Echelon: Wind Warriors Demo

Flight simulators need to account for a wide array of elements that are required in order to make the experience either realistic, or at least fun enough to be enjoyable. Some games managed to hit both targets at once, but the examples are rare and it’s not recommended to expect the same from every title that hits the market.

Echelon: Wind Warrior chose the path of total destruction and incessant action, while also striving to provide a somewhat convincing simulation at the same time. While it didn’t quite manage to deliver on the simulation part, it certainly features enough explosions and shooting to keep your adrenaline to a steady level for long stretches of time. Not only that, but all the chaos makes some kind of sense in the end as well.

Wind Warriors is actually a standalone expansion pack for the original Echelon and it doesn’t stray too far from its roots. In fact, the missions take place in the same environments and at the same time with the ones from the main campaign, but you play the role of another character. Hence, as a pilot for the government, your task is to simply accomplish the missions that are given to you by your superiors.

There are plenty new scenarios to tackle in the expansion, which also follow a certain storyline to from one end to the other. As you manage to beat the challenges, you are rewarded with better aircraft and many new weapons to try out. Each hovercraft has a unique look and feel, while also behaving differently up in the sky, due to different aerodynamic shapes and abilities.

Speaking of which, the simulation is not exactly top-notch, but it comes close enough to what one might expect from the machinery presented in the game. The graphics quality is average at best, but the scenery you get to admire along the way certainly makes up for it. Desolated alien planets crawling with tanks and enemy bases make the perfect setting for a bit of war to unravel.

Echelon: Wind Warrior may have a few rough edges that prevent it from becoming a standard in the genre, but it also features enough good elements to make it a title worth trying. Hence, if you are aching for action and a bit of flying, this could very well be the game to provide you with a good time.