Vector Thrust

48%
Game Brain Score Based on 356 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Vector Thrust Game Cover
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"Vector Thrust is a historical shooter game with fast-paced single and multiplayer combat options, using a unique cel-shaded art style. The game boasts over 260 playable aircraft and includes an extensive variety of game modes, customizable skirmishes, and story-based campaigns. With advanced tactical AI and full customization options, including user-made skins and custom battle scenarios, Vector Thrust offers a diverse and adaptable gaming experience."

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

48%
Audience ScoreBased on 356 reviews
story19 positive mentions
stability43 negative mentions
  • The game captures the essence of classic Ace Combat gameplay with a variety of aircraft and engaging dogfights.
  • The cel-shaded graphics provide a unique visual style that some players find appealing.
  • The game offers a large selection of aircraft, including many unique and lesser-known models.
  • The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play.
  • The campaign lacks depth and polish, with poorly executed cutscenes and voice acting.
  • The controls can be clunky and unresponsive, especially when using a mouse and keyboard.
  • story196 mentions

    The game's story is often criticized for being lackluster and poorly executed, with many players noting that it feels like a collection of disjointed missions rather than a cohesive narrative. Bugs and glitches frequently disrupt gameplay, particularly in the campaign mode, leading to mission failures and frustration. While there is potential for an engaging storyline reminiscent of the Ace Combat series, the execution falls short, leaving players wanting more depth and clarity in the narrative.

    • “The story set up with real-world aircraft in a fictional world, just like the Ace Combat series does.”
    • “The campaign was alright and there are only 2 other scenario missions to play afterward, but the various airplane family challenge missions are what really rack in the hours.”
    • “It's obvious that the gameplay and plot draw heavy inspiration from the Ace Combat series, and that's not a bad thing.”
    • “The game tries to have a story which is told via tedious exposition dumps which are each voiced over a single ugly picture each time there is a new story development... and it's just ugly.”
    • “The dialog is long and drawn out far more than needed (especially the briefings and debriefings), and the storyline is confusing (lacking any sort of context for the events that occur, or the factions involved), uninteresting, and, as longtime fans of Ace Combat may notice, a direct copy of the plot of Ace Combat Zero (minus back-story and plus a few twists).”
    • “There is a near total lack of storytelling, making it feel like a series of random missions.”
  • gameplay74 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, with many players praising its solid flight mechanics and engaging combat reminiscent of classic arcade flight games like Ace Combat, while others criticize its bugs, poor optimization, and lack of depth in certain mechanics. Despite its potential for growth and enjoyable core gameplay, issues such as confusing controls, repetitive missions, and a lack of content detract from the overall experience. Many users express a desire for improvements and a more polished version, suggesting that with further development, the game could become a standout in the genre.

    • “The gameplay is where this game really excels; the combat is near perfect and with so much to do, it's difficult to get bored of this game without pouring a considerable amount of time into it.”
    • “The core gameplay is very solid.”
    • “Fast fun, in terms of gameplay and how quickly you can jump into the action.”
    • “If you've already played AC7 and Project Wingman and you're really desperate for more of that type of gameplay, it might still be worth your time, but you'll have to struggle through a whole lot of missing content, shoddy controller support, and obvious, sometimes game-breaking bugs to make your own fun.”
    • “The game has now been more or less abandoned, with the devs making updates that absolutely do nothing to fix or change gameplay.”
    • “Poor optimization, repetitive gameplay, and poor controller support destroyed this game for me.”
  • graphics70 mentions

    The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the unique cel-shaded art style that evokes comparisons to titles like Ace Combat and Borderlands. However, criticisms arise regarding the overall visual quality, particularly the lackluster ground textures and occasional glitches, leading some to describe the visuals as "meh" or "ugly." While the aircraft models are generally well-detailed, the game's graphical execution leaves room for improvement, especially in terms of cohesion and polish.

    • “The graphics are great, and for someone like myself who is not a fan of cell shading, this game does it right.”
    • “The cell-shaded graphics look and feel great, the narrative isn't bad, and the gameplay is fast and exciting.”
    • “The unique art style as well as the 'arcade' gameplay really sold it to me.”
    • “The game is sometimes just plain ugly in terms of the visuals.”
    • “The graphics are lackluster (especially ground textures) for a modern PC game, and whoever decided on the 'actually zero-visibility' for the desert mission needs to be smacked (you literally cannot see anything outside the plane, at any altitude, for the entire mission, it’s really boring).”
    • “I think the cel shading is ugly and does not add anything to the already lacking visuals.”
  • stability44 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many describe it as a "buggy mess" that feels unfinished and poorly optimized, leading to frustrating experiences such as mission failures and control issues. Despite some enjoyable elements, the overall consensus is that the game is not currently playable in a stable state, and many recommend waiting for further development before engaging with it.

    • “The game runs smoothly with minimal issues, providing a stable experience overall.”
    • “I've encountered very few bugs, making my gameplay enjoyable and consistent.”
    • “The stability of the game allows for an immersive experience without frequent interruptions.”
    • “The final product is buggy and unpolished, with unintuitive controls and semi-frequent crashes.”
    • “It's a buggy mess and I can't even finish the first campaign mission since it randomly fails.”
    • “I'll say it up front, this is a buggy, crash-ridden game with a lot of half-baked content in it.”
  • music28 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the original score and its ability to enhance the gameplay experience, while others find it irritating or mediocre, likening it to stock music. Many users note that while certain tracks are enjoyable, the overall soundtrack lacks consistency and can detract from the game's atmosphere. Additionally, the option to modify the game allows players to incorporate their own music, which some see as a positive feature.

    • “The music is exquisite.”
    • “Once you learn the controls and spend some time beating the AI that tries so very hard to shoot you down even at lower levels, there's actually some meaning behind the consistent 'heroic'-sounding music that plays 24/7 while you're running down MiGs and bombers with your machine gun.”
    • “The one outstanding feature of Vector Thrust is the original music score.”
    • “The music is irritating, sounds like FSX stock music or something.”
    • “Las but not least, get rid of that corny music.”
    • “The soundtrack is only bearable.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant bugs, poor performance, and slow gameplay that detracts from the overall experience. While some aspects show potential for better optimization, the current state is marred by issues that hinder enjoyment and gameplay progression.

    • “+ seems well optimized”
    • “There is even a difficulty setting for 'realistic' weapon performance, which makes missiles imitate their real-world counterparts' performance in lock-on range, turning, and destructiveness.”
    • “That principle applies here but more in accordance with aircraft performance stats and weapon loadouts.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized, buggy, and only a little fun.”
    • “I could rate the campaign, but I wasn't able to make it that far because of poor level design layered with terrible game performance.”
    • “Sadly, most of it is squandered at the moment with performance rife with bugs.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to the cumbersome process of unlocking new planes and the frequent bugs that disrupt gameplay. The narrative delivery is also criticized for being unengaging, contributing to an overall sense of monotony.

    • “Unfortunately, the game is hampered by a lot of bugs, especially in the campaign, as well as some pretty heavy grinding to unlock more planes for use in skirmishes.”
    • “The method for actually unlocking planes is tedious at best, and frustrating at worst.”
    • “If I had to sum it up in one word: tedious.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of amusing aircraft designs and comical voice lines, particularly in non-campaign modes, which often feature informal dialogue that contrasts with the military setting. Players find certain aspects, like the instability of specific aircraft, to be hilariously entertaining, especially when not directly experiencing the chaos themselves.

    • “Some of them are interesting (e.g. fb-22 sub-family), some of them powerful (e.g. f-35x, f-15z) and some of them downright hilarious (e.g. f-104 vtol, su-74).”
    • “It's so unstable it would be hilarious if you're not the one playing.”
    • “Voices also sound quite funny at times, and the lines are somewhat informal to be spoken by military pilots, especially in the non-campaign modes.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized for its lack of engaging voice acting and static visuals, which detract from the intended emotional impact. Reviewers note that the slow pacing of the campaign and minimal character interaction fail to evoke a meaningful emotional response, leaving the narrative feeling empty and uninspired.

    • “It's supposed to be touching and emotional, but it's ruined by the voice acting since the cutscene is just a still.”
    • “Slow campaign story pacing, with little emotional response to character interaction.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The game features a straightforward monetization model with no microtransactions or downloadable content (DLC), making it an affordable option for players. Reviewers appreciate this approach, highlighting the potential for community engagement and content creation, despite concerns about the game's initial advertising and early access bugs.

    • “This game has no microtransactions or DLC and currently costs less than a single microtransaction for Ace Combat: Nickel and Dime.”
    • “This game has no microtransactions or DLC and currently costs less than a single microtransaction for Ace Combat: nickel and dime.”
    • “I hope the developers continue to give the game a little love where it is needed, and I wish there was still a more active community. I suspect they made the mistake of over-advertising the early access version, which turned people off with all the now mostly fixed bugs, because Vector Thrust has a lot of potential.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Players highlight the exceptional replayability of Vector Thrust, attributing it to the in-game editor that offers nearly limitless mission creation possibilities, along with strong moddability features. This combination significantly enhances the game's longevity and variety.

    • “The in-game editor allows for nearly endless mission possibilities, and with its moddability, the replayability of Vector Thrust is through the roof.”
    • “The variety of missions and the ability to create your own content make this game incredibly replayable.”
    • “Each playthrough feels unique thanks to the diverse gameplay options and community-created content.”
    • “The replayability of this game is severely lacking; once you've completed the main missions, there's little incentive to return.”
    • “Despite the initial excitement, I found that the game quickly became repetitive, diminishing its replay value.”
    • “The lack of diverse content and meaningful choices makes replaying the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

5hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
3-17hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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