Knights of the Sky

Knights of the Sky is the original DOS version of the World war I flying simulation game from 1990. While as a retro-gamer you might be thrilled to see this again, be warned that it's EXACTLY the original game stuck in a DOSbox shell. So no changes or extra's. That means you STILL get the configuration screen each time you start the game AND the squadron selection screen that requires you to look up the correct answer in the original manual, which obviously is not provided with this Steam release. Luckily it can be found online (here for instance: http://www.scribd.com/doc/39494458/Knights-of-the-Sky#scribd). If you didn't know that you'd be stuck with just playing the demo version, even though you paid full price for it. You will also need the manual to look up the controls and be reminded of the fact that you CAN actually skip a lot of tedious flying time by pressing alt-A. While the game was brilliant in its time and still fun to play if you look past the outdated graphics, you might want to wait for a steam sale to buy this at a more reasonable price or maybe dig up your old floppies and manual of this game from the attic instead.

nowehere near as good as the amiga version I used to play

I discovered [i]Knight of the Sky[/i] last week, after being disappointed playing [i]Red Baron[/i] and its sandboxed scenario missions, and disappointed again playing Red Baron 3D and its, boring to me, prioritization of realism. No rose-tinted glasses here. The game is really about its campaign, which features the same sort of Microprose brilliance you could spot in their other titles. Those are all about giving the player a little place in a world, and invoke the romantic impression of what an heroic life may have been, be it as a pirate, a samurai — or as a Chevalier du Ciel, as it is the case here. The flight model feels a bit simplistic at first, but the real catch is that its goal is to emphasize the difference of the planes and their evolution. As historical time passes and the campaign progresses, you'll experience new way of fighting, which you can either embrace or reject. Same for your opponents: rarely in a flight simulator do you actually “feel” so much what sort of plane the foe in front of you is flying right now. The game strips down the boring aspects of gaining altitude or looking for your objective. Thanks to a convenient map and the visual cue in the 3D world it provides, you always know where you are in this condensed but not small-feeling open world. And that world is so lively! Apart from your objective, you will be able to help friends in trouble, become trapped by enemy patrols, or have your own save your butt when all seems lost. The game has got some other surprises I won't spoil. It pays great but measured respect to the historical period, and the campaign is a perfect example of one done right. The player's ultimate goal may be a glorified scoring chase featuring achievements in the form of ranks and medals, but fronts are moving based on historical events, semi-art nouveau screens depicting the scenes enhance the immersion and what seemed at first like an artificial motivation becomes a very real motive. The campaign is a wonderful success. Sadly, this Steam release shows very little regard to this great game, which is a surprise for Nightdive Studios: this version of [i]Knight of the Sky[/i] comes unpatched (version 1, while version 2 merely added... friendly patrols, amongst other stuff!). You can find the Rev 2 patch at [url=http://www.patches-scrolls.de]the Patches Scrolls[/url]. You'd better use your own DOSBox configuration too. 30 years later, [i]Knight of the Sky[/i] is still a tremendously enjoyable game. After playing through it, you will probably have learned something about the period, and I guarantee you will be able to tell what plane of the period is your favourite. Isn't that weirdly inappropriate bragging some awesome reward?

Just the same as I remember it from the first time around. Shows its age but still good for a laugh.

Another lazy-ass "let's take this old DOS game straight from a warez torrent collection, slap it in DOSBOX, and push it out" effort by Retroism. Which was the exact thing that happened with Task Force: 1942. This is a purely a nostalgia trip game. Comparing it to anything even remotely modern is simply absurd. Old flight-sim greybeards (e.g. me) might want to fire this up once in a while, but you know, they might be better off tracking down that warez torrent collection I mentioned earlier, or a actual patched version of the game. Retroism's zero-value-added re-releases of these old gems is painful to watch.

https://youtu.be/FwKVjAMjIBA I used to love this game on my Amiga back in the day. Sadly that day has passed. This game has not held up well to the rigors of time. Where to start? The fact they didn't even remove the copy protection maybe? Or the sluggish in game performance that feels slower than on my Amiga? Or maybe the bugs and glitches. Certainly the fact that this seems to be the unpatched version that often means just one bullet hit is needed to down either you or the enemy. Also note that there is only two in-craft cockpit views (one machine gun or two) so all aircraft look exactly the same from cockpit view. And talking of views you need one hand on the keyboard at all times to switch thru them unless you use something like Joy2Key to map them to your controller or joystick. Much as I loved this game back then, I'm going to recommend you avoid this unless you have some biggles sized nostalgia goggles as this feels sloppy, rushed and unoptomised.

Okay, this is a funny, simple flying simulator game. It's not a 10/10 simulator but it is a good way to spend the time, no engine sounds, but a accordeon sound whenever you increase trottle. Also a killcam! You get a replay of your plane crashing. That's pritty modern for a game this old. After a bit of messing around i found out how the controlls work. If you are a flight sim fan you might pick this up during a sale, only 0,97 cent *euro*

Ностальгическая машина времени, которая переносит прямо в 1990 год, когда авиасимуляторы делали с душой, а не ради доната. Графика, конечно, уже древняя, пиксельная, с угловатыми моделями самолётов, но в этом есть свой шарм, и когда ты пилотируешь тот самый красный Fokker, чувствуешь себя настоящим асом Первой мировой. Симуляция здесь довольно глубокая для своего времени: можно выбирать из 20 самолётов, выполнять миссии от бомбёжек до разведки, и даже охотиться на знаменитых асов, включая самого Красного Барона. Управление, честно говоря, требует привыкания, особенно если ты вырос на современных симуляторах с удобным интерфейсом, но после пары вылетов начинаешь понимать, почему эта игра получила кучу наград в начале 90-х. Из минусов - графика и управление устарели, а найти нормальные гайды на русском сложно, так что придётся вспоминать английский или просто тыкать наугад. Но если ты фанат истории авиации или хочешь понять, с чего всё начиналось, Knights of the Sky подарит тебе пару вечеров чистого кайфа без всяких лутбоксов и онлайн-сессий. И если этот обзор наберёт 50 лайков и 10 наград - сыграю 100 часов. Улучшу значок до 5 уровня и схожу в церковь помолиться за разрабов, чтобы они делали только крутые проекты… ⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣀⣀⡀ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⣀⣴⣺⡍⠉⢉⣴⣽⡏⠉⠉⠒⢤⣀ ⠄⠄⣴⣾⣿⣿⡿⠁⢠⣿⣿⣿⣧⣀⣀⠄⠄⠈⢳⡀ ⢀⠞⠈⠻⢿⡿⣁⣀⠄⢷⣻⣿⣿⣯⣄⠄⠄⠄⢈⣧⢠⡀ ⡜⠄⣀⡴⢋⣾⣿⣿⣷⡈⠻⣿⣟⡿⠋⠄⠄⢀⣼⡿⣼⣿⣆ ⠘⢿⣫⣶⣿⣿⡿⠿⣿⣿⣦⣄⠙⠛⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠃⠻⣿⣿⣧ ⠄⢸⣿⡿⠋⠁⠄⠄⠄⠙⠻⣿⣷⣤⣀⣀⣀⣴⣷⣄⡀⠈⠻⣿⣧⠄ ⠄⢸⡟⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡀⢨⢿⣷⡀ ⠄⠸⣷⣶⣿⣿⡆⠄⢾⣿⣿⣶⣦⣤⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠄⠛⠿⢷⡄ ⠄⠄⣿⠟⠉⠉⠁⠄⠘⠉⠉⠁⠈⠉⠁⠄⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠄⢰⡟⠄⠈⡇ ⠄⠄⣿⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡞⡇⠄⢀⡇ ⠄⠄⢹⣤⡀⢤⣴⣶⣦⡷⠄⠄⠄⢤⣤⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⢹⣤⡾ ⠄⠄⠘⣿⠄⠄⠻⠋⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠟⠁ ⠄⠄⠄⢿⡄⠐⠒⠛⠛⢓⠂⠄⠄⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠋ ⠄⠄⠄⢸⣧⠈⠙⠛⠉⠄⠄⠄⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇ ⠄⠄⠄⣿⢿⡄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⢛⣫⣭⣴⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿ ⠄⠄⠄⣿⣯⡣⣄⣀⣀⣀⣠⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣛⣭⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿ ⠄⠄⠄⣮⡻⣿⣦⣭⣙⣛⣛⣛⣋⣭⣥⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⣛⣛⣭⣭⣶⣶⣾⣿ ⠄⠄⠄⢈⠻⣷⣯⣭⣛⣛⣛⣛⣛⣛⣛⣛⣭⣭⣵⣶⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠿⢟⣛⣛⣛ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⠻⣶⣭⣟⣛⣿⠿⠿⠿⠿⠿⣟⣛⣛⣫⣭⣭⣴⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⠛⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠿⠿⠛⠛⠛⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉

I LOVED this game in my youth! The graphics might be a wee bit outdated by now but it´s worth the buck to reminisce!

Knights of the Sky is a pretty simple World War I flight-sim. You begin as a green pilot in the Royal Flying Corps in 1916 and fly missions between then and winter 1918. Combat patrols, bombing, balloon-busting, all are here. As are real World War I aces like Manfred and Lothar von Richthofen, Max Immelmann, Rene Fonck, Charles Nungesser and Albert Ball. And you could meet up with some of them in the air. Or once you joined their illustrious company you could issue them with challenges (just the Germans though, you didn’t want to kill your own side). The game is hugely atmospheric and this is in part down to the authentic World War I game world, with the Western Front mapped accurately. And this game proved particularly useful for me. I used the game to help write a history essay when I was at school and it allowed me to provide a level of detail and authenticity that went beyond what the school curriculum had taught us. I knew the geography of the Western Front and could include that, all thanks to this game. And the essay was basically just an account of a short time playing this game, with any reference to the fact it was a game omitted. Graphically it’s showing its age. It wasn’t the best on the market at the time. But the graphics do their job alright. Sound is excellent and suitably atmospheric. And as with most classic games the title music is superb; a very catchy period piano piece. Music is also present sporadically in the game.