Luftrausers Reviews
Vlambeer's new shooter is as hectic as it is addictive.
Luftrausers has a strong pull
Luftrausers may suffer from a few bugs and interface issues from time to time, but at its core is a magnificently modern aeronautic arcade experience.
Like the best of Vlambeer's cannon, a simple concept executed beautifully. Limited enemy and level design, though.
Luftrausers is a nice little getaway from the story-focused games that populate the landscape nowadays. It's a great game that is both fun and challenging for those who appreciate simpler experiences. Those not interested in chasing high scores will still get some mileage out of the challenge and unlock system, but the game is really made for those who adore points. The short playtimes for each round ensure that you can sneak in a round or two between other things, but the addictive nature proves alluring enough that hours can fly by before you notice. For anyone who enjoys a fun, solid game, Luftrausers comes highly recommended.
As an example of the purest gameplay Luftrauser's is almost unparalleled, but the almost total absence of mission structure of plot means that, unfortunately, it won't be everyone. For those craving a pick up and play arcade classic though, it's hard to go wrong with a spot of 'Rausers.
Luftrausers is a beautifully balanced exercise in frustration and release – a simple but excellent instance of what can be done with slippery physics, simple graphics and a lot of guns. A lot. Deeper and longer games are on the market for $9.99, but few will match Luftrausers' addictiveness or its knife-sharp balance of frustration and elation.
Fast fun and devilishly hard, Luftrausers shows once again that Vlambeer understands how to make classic arcade mechanics feel fresh and exciting. It's great in short bursts, the speed of each round often terribly brief, but lends itself to hour-long sessions of hammering on the controller to start a new game. While the pacing occasionally runs into a few issues, this is still a phenomenally fun shoot-em-up that will challenge players to meet its demanding difficulty.
Silky controls and consistent aircraft upgrades kept me coming back for more
Luftrausers arrives at a point where the indie game market is stronger than ever, with developers continuing to raise the bar in terms of product quality. With the aforementioned strife that Ismail and his team have undergone through the production process, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see this title banished into mediocrity. But make no mistake, this game is up there with the best of them.
I could talk more and more about how enjoyable Luftrausers is, how exciting the gameplay is, how easy re-starting the game after death can be, how addicting and exhilarating the experience is, but at the end of the day, you can kill a battleship by flying your plane through it.
Luftrausers is a great a time-waster, a great test of your leet twitch skills, and a game that doesn't assume too much and just lets you enjoy yourself. You'll notice that Devolver have published this game – I sometimes think Hotline Miami could learn a thing or two here.
Luftrausers' success is its addictive duel between confidence and doubt; what's the best option when every choice is conceivably the best option? Providing the player with heaps of ways tackle problems is nothing new, but creating a large number of choices and making each one uniquely viable? That's special, and it's Luftrausers' specialty.
Vlambeer delivers bullet-hell shmup action with a twist in its sepia-toned Steampunk wargame, Luftrausers.
If you strip away the Rauser parts and the catchy soundtrack, Luftrausers would still stand on its own because of its excellent gameplay. But those features add so much depth and excitement that they actually pushed me to become a better player. Judging by the wide gap between my score and those higher up on the leaderboard, I still have a lot to learn.
The near-perfect controls combined with the great soundtrack and visuals mean it's difficult not to like Luftrausers, and its simplicity makes it accessible to everyone. There are a few small issues, such as a difficult menu and the odd frame rate drop, but none that impact the overall game significantly. Luftrausers is well worth your time and money, and is easily Vlambeer's best game yet.
Luftrausers is a breathless arcade delight - video game dogfighting has rarely been better.
Luftrausers is a stunning example of a modernized arcade game: tough but fair, with a great amount of customization and dynamic gameplay (plus soundtrack). If you've been looking for a great arcade bullet hell experience with plenty of new elements to make the gameplay feel fresh, then you can take to the sky in Vlambeer's latest title.
The easiest way to summarize Luftrausers is to call it the Hotline Miami of dogfighting games. It's incredibly difficult, but it's really good at sinking it's claws into you to keep you launching your planes onto the battlefield. It's a game that's really easy to binge on, but since it naturally comes in bite-sized battles, you might get a bit more staying power if you get it on the Vita and play it a couple hours at a time.
Luftrauser was too difficult, extreme, and monochrome for some and I'm happy to report that this remake does absolutely nothing to address these issues, but rather only expands upon them gloriously..