Wing of Darkness

It offers a cool aerial battle experience, and it's not as if the genre is bursting with rival candidates, but you might want to think twice about the content-to-price ratio before jumping in.

Wing of Darkness suffers with a variety of issues with its gameplay, but its biggest problem is the extremely short duration. It is a title you can have fun with and there's a lot of untapped potential in the story, as the characters are interesting, but the end result leaves a lot to be desired.

And so, though I love the concept and presentation of Wing of Darkness, it falls a little short of being an instant indie classic like Sumire was. Wing of Darkness has the right attitude when it comes to depicting the impact of war. It has impeccable presentation and art direction. The gameplay systems are enjoyable and, for the most part, well-executed. Almost everything about Wing of Darkness is spot-on, but it just falls short of making us care enough that the poignant themes and evocative narrative can really hit home.

Wing of Darkness manages to put together a script with consistent evolution and characters who develop a captivating relationship that result in impressive endings. Taking into account its graphic limitations, the gameplay reinforces the fun potential of air combat simulators, a type of game little explored in the current industry or underused in other genres. This makes it a fun option for fans and a good entry point for beginners due to the simplicity of the missions.

Wing of Darkness doesn’t have enough time to really make its mark. Its 2-hour runtime and lack of customization or unlockables give little reason to return after the credits. It’s a shame because these characters are extremely likable and you can’t help but want to see their mission through. Here’s to hoping more comes from this series.

'Wing of Darkness' has considerable quality among indie games, but it's too short to play deeply. You may feel the strength and the weakness of Japanese indie game styles while you play it.

The game starts off with a calm sense of monologue between two heroines, then suddenly transitions into a speedy pace flight shoot’em up. While the plot focuses the player with the story of Clara and Erica, the definitive fun comes from the flight shooter genre itself. If you’re not used to shoot’em ups, it may take some time to practice but once you’re well in training, there are no features that slows down the player so you can enjoy all of the fast paced joy. There is no replay value after seeing the ending so the 2 hour gameplay will feel very short lived.