Se vi piacciono i simulatori di volo seriosi e con manuali lunghi quanto signore degli anelli e silmarillion, andate pure altrove a cercare soddisfazione. Qui non si parla col controllo del traffico aereo, non si fa navigazione strumentale, e non si passano 25 minuti fermi in piazzale a fare la messa in moto. Qui si urlano frasi clichè da film action lanciando bordate di missili e schivando più colpi della gradius, si fanno manovre tanto strette che un umano resterebbe stritolato, e ci si fomenta con una colonna sonora potente.

Project Wingman è un erede spirituale di ace combat. Anzi, è L'EREDE. Altri ci hanno provato negli anni, ma nessuno era riuscito a creare un prodotto così solido, un condensato di tutto quello che i fan del genere cercavano da decenni.
Ancora più notevole il fatto che un team di tre persone (incluso il compositore della soundtrack) ha tranquillamente dimostrato di poter sfidare Project Aces, il team namco che sviluppa da sempre ace combat, e mostrare una nuova via al genere.

Fedele al DNA di questa nicchia videoludica, Project Wingman, ha forse più in comune con i vecchi sparatutto a scorrimento che con flight simulator o DCS. Si, c'è completa libertà di movimento in tre dimension, ma i missili si contano nelle centinaia, e si finisce per annientare da soli intere armate, facendo lo slalom tra abbondanti colpi nemici per sopravvivere. Oltre alla piacevole campagna, molto apprezzabile la modalità conquest, che pone di fronte a una mappa strategica su cui spostarsi per affrontare missioni generate proceduralmente, raccogliendo risorse e reclutando un armata talmente grande da mettere in crisi il framerate una volta arrivati al massimo.

E' un titolo low budget, qualche bug non manca, e va messo in conto, e lo sviluppatore ha già iniziato il processo di aggiornamenti post lancio con le prime fix.
Come va messo in conto che la trama è raccontata solo tramite dialoghi in-game. Non c'è il budget nè il tempo per avere delle cutscene vere e proprie. Il supporto ai kit HOTAS con joystick e manetta è da migliorare, e per ora rende al meglio con un gamepad. Se siete drogati di war thunder potete fare anche con il mouse, ma tant'è

Nondimeno quello che conta è il gameplay, che unisce uno schema di comandi molto classico per un qualsiasi ace combat a un paio di intuizioni geniali, come la possibilità di portare fino a 4 di armi con sè, e su alcuni aerei decidere di sacrificare i flare in cambio di una supermanovrabilità più difficile da padroneggiare.
Anche i modifier, che come in unreal tournament cambiano il gameplay, a volte in maniera radicale, garantendo una rigiocabilità e aprendo la strada a molte possibili challenge. Se volete dimostrare di avercele quadrate, attivateli tutti e provate a sopravvivere alla campagna a difficoltà Mercenario.

Il design dello scenario e soprattutto delle superarmi nemiche lascia a bocca aperta, e alcune location ed eventi sono davvero ispirati. Soprattutto se Giocato in VR.
Se avete un visore vi invidio, muoio dalla voglia di provarlo in questa forma iper immersiva, ma anche con un semplice monitor è una grande esperienza.

Può sembrare che io sia di parte. Un pò è vero, e ci tengo a chiarire quanto segue

1) Sono un fan sfegatato di Ace Combat e simili dai tempi della prima playstation, pur non disdegnando roba più simulativa. Quindi rappresento il target perfetto per un gioco di questo genere.

2) Seguo questo progetto da quando il giovane e talentuoso sviluppatore che ha avviato questo progetto da solo, aveva solo rilasciato una alpha gratuita. Ho fatto un atto di fede, finanziando per la prima volta in vita mia un kickstarter. E sono sinceramente orgoglioso di avere il mio nome e cognome nei titoli di coda di questo gioco, come finanziatore.

Questo è quanto signori. Compratelo, Giocatelo, AMATELO, Rigiocatelo, e regalatelo a un amico.

ahaha Big explosion makes my pp hard

An Ace Combat game, made by an Ace Combat fan, for Ace Combat fans

Ace combat fan approves

This game was made by 3 people (including the music composer!) and they sell it for humble 25€ but it´s better than many AAA games with multi-million budget and 70€ price tag. It shouldn´t be possible but it´s true. God bless awesome and talented people who made this miracle of a game <3

Let's get one thing straight: this is not an Ace Combat clone. This is an Ace Combat rival.

PW is not a perfect game. However, no Ace Combat game is either. For every minor sin PW commits, it corrects one made by AC. Long-standing wishlist items of mine for the Ace Combat series like Chinese OPFOR planes, granular SP weapon selection, universal VR support, FOV adjustment, guns that FEEL good (AC6 aside), and an infinite challenge mode? They're all here, and the base gameplay is as good as its inspiration. In some ways, I'd even argue it's better, and that's one hell of an endorsement from someone who has been deeply in love with Ace Combat since the PS1.

The single-player campaign is mostly enjoyable, with a fair few unique ideas but a plot that often feels like its "moments" are poorly-thought out. Still, it's hard to fault the game for that when the plot is really just a vehicle to move you from setpiece to setpiece. If you're familiar with the Ace Combat series, the shout-outs are frequent and obvious, but in a way that clearly respects the game's inspirations. There's an Invincible Fleet knockoff, there's a Lifeline knockoff, there's a Mayhem knockoff, wingmen will say things like "Die you SOB!" and "ACS failure!" on the radio, etc. It might seem cheesy without context, but it had me grinning from ear to ear. There's also a really great moment where someone finally gives voice to some thoughts I've had every time I go toe-to-toe with an AC game's ace squadron, but I won't ruin how. The music is great too; Jose Pavli did a fantastic job of giving PW its own unique, enjoyable sound and leitmotif.

Enemy AI is VERY aggressive, landing firmly on the Ace Combat Zero scale of difficulty, which pleased me. Unfortunately, sometimes the enemy aces are a little tankier than they should be - the final fight in particular is a slogfest. It's not the smartest AI, but Ace Combat rarely wows me either. What it does do is (usually) treat the not-boss planes like they have actual weight, which results in planes that move with a degree of predictability and makes getting good gun solutions feel satisfying. This is offset by removing Ace Combat's high-G turn system, which forces more throttle control and positioning strategy to win dogfights. It reminds me of Ace Combat 04's physics in a very good way.

Planes themselves handle well - even the early game planes don't really feel like bricks with engines the way some Ace Combat starter planes do. As with AI planes, there's a sense of weight to your plane that's fairly satisfying, and while I think the camera movement is a little excessive (it can be turned down or off entirely in settings), it makes 3rd person view almost as satisfying as cockpit view. Cockpits are individually modeled, though they lack the polish of Ace Combat's. This is a good thing, because Project Wingman has a smaller-than-average roster of planes to begin with, composed of mostly 4th gen fighters but absent some fan favorites (Warthog, Gripen, Rafale, Mirage, Eurofighter, Strike Eagle, and a few others). More time spent on cockpits might have resulted in fewer planes total.

There is no multiplayer in PW. Instead, there's an extensive "Conquest" mode that lets you jump in and out while taking over a large map. You gain prestige that can be used to unlock airframes, and credits that can be used to hire wingmen to fight with you. Each "mission" usually ends with a boss fight of some sort, keeping you on your toes. If you're shot down, you lose your conquest progress and start again from the first territory, but you keep the airframes you've unlocked (unless you manually reset the progression). It's a unique idea, and I'm sure it'll keep me coming back to this game for a long time.

The game does have some minor flaws. The last mission is a little ridiculous , the plot is highly inconsistent and sometimes borderline nonsensical (I think there's likely an act to the story that was cut), there's misspellings in subtitles and menus, bugs occasionally pop up that require a game restart, and most of the plane liveries are kinda awful. Thankfully, modders are already getting the last issue fixed.

That said, absolutely none of this can stop me from recommending this game. Whatever issues it has are easily overlooked due to the exceptional gameplay and the exceptional amount of care and polish that clearly went into this love letter to a franchise I adore. Every other Ace Combat clone is completely irrelevant now. It's got great replayability, most of the planes I care about instead of 20+ F-104s, a soundtrack that's far better than I expected, and a bunch of "why didn't they think of that" changes to the Ace Combat formula.

Oh, and it's $25 and made by literally like, one guy with the help of a writer and a composer.

One man with limited support going up against a superpower nobody seems able to stop and landing a decisive blow nobody thinks he can? Hmm. Wonder where I've heard that story before.

Woah didn't expect Ace combat 8 come out so early

I have been following the development of Project Wingman on and off after seeing other Ace Combat fans showcase it and I was really curious if it would succeed as a Kickstarter game. After bingeing a good portion of the game, I feel like I have enough for a first impression. I will also be comparing some stuff to the Ace Combat series and especially 7 since these two games are sharing the same airspace in the market right now.

The gameplay and planes feel very good and responsive with a controller and fit neatly for an arcade flight game. If you are coming from Ace Combat, you will slot right into the gameplay aside from a few differences. Like for example, the ability to carry four special weapons which is an amazing feeling when you are flying an attacker aircraft and are popping off anti-tank missiles, unguided bombs and machine gun rain to destroy an entire ground division within a minute. Speaking of aircraft, this game features a nice selection of planes with more unseen ones like the Not Viggen, Not Harrier and Not Frogfoot! The fact that the Not Avro Arrow exists in the roster and the game featuring a price tag of $28.99 CAD makes Project Wingman one of the most Beaverland friendly games out there. So far, missions are more compact and filled for replayability like older Ace Combat games and even have a no checkpoint style as well. If you did not enjoy the score attacks and weather mechanics of AC7, you may enjoy Project Wingman more (I did personally enjoy the lightning missions and shooting oil rig supports in AC7).

The story is sufficient for a flight game as instant props are received for not creating an America vs Russia story for the 69th time. Unlike Ace Combat, the setting is in the real world set after a world shifting calamity which still makes it a strange, but real world. Being a mercenary or sky pirate is probably also the best way to have your character considering the amount of carnage you are creating for money. I have not played enough to get a complete feel of the story or atmosphere, but I do like the Not Yellow Squadron introduced early on in the game and different world dialogue like for example “By the Dust Mother!” to replace the proverbial OMG. I only hope it just does not get overused or else I will have to tell it to dance with the angels.

Visuals and soundtrack are pretty and bopping. The battlefields and gloomy skies are visually pleasing and the planes are relatively detailed (some planes are lacking movement animations though). The weather, clouds and some other effects do not really look great at certain times especially compared to AC7, but I understand the dev team is small and this game doesn’t have a triple A budget. The smoke trails from missiles and planes are a spectacle and remind me of AC6 (along with the lenient machine gun and helpful allies). In addition, the soundtrack is quite the spectacle itself to go along your war crime adventures and I wonder if the skies at the end will start singing Latin.

Overall, this is a nice purchase for its price of $24.99 USD instead of a spooky $60 USD price tag. It is a solid arcade flight game that can be amazing after polishing out the bugs, upgrading the effects and maybe an improved tutorial for people new to the genre. The bugs are mostly minor, but I did have odd issues with somehow successfully landing off the runaway due to habits of speedlanding from Ace Combat and I noclipped into the ground on my second landing in the game. I look forward towards seeing the future of Project Wingman and if they are able to add more aircraft to the roster and introduce PvE multiplayer similar to Ace Combat Infinity; they got a real bunker buster on their hands.

A game by Ace Combat fans, for Ace Combat fans, funded by Ace Combat fans.

Pros:

- You can commit so many war crimes in this game
- In 2-seater planes you have a waifu and she even speaks!
- Aircraft can carry multiple special weapons
- Very good angle of attack (post-stall maneuver) mechanic
- Gameplay overall feels better than AC7
- Cool environmental effects (lava, forest fires, storms, rain)
- Harrier actually hovers
- Mercenary difficulty fun and challenging even for experienced gamers
- Optional modifiers to customize campaign and conquest mode
- Fully playable in VR (though I didn't experience it as I don't have a VR headset)

Cons
- FPS drop when there are lots of explosions
- No in-game cutscenes
- No mission checkpoints
- No mission replay
- No multiplayer

Overall: AAA quality game on indie budget. Fun campaign and conquest modes which can be challenging if you go into the higher difficulties or enable the modifiers. Interesting store and lore building, though some parts could use more clarification. If you enjoyed Ace Combat 7 you will love Project Wingman.

Disclaimer: I was one of the backers and test players of the game