[h3]Challenging Dogfights is a simple 2D on-rails shooter in which you move vertically to avoid enemy fire. This simple formula is stretched to its limit across its 7 missions, which have you do every action imaginable in the game, like collecting buffs & debuffs, tanking hits, timed survival, and destroying moving targets. To the developer's credit, the achievements have been streamlined and are verified working, but beyond collectors of these it's hard to find much value.[/h3]
There are two primary modes to the game: Missions and Free Play. The missions require you to perform a specific task, and for completion, to repeat the mission 3 times in progressively more difficult versions. Generally this requires surviving longer and facing a higher spawn rate of the tougher planes, while fulfilling the same objective. Free play is essentially a survival mode with online leaderboards, and not much more. You can pick a plane, a background, and a difficulty that only effects plane spawn rates, as with the missions.
The power-ups in the game modify your movement speed, firing rate, and shield (invulnerability). The power-downs are slightly different, diminishing visibility, ceasing fire, or the most dangerous, locking your movement entirely. While you can identify good ones from bad by the + or - icon, it's RNG which kind you actually get. This makes at least one of the missions luck-based, where you have to tank shots while invincible.
On one hand, it's admirable the developer manages to take a limited set of assets and pull as much gameplay out of it as possible. But on the other, is it fun? Not a whole lot. There are only three planes you can control, that really don't have anything differentiating them beyond size. Since horizontal movement is locked, it's frustrating to try to predict where your shots will land as enemy planes drift around, resulting in gameplay where you're more likely to focus on weaving rather than shooting, hoping that whatever's on the right side gets hit. It's a chore to get through, and unlikely to have much replay value unless you like dominating leaderboards (which don't have much competition at this time, either).
If you buy this, get it at the minimum possible price. It won't provide much bang for your buck, and being profile restricted (at the time this was written), doesn't even add to profile stats.
If, instead, you want an example of a great 2D dogfighting game, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/41300/Altitude/][u]try Altitude here[/u][/url], and [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/dotHax0r/recommended/41300/][u]read my review here[/u][/url]. Although it's over 12 years old, it was updated this year and the servers are still online. Play solo or multiplayer, and best of all, it's free!
[u]Achievement Hunters[/u]: ~2 hrs to 100%. Self explanatory achievements; Complete all missions 3 times, then grind free play for any remaining kills and "play as" plane achievements. Note that these don't seem to pop at the time you earn them, rather, you have to exit and reopen the app to see them credit. Also according to a forum post, exiting to the menu is required to save progress, so to be safe, do this in between any free play sessions (missions automatically boot to menu).
[i]Thank you bron99 for the donation.[/i]
