Luftrausers
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fun retro aerial shooter has mild violence, demands skill.
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Luftrausers
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What’s It About?
Conjuring the thrilling airborne battles of World War I and II, LUFTRAUSERS is a simple side-scrolling aerial-dogfighting game in which players control an impossibly agile plane facing down a never-ending procession of enemies in the sky and on the sea. Your goal is simply to survive and shoot down enemy planes and boats for as long as you can. Most players will only last a few seconds their first few tries, but, with practice, they'll be able to survive for several minutes or longer before eventually succumbing to the enemy onslaught. Side objectives, such as shooting with accuracy or sinking a certain number of boats, help unlock new pieces of plane gear -- sturdier fuselages, homing weapons, engines that burp out bullets when you hit the gas -- that can be combined in more than 100 ways to create custom aircraft.
Is It Any Good?
Without a story or even any specific missions, Luftrausers relies solely on the fun of its aerial combat to keep players coming back, and it fares marvelously at that. Simple controls for movement and shooting combine with a natural physics system to create a fun and intuitive interface. The pull of gravity and the backward recoil of weapon fire feel right, making Luftrausers' planes a delight to pilot. Most players will be pulling off graceful acrobatic maneuvers within minutes.
But, although it's easy to get the hang of the controls, it's a hard game to master, mostly because of the intensity of enemies and incoming fire. Unlockable weapons, engines, and plane bodies provide much-needed advantages. Equally important are side objectives, such as destroying a certain number of battleships in a single mission or firing a certain number of shots without missing, which encourage players to try different styles and approaches. Ultimately, this makes you a better player, and once you start feeling truly skilled, there's no turning back. Luftrausers will keep you coming back for weeks.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the pilots who flew in the twentieth century's two world wars. How did aircraft change during and between these conflicts? How did advances in military aircraft affect the development of civilian aviation?
Families also can discuss how games have changed over the years. Luftrausers is visually reminiscent of games of the mid-1980s. Do you think you'd still enjoy playing games if they all looked like this one?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Vita , Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Devolver Digital
- Release date: March 18, 2014
- Genre: Arcade
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: October 29, 2019
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