Skies above the Great War

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

humor2 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of strategy and flight simulation, allowing players to manage air forces while also engaging in aerial combat.
The developer is responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game based on community feedback.
The core gameplay loop is enjoyable, with features like pilot training, aircraft customization, and engaging dogfights that capture the spirit of WW1 air warfare.

The game suffers from performance issues, including significant frame rate drops and bugs that can hinder gameplay, making it feel unpolished.
The user interface is poorly designed, with small text and unclear controls, leading to confusion about how to navigate and manage the game effectively.
There are concerns about the game's future, as the developer has indicated a potential abandonment of the project, which raises doubts about ongoing support and updates.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The game's story revolves around the management of an air force squadron, where players can plan and execute missions, manage pilots and equipment, and make strategic decisions regarding aircraft production and deployment. While the freedom to choose missions and control individual planes adds depth, players have noted a limited variety of mission types, primarily focusing on reconnaissance. The narrative experience is enriched by the challenges of resource management, such as fuel and ammunition, which are critical to mission success.
- “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.”
- “You must plan and execute missions, and choose which planes to produce and use...”
- “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.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant bugs and performance issues, including lag and crashes that hinder gameplay. While the WW1 aesthetic is appreciated, many describe the visuals as outdated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles, with low fidelity and occasional pixelation problems. Overall, the graphical experience is marred by technical glitches, detracting from the otherwise engaging gameplay.
- “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.”
- “Graphics are pretty much like Red Baron 3D, only prettier.”
- “I also have some issues with graphic bugs.”
- “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).”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay is enjoyable and features engaging mechanics like manning rear guns and bomb dropping, reminiscent of classic WW1 flight sims, though it suffers from optimization issues and bugs. While the experience is fun and accessible, it can be laggy due to the real-time battlefront simulation, and future support for hotas controls remains uncertain. Overall, the core gameplay loop is entertaining despite its rough edges.
- “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.”
- “The core gameplay is fun and it's super easy to hop into.”
- “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.”
- “The game is fun, but it's pretty poorly optimized; the core gameplay loop could be really enjoyable.”
- “I'm unsure about future HOTAS support being possible, given how arcade-like the gameplay is.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to poor performance even on capable machines, which detracts from its otherwise enjoyable core gameplay. While it has potential, the outdated graphics and subpar optimization hinder the overall experience.
- “The game has a lot of potential but still needs much more optimization.”
- “The graphics and art design are outdated, 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.”
- “It has a lot of potential but still needs much more optimization.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy, with users reporting issues like random freezes and erratic AI behavior. Many players express concern over the lack of recent developer updates, leading to fears of abandonment, but some still find the game enjoyable and believe it has potential if the bugs are addressed.
- “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.”
- “Despite it still needing some work on random burps and freezes, it's quite a worthy replacement for good old Red Baron 3D in many ways.”
- “The AI can be a bit buggy at times, doing strange things on occasion, but overall, it keeps it together most of the time.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 humorous bug on the map screen that allows players to endlessly pan off into the distance, adding an unexpected layer of fun.
- “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.”