Red Wings: Aces of the Sky

an arcade flight combat game that does what it should well gameplay wise (altho it misses a "pro" controls mode with proper pitch/yaw/roll), I'm sure is tons of fun in split screen. However I can't recommend it has the single player campaign is rather boring, with two campaigns that feel a carbon copy of each other and the missions are all the same with only 4 type of missions available with little to no variation. Also the stories presented thrugh the campaigns with short storyboard movies are boring and badly written resulting in a series a confusing stories that do not bear any connection with the missions. It has also some balancing issues, but are minor. Buy only knowing that is it a shallow "play 5 minutes once in while" experience

[b]Red Wings deserves a mixed review and I only recommend purchasing during deep discounts ($2) due to the following despite the entertainment and challenge the content simplicity can bring.[/b] [H3]Keyboard Disclaimer & Broken elements[/h3] The devs recommend playing with a gamepad, this is seconded by first hand experience due to frustrating keyboard controls, unfinished & inaccurate keyboard prompts and a UI/UX built around gamepad with no mouse functionality. Your mouse is all but pointless while playing, as no gameplay/menu element benefits from its use, even something simple as audio adjustment fails, on top of that potential nitpick is that menus will seemingly forget their own keybinds with extended play by replacing all menu prompts with the exact same input. [H3]Missions, Game-modes & Story[/h3] As for content there are two Story campaigns both set during WW1, the Triple Entente & the Triple Alliance. The two campaigns are selectable at any time with a set of 50 missions split between them. Missions all take place in high altitudes and include dog fights, bombing runs and time trials.[list] [*][B]Dog fights[/b] have varying sub objectives as you progress ranging from the destruction of all targets, to specific targets or the protection of your own targets while exterminating the enemy. [*][b]Bombing[/b] runs are extremely simple and require you to fly over ground emplacements dropping bombs with a single key while avoiding low damage Anti-Air rounds. [*][b]Time trials[/b] require you to fly through a series of 30+ rings before you run out of fuel, with each ring replenishing your reserves.[/list] These missions take place above Europe with a change of scenery occuring as you progress in the campaigns. There are short-term gameplay affecting mechanics introduced such as vision affecting sandstorms and Anti-air fire, alongside the permanent clouds you can hide in, but for the most part gameplay environments remain the same until completion. Outside of the two campaigns is a survival mode where you'll have to destroy all targets across a number of waves (difficulty specific) without dying yourself. [H3]Aircraft & Cosmetics [/h3] As for aircraft, there are 12 different planes with 6 per faction, each having their own stats and a set of 5 unlockable skins. A special skin is available for each plane that shares a unique aesthetic in the same vein as the Flying Dutchman shown in the steam promotional material. During my playthrough I unlocked a skin for a fighter that added cosmetic Caustic barrels and emissives to the plane. Although the other special skins are associated with insane mission requirements that require further dedication that I don't wish to chase. [H3]Gameplay, issues & degradation[/h3] As for gameplay, Red Wings is a short-term enjoyable experience (despite the controls) with a lively comic shaded aesthetic, large mission list, couch co-op campaign & versus mode; although these qualities and the game degrade as playtime progresses due to: [olist] [*] lack of mission variety beyond the high altitude dogfighting with 2-3 bombing run and time-trials missions appearing to spice things up. [*] spikes in mission difficulty caused by player strength imbalance stemming from the star based reward structure that requires you to exceed 3 preset goals per mission (separate from the mission objective) to gain stars. Each mission has a 3 star rating and an objective goal for the player to complete to gain those stars, either complete the mission within record time or complete the mission with a high enough score from combo kills. Stars are a major part of player progression as they are used to purchase upgrades to damage output, armour penetration, heat reductions and ability power-up improvements. [*] Major increases in 3 Star objective requirements specifically linked to mission score that you obtain from killing other planes in quick succession through a combo count. As you progress the game requires 50,000+ mission scores in spite of late game units gaining special abilities, increased health and maneuverability, taking 30-50seconds to destroy. [*] AI stupidity, mostly the AI having no care for its own life resulting in frequent collisions into the player causing their death with no point reward and damage to the player plane, thus reducing your chances of acquiring 3 stars in a mission. [*] lack of useful planes obtained through story progression due to the final version of the game granting free access to the best planes from the get-go with unrivalled default stats until the final 5 missions of each campaign. [*] an inability to fly upside down and swiftly engage with planes flying overhead without the use of power-ups: Barrel Roll, Summon Squadron, Execute (a simple kill-cam pistol shot to a damaged plane) and Flip.[/olist] [H3]Conclusion[/h3] All in all I enjoyed about 5 hours of my 7 hour playtime of Red Wings: Aces of the Sky and therefore I recommend picking it up during deep sales ($2) with the notice that the controls are bothersome and the gameplay quality degrades with length and difficulty. [H3]Review Information[/h3] [List][*]Started: June 19th 2026 [*]Ended: June 21st 2026 [*]Expanded & Written: June 21st 2026 [*]Rated: Not Recommended (Mixed)[/list]