Banira Shio

It’s pretty obvious that children are not at their quietest in large groups, which is why classrooms are usually quite loud. Granted, teachers can keep them under control most of the time, but it doesn’t take much for everything to descend into chaos. On the other hand, children also have some less noisy ways to communicate with each other, or at least had until smartphones came to be.

Banira Shio is an arcade flight simulator in which you control paper planes as they make their way through a class full of children wanting to communicate with each other. The goal is to avoid being spotted by the sensei and land on the correct desks, as well as avoid crashing along the way. Since all you need to do is use the mouse to steer, the gameplay is certainly not difficult.

It can be pretty demanding to keep a balanced trajectory when the room is so small, not to mention the fact that you also have to avoid the pupils. Landing is another problem, because it has to be quite smooth and precise. Thankfully, the game is pretty forgiving in this regard, since you can get away with many mistakes before the plane crashes or you lose control over it.

In case the teacher notices the plane and sets his gaze on it, you start to pick up a lot of speed, which makes movement that much more complicated. Thus, you need to stay out sight for as long as you can, or at least until you are close enough to land. Speaking of which, each letter can be delivered to multiple desks, depending on the symbol it carries on it.

Lastly, the graphics are actually very nice, even if they are basic from a technical point of view. Everything is colorful and joyful, including the students and the environment itself. Obviously, the classroom might get boring after a while, but then again this is not the type of game you play for hours on end. Hence, it should hold up quite well for a few minutes every now and again.

In the end, Banira Shio is a very cute game and a relaxing experience, even if it can be rather demanding at first. After you get used to the controls, the game should get a lot more fun and enjoyable.