily.”
“I've tried every setting, but the frame rates while flying are horrible and stuttering.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized due to numerous bugs, with many users suggesting that it feels unfinished and expressing concern over a lack of recent developer updates. Players are hopeful for future fixes, indicating a willingness to return if stability improves.
“I read the reviews and many people were saying things along the lines of 'wait for the dev to fix the bugs' or 'good game but buggy.' I then noticed that there weren't any 'recent events & announcements' for the game visible on Steam after the initial release, which made me think the dev had abandoned the game.”
“If the developer irons out the game’s glitches and issues, I will most likely repurchase.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, with players finding it amusing, particularly in the context of a World War I flight simulator. A notable comedic element mentioned is a bug on the map screen that allows players to endlessly pan off into the distance, adding an unexpected layer of humor to the experience.
“But overall, a very funny WWI flight game.”
“A funny bug I noticed was on the map screen; there's no barrier, so you can just keep panning off into the distance forever.”
