Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2020
What happens when you combine aerial combat with a heavily stylised steampunk world built on simple 3D models with texture-less polygons? Swapping out jet fighters and spaceships for giant falcons that you can ride over a vast ocean of stormy waves?
Then you get the Falconeer, another current-gen, launch title for the Xbox Series S/X, made by one guy. Much the same development story as Bright Memory I covered a little while back, review here. It’s another impressive work for a single person, while not as graphically high tech as Bright Memory, sporting a more typical indie vibe, it’s a neat and unique release.
What immediately strikes you in Falconeer is the visual style, it’s polygons without textures, colourised by math calculations, giving it a unique and distinct look. The variation in time of day and impressive lighting usage gives the visuals an extra level of diversity and life, especially when reflected on the fantastic, animated ocean. Sure, it’s a lot of blue, orange and brown but it perfectly depicts the coastal steampunk aesthetic its aiming for.
Playing on the Series X, I opted to drop from a 4K@60fps to a 1800p@120fps for a butter smooth and responsive feel to controlling my bird. There’s a great sense of an arcade styled flight combat to the controls, while your vehicle is a giant falcon with a pilot riding it's back, giving a neat nod to Panzer Dragoon. The falcons control nimbly, yet require quite a bit of manoeuvring to avoid oncoming fire and pick up speed.
The nautical backdrop is set on an ocean covered map, with lots of islands and small factions, all fighting against pirates raiding them. Your goal is to make all these factions collaborate to stop the pirates. During the main missions there's quite a bit of written dialogue, progressing the story forward. Albeit not exactly engaging stuff. You’re free to explore side missions too around the map, outside of the main story missions.
What happens when you combine aerial combat with a heavily stylised steampunk world built on simple 3D models with texture-less polygons? Swapping out jet fighters and spaceships for giant falcons that you can ride over a vast ocean of stormy waves?
Then you get the Falconeer, another current-gen, launch title for the Xbox Series S/X, made by one guy. Much the same development story as Bright Memory I covered a little while back, review here. It’s another impressive work for a single person, while not as graphically high tech as Bright Memory, sporting a more typical indie vibe, it’s a neat and unique release.
What immediately strikes you in Falconeer is the visual style, it’s polygons without textures, colourised by math calculations, giving it a unique and distinct look. The variation in time of day and impressive lighting usage gives the visuals an extra level of diversity and life, especially when reflected on the fantastic, animated ocean. Sure, it’s a lot of blue, orange and brown but it perfectly depicts the coastal steampunk aesthetic its aiming for.
Playing on the Series X, I opted to drop from a 4K@60fps to a 1800p@120fps for a butter smooth and responsive feel to controlling my bird. There’s a great sense of an arcade styled flight combat to the controls, while your vehicle is a giant falcon with a pilot riding it's back, giving a neat nod to Panzer Dragoon. The falcons control nimbly, yet require quite a bit of manoeuvring to avoid oncoming fire and pick up speed.
The nautical backdrop is set on an ocean covered map, with lots of islands and small factions, all fighting against pirates raiding them. Your goal is to make all these factions collaborate to stop the pirates. During the main missions there's quite a bit of written dialogue, progressing the story forward. Albeit not exactly engaging stuff. You’re free to explore side missions too around the map, outside of the main story missions.
There are power and life bars to keep an eye on during combat, as well as weaponry and upgrades to buy. My gripe here is the rather confusing mission select and shop layout. Combined with the fact that, even though the story progresses, from faction to faction, in a story driven mission menu, you’re free to just lift off any time and fly about by yourself. Yet, you’re unsure if you should be doing this before all the main missions are done or not.
Gameplay feels solid, soon you learn to turn fast, dive and do impressive aerial acrobatics while attacking waves of enemies. However, eventually the large aerial battles with zeppelins, other flying creatures and airships, and the escorting of ships becomes repetitive. There’s too little variation for the long run here, combat feels very repetitive, luckily it doesn't outstay it's welcome.
The presentation leans too far into the minimalist, mostly just depicting some fairly lame 3D model of various characters talking to you, be it a mission briefing or a rant about how their faction needs help. I found the narration to be good, but the dialogues on text forgettable. Again, I do realise this game is a one man job, and some of the story depth is indeed forgiven.
There’s a lovingly crafted world here, with a unique look to it and impressively fun flight combat, yet it never aspires to be varied and as a result progression feels linear and suddenly it’s over in a last mission, lacking a build-up to a grand ending of sorts.
It's a purchase for the enjoyment of the aerial combat, it's the games biggest strength, even Ace Combat fans will find themselves in love here. Just don't go in expecting the story or lore pulling you into anything deep.
