Skies of War

Flight simulators may not be the most popular video games out there, but they have a pretty solid and faithful fanbase. As such, they always demand realism and a high difficulty level, because real planes are anything but easy to handle. On the other hand, casual folks would like to fool around with aircraft as well, but without all the realism and the need for a dedicated joystick.

Skies of War is by no means a complicated game, which is why everyone should be able to get a bit of enjoyment out of it. However, things are not too simple either, which means that you still have to get accustomed to a few interesting gameplay mechanics beforehand. The learning curve is much easier to climb in this case, though, so you’ll be completing missions in no time.

To begin with, the game features a campaign you can try out, which also comes with an introductory mission to help you get acquainted with the mechanics. After that, you are pretty much on your own, not to mention the fact that each new scenario is a bit more difficult than the previous one. The enemies get tougher as well, although better ammunition is unlocked along the way too.

The game is played from a top-down perspective, which is pretty unusual for the genre. However, you can use your mouse to steer the plane around, as well as to fire the weapons and target the enemies. It is obviously a lot simpler to control the aircraft this way, although it depends on its type. Speaking of which, anything from helicopters to fighter planes can be chosen before the scenarios.

Although the underlying idea for every mission is simple to understand, the actual gameplay mechanics make it more difficult to achieve your goals. Hence, it takes a bit of practice to be able to hit moving targets, not to mention the ground targets. The isometric graphics engine may hinder your ability to see properly as well, especially since the screen is always cluttered with stuff.

In the end, Skies of War tries its best to be friendly with newcomers and inexperienced users, but it may lack the proper elements to be fun in the long run. However, if you are up for a challenge and you do not mind the outdated graphics, this may very well be an entertaining game.