Last Wings Review – PS Vita, PS4

MotweraGaming1 Comment

Flying games take to the skies with open controls, fun air combat and more. These games can be of all kinds, form the simulators on PC too amazing arcade shooters. This sector of gaming offers high quality fun.

Last Wings is from recently founded Vertice Games and this is their very first console project. Does the game accomplish its goal of being a fun flying shooter?


Gameplay 

Last Wings core gameplay is very simple on the surface; you fly your plane on a 2D plane using the D-Pad or the Analog Stick and can shoot with the X button. You also have a secondary weapon mapped to the [] button and the L & R buttons control your breaks and boost. The goal of each mode in the game is to take out opposing planes and this simple control set up might imply that the game has little depth.

Thankfully this isn’t the case, as you can get different weapons from leveling up and using the break mechanic (where all of your movement is locked and you can only turn your plan around for careful aiming) ensures you can take smart shots. The game also has a tutorial mode, so you can get used to the controls before fighting battles.

In addition, your guns and boost are mapped to a meter, meaning you cannot just boost endlessly. If meter goes low, you cannot shoot your gun in continual bursts. With all of this in mind, the combat in the game can be very dynamic and when playing with others online, this ensures depth with the games combat system.

The games four levels are built in mind for this, as they are large enough to find spots to recover lost health (it regenerates) and blind-side your foes for careful strikes. So the gameplay itself is strong but what about the modes, as they are critical for any MP title.


Design / Game Modes

Last Wings offers a few game modes and they all have some impact on the core gameplay systems.

Score Attack and Team Flight are modes you would expect in most MP games; you can take out foes on your own or with a team helping you out. This works with the games core systems well. Team Flight Rounds is similar but with no respawing; that makes you far more careful with your flying, as if you are not careful you can die very quickly. This mode pushes you to be smart with your play.

Base Attack is the one that has the most issues for me, as the goal is to take out the foes bases while defending yours. This is not a problem, as if you play as a team, you can take out the base with little issue, but if everyone is doing their own thing during the match, you have to worry about repeated deaths and the inability to defend your own base. This mode is based on your team and if you have a good one, it can be fun.

Overall, the many MP modes on display can be very fun in short bursts and you can even play them with AI Bots if you have no online connection.


Replay Value

This is where the game suffers sadly, as the title has a lack of many single player modes. You can unlock two extra planes and more tools to play with as you level up but the gameplay doesn’t work well under long play sessions. You can only fight with your planes, not race with them or play more narrowly designed single player missions.

The game having AI Bots to play against is a great move, but this doesn’t fully solve the problem, as you only have four maps to play on. They are different enough but it can get stale for long play sessions.

Last Wings works well for quick play sessions but under long play sessions, the game can get repetitive. Overall, the game does have a good amount of content for both single and multiplayer means, but the game gets repetitive if you play it for a long time.


Presentation 

Simple is a very good way to describe Last Wings presentation. The plane models look solid and the effects for the battles are good. But the game has a lack of music and that can make battles only have bullet sounds echoing through your speakers. Levels have a bit of an blocky look but the level backgrounds look solid.

Menus of the game look clean despite text being a bit small on the Vita version but otherwise, I have little issue with the presentation. It just looks a bit too simple sometimes.


Gameplay – 4 out of 5 / Design – 4 out of 5 / Replay Value – 3 out of 5 / Presentation – 3.5 out of 5

Last Wings is a great first step for Vertice Games as a studio; this is a very solid title mechanically. The core gameplay works very well and the different modes to play across can be fun in short bursts. The issues for this title largely stem from a lack of content in some spots and presentation being too simple sometimes. Overall, if you are looking for a fun and rewarding flying title for your PS Vita or PS4 that is great in short bursts, I recommend giving this game a shot.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

The game was reviewed on the PS Vita with a review code provided by Vertice Games.

One Comment on “Last Wings Review – PS Vita, PS4”

  1. This game is very similar to Altitude, from Nimbly Games, but with less modes, upgrades, and maps. I love Altitude and I’d love to try this game, but my ethics won’t allow me to buy what looks like a ripoff.

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