Solo Flight

Парни, я взлететь смог

This was one of my favorite C64 games way back in the 80's. I promptly bought it on Steam. Sadly it would not run that good and had to ask for and received a refund.

Solo Flight is a nostalgic trip back to the golden era of DOS-based gaming. Running flawlessly on modern PCs thanks to the bundled DOSBox, the game operates smoothly with no technical hiccups, making it easy to dive into for those craving a slice of retro gaming. However, from the perspective of today’s gamers, the game’s long-term appeal is quite limited. Its mechanics and gameplay, while innovative for their time, might feel overly simplistic or dated by modern standards. Solo Flight seems best suited for those who fondly remember it from their childhood and are looking to relive a few hours of simple, aviation-themed fun. For younger or more modern audiences unfamiliar with its history, the game may not hold much appeal beyond its novelty as a relic of gaming history. In short, while it runs well and delivers what it promises, Solo Flight is a niche recommendation—great for a short-lived dose of nostalgia, but not much more.

I did not know what to expect, but this was not it. I understand it was one of the first flight sims out there and it certainly shows. It says it has a handful of locations, but you could not tell the difference between a single one of them. No land marks, no defining terrain, nothing much of anything. I have seen outer-space games with wide open nothingness, have better atmosphere than this. Reminds me of Stephen King's "The Langoliers" once they had come to eat up the airport. Void of anything. But at least then it would be fun to try to escape the time eating dimensional creatures at least. However, this game is not fun at all. I will be keeping it, mainly to remind myself not to buy a game without researching it first. And because I do not want to waste refunding a game I got for just a couple bucks (and that was on sale), when I might need to refund for something much more important and expensive later. Plus, maybe I will punish myself and force my self to learn how to play this. And if that day ever comes and if I end up ever enjoying it, I will redo this review. In the mean time, if you just want to try something "ancient", this might fit that niche or to complete a collection of games, go for it. But something fun and engaging? Look elsewhere.

Classic Sid Meier <3

Is simple but nice. One of the earliest first-person flight sims. No missions, no hand-holding, no instructions, just flying by and trying not to crash. Feels old, but it’s impressive for its time and fun if you like retro games.

Very Realistic.