UltraWings for the Nintendo Switch is a somewhat entertaining indie take on 'Pilotwings' (SNES), that ultimately comes up a bit short on the overall fun. When beginning the game, there are seemingly a number of different tasks and goals to perform, but ultimately, they all feel extremely similar to one another. The in game camera is extremely janky in first-person mode. Almost like the controls were never accurately fine-tined from porting a VR game. With the inability to locate a way to invert the camera controls, I was constantly looking in the wrong directions and it became a cumbersome, frustrating experience. The graphics are extremely basic, even for an Indie title, and often felt like parts of the game are unfinished. Crashing your plane simply shows it going underwater or underground. There is no 'scene' showing a crash or any depiction letting you know you've failed. It suddenly goes to a black screen a few seconds later and begins reloading the menu again. Speaking of loading times, the initial loading screen when beginning the game lasts (what felt like) well over 1 minute, so be prepared to leave this game in standby mode often, to avoid going through that hoop each time you want to play.
The actual motion of the plane controls felt good overall, and the ability to control it mid-air, fitting through targets and angling for landings took minimal time to grasp and perform. Ultrawings does shine in this department, once it finally gets to the meat of what it presents to the gamer.
Repetitive missions, basic graphics, empty game world, and lack of overall vehicle variety makes this game a 'must-buy' only for those who are die-hard fans of the original Super Nintendo original title, and even then, it will most likely leave you with a feeling of somewhat of a missed opportunity.
If you really want to take this game for a test flight, I'd recommend waiting for a sale.
SMASH Score: 5.75/10
UPDATE
From the developer: You can invert the camera by going into the Select Menu on the laptop, press R shoulder button to cycle between screens until you get to the Invert option.
Release Details:
The game released on 3/28/19 for Nintendo Switch with the eShop MSRP of $19.99 USD.
Clearly subject to the 'Switch Tax', as it is also available on Steam and the PSVR currently for $14.99 USD.
Disclaimer:
Game code for 'Ultrawings' was provided to Smash JT by the developer @BitPlanetGames. Smash JT opinions are never influenced.
This is neither here nor there, but I really like that second picture with the piggy bank. I don't know if it's the texture of the wall tiling or just the "clean" styling of the graphics. Actually, I think it's that red chair on the right side of the shot. I like chairs in video games, for some reason...
Anywho.
Solid review, JT. And it brings to light the issue with the current "Indie" scene. A LOT of stuff to choose from, and not all of it's good. You've got gems, of course. But you've also got a lot of uninspired rehashes of games that did the same thing 10-15 years ago, only better.
load times are what killed chrono trigger and final fantasy compilations on the psx. it is what made me sell my psx in the first place, and move onto the saturn (other reasons too). beyond that, these graphics look even worse than a cellphone game from today's era. how is this even a console game? embarassing.