Clacky the Classic Gaming Clown

Vlambeer didn't hesitate to take inspiration from classic titles or draw on genre standards with Luftrausers - I always respect when a retro-inspired game actually shows some research and genuine care about the source material, rather than going the Retro City Rampage route and just repeating tacky "inside" references.
Luftrausers has basic control and gameplay fundamentally similar to Time Pilot, but with gravity becoming an immediate and major threat the moment you're not boosting, in the style of Joust (unless you have the Hover engine equipped, which makes it feel considerably closer to Asteroids). Luftrausers' main hook and most distinct feature - the near-endlessly versatile variable arsenal - resembles a much better-implemented and more satisfying take on Fantasy Zone. Combined with the unshakable (and accurate) sense of impending doom of Defender and an on-the-fly risk and reward calculus reminiscent of any number of 2000s bullet hell shooters (driven by a score-multiplying Combo meter and a brilliantly simple "heal or fire" mechanic), the result is a game that's an anachronism in (usually) all the best ways. Luftrausers incorporates crucial elements of 20 years worth of shoot-'em-ups into one experience - it's also a genuine 80s arcade shooter at heart, with all of the positives and negatives that entails. To summarize at present, though, the experience can best be represented in the form of a visit from...


I believe Clacky speaks for himself on the matter. Full review up tomorrow, honest. Probably.