Luftrausers

Last updated

Luftrausers
Luftrausers logo.png
Developer(s) Vlambeer
Publisher(s) Devolver Digital
Composer(s) Jukio Kallio
Engine
Platform(s) Linux, OS X, Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Android
Release
  • Linux, OS X, Windows
  • March 18, 2014
  • PS3, PS Vita
    • NA: March 18, 2014
    • PAL: March 19, 2014
  • Android
  • May 28, 2015
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player

Luftrausers is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Netherlands-based indie developer studio Vlambeer and published by Devolver Digital for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It was released in March 2014 and ported to Android by General Arcade on May 28, 2015. A demake of the game, titled LuftrauserZ, was developed by Paul Koller for Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore 64 Games System, and released by RGCD and Vlambeer on December 8, 2017. [1]

Contents

Gameplay

Luftrausers is an airplane-based shoot 'em up. Unlike traditional shoot 'em ups, in which the direction of the player craft is fixed, Luftrausers allows 360 degrees of motion, more akin to a multidirectional shooter. However, the player's main weapon can only fire from the front, forcing the player to take into account the position and angle of the airplane. Players must take into account the momentum of their plane while flying, using gravity and drift to maneuver as much as forward propulsion.

There is no health bar: player health is indicated by a circle around the aircraft that shrinks as damage increases and naturally regenerates when not firing the weapon. [2]

Aircraft can be customized with dozens of combinations of engines, weapons, and hulls [3] that affect the soundtrack as much as the gameplay. [2] Each weapon part comes with sets of challenges that give objects to strive for, on top of the arcade nature of the game.

Development

Ismail and Nijman of Vlambeer speaking at the 2013 GDC Independent Games Summit Vlambeer at GDC.png
Ismail and Nijman of Vlambeer speaking at the 2013 GDC Independent Games Summit

Jan Willem Nijman of Vlambeer started Luftrausers while on the airplane home from the March 2012 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Polygon reported that he was inspired by the "beauty of his view" and did not have on-flight television. At the time, Vlambeer was finishing development on Ridiculous Fishing , a game whose development was marked by a high-profile struggle with a similar, subsequent game known as a clone. [4]

Luftrausers is an update of Luftrauser, an earlier, free Flash game created by Vlambeer's Rami Ismail, artist Paul Veer, and composer Kozilek in the GameMaker: Studio engine and was ported to pure C++ by Michel Paulissen via his Dex converter tool. [5] [6] Vlambeer originally announced the game for release in Q2 2013 on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, having chosen those platforms due to their positive working relationship with Sony. [5] In the weeks before the expected release, the Bangalore-based Rubiq Lab released a similar airplane dogfight game called SkyFar in April 2013 and Vlambeer contacted Apple and Google to intervene so as to avoid "another clone war". [4] Rami Ismail's backpack containing "everything Vlambeer" including electronics and the game's code was stolen during E3 2013. [7] Although their work was backed up, Ismail described the theft as "a giant pain". [7]

The game was simultaneously released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita (via Steam and the Humble Store) [3] on March 18, 2014, being published by Devolver Digital. The game's two-and-a-half-year development cycle was profitable within three days of its release. [8] On December 20, 2014, the game was ported to Amazon Fire TV by General Arcade. [9]

Reception

The game received "generally favorable" reviews on all platforms, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic. [10] [11] [12]

Jake Valentine of GameZone gave the PC version nine out of ten, saying, "I could talk more and more about how enjoyable Luftrausers is, how exciting the gameplay is, how easy re-starting the game after death can be, how addicting and exhilarating the experience is, but at the end of the day, you can kill a battleship by flying your plane through it." [29] EGMNow gave the PlayStation 3 version nine out of ten, saying, "Hearkening back to a bygone era of simple-yet-deep arcade games where you played for score, not story, Luftrausers takes basic ideas in concept and execution and turns them into hours of challenging, chaotic fun." [30] Push Square gave the same PS3 version eight stars out of ten, calling it "a tremendously well polished action arcade package." [31] Edge gave the PC version eight out of ten, saying that it was "surprisingly tactical". [32] PCGamesN gave the same PC version eight out of ten, saying, "Simple in almost all respects, Luftrauser is one of Vlambeer's biggest triumphs because it strips back everything in the name of exposing the fun at the centre of the game. It's almost as if the designers were engineers of the rauser itself; reducing weight and tweaking fuel lines to ensure the most effective deliverer of death possible." [33] USgamer gave the same PC version a score of four out of five, saying, "Vlambeer improves on one of its smaller, free releases with Luftrausers, expanding an excellent dogfighting game with a ton of customization and a great soundtrack. Short play sessions means it's the perfect game to play on the bus, between classes, or even during your boring meetings. Just don't scream out loud and pump your fist in the sky when you finally beat your high score. That's rude." [34]

The Escapist gave the Vita version four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "Despite a few issues with its end game challenges, Luftrausers is a surprisingly addictive, challenging arcade game that will keep you glued to your Vita for game after game after game." [28] Digital Spy gave the same Vita version four stars out of five, saying, "From frustrating beginnings to high-score runs involving nukes and boosts, Luftrausers is a game packed with a surprising amount of depth, infinite replayability, and truly satisfying risk versus reward gameplay." [27] The Digital Fix gave the PC version eight out of ten, calling it "an entertaining blast." [35] Metro gave the PlayStation 3 version eight out of ten, saying, "The spirit of the arcade will never die thanks to games like this, as Vlambeer demonstrate their mastery of minimalist action." [36] However, 411Mania gave the PC version six out of ten, saying that it was "what a modern arcade game ostensibly is: small, bite-sized bits of gameplay that is broken up by countless deaths over and over. Unlocking new plane parts is fun in the game and there is some merit to just flying around the level blowing up various ships and planes. However, the surrounding nature of the game, such as it not explaining itself very well, and the obscure way things happen in a round, or even what the mission objectives are, can bring the game down." [37]

Giant Bomb awarded the game Best Music of 2014. [38] At the 2014 National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) awards the game was nominated for Control Precision. [39]

Related Research Articles

<i>Virtua Tennis 3</i> 2006 sports video game

Virtua Tennis 3, known in Japan as Sega Professional Tennis: Power Smash 3, is the second arcade game sequel to Sega's tennis game franchise, Virtua Tennis. The arcade version of Virtua Tennis 3 is powered by the PC-based Sega Lindbergh arcade system board. Ports for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 consoles are also available with a traditional collection of tennis minigames that the home versions of Virtua Tennis are known for. In 2009, Sega updated and re-created Virtua Tennis 3 in Virtua Tennis 2009.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine</i> 2011 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is a third-person shooter hack-n-slash video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 6, 2011, in North America, September 8, 2011, in Australia, and September 9, 2011, in Europe. It was later ported to Japan and published by CyberFront on October 27, 2011. The game takes place in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe and features the Ultramarines chapter. Its gameplay focuses on a hybrid shooting and melee combat model.

<i>Virtua Tennis 4</i> 2011 sports video game

Virtua Tennis 4, known in Japan as Power Smash 4, is the third sequel to Sega's tennis game franchise, Virtua Tennis. It was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii and PlayStation Vita. This is the first main series Virtua Tennis game to not have an arcade release before the console releases. An arcade version was also released, which is powered by the PC-based Sega RingEdge arcade system. There are two versions of the cabinet: an upright 4-player cabinet, and a deluxe 4-player cabinet.

<i>F1 2011</i> (video game) 2011 video game

F1 2011 is a video game developed by Codemasters based on the 2011 Formula One season. The game was released in 2011 on Microsoft Windows, the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, with a 2012 release on the PlayStation Vita as a launch title for the system. The game engine is based on EGO 2.0 engine.

<i>Burnout Crash!</i> 2011 video game

Burnout Crash! is a downloadable action racing video game in the Burnout series. It is developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and iTunes App Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlambeer</span> Former Dutch video game developer

Vlambeer was a Dutch independent video game developer based in Utrecht. Founded in 2010, the studio was composed of Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman, and closed down on its tenth anniversary after the two recognized they were moving in different directions. The studio was known for the games Super Crate Box (2010), Serious Sam: The Random Encounter (2011), Ridiculous Fishing (2013), Luftrausers (2014), and Nuclear Throne (2015), as well as for their stand against video game cloning.

<i>Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z</i> 2014 video game

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is an action adventure hack and slash game, and a spin-off of the Ninja Gaiden franchise. It was published by Tecmo Koei and developed by Spark Unlimited. Comcept's Keiji Inafune conceptualized the game, providing character designs and creating the character of Yaiba. The game was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows worldwide in March 2014.

<i>Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit</i> 2012 video game

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit is a platform game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Network, Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade, and iOS through App Store. It was developed by French developer Arkedo Studio and published by Sega. The game has an ESRB rating of Teen.

<i>Trials Fusion</i> 2014 video game

Trials Fusion is a platform racing video game developed by Ubisoft RedLynx in collaboration with Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Kyiv. A follow-up to Trials Evolution, it is the fifth game in the Trials series and is the first one to be released on a PlayStation platform. The game was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in April 2014. A companion game, Trials Frontier, was released on iOS and Android devices and designed to accompany the console and PC title. Ubisoft released six paid DLC packs, as well as several free content updates. Online multiplayer was added in an update on January 24, 2015.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional is a shooter video game developed and published by 17-Bit. It was released in August 2015 for the PlayStation 4 and October 2015 for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux. A Nintendo Switch port, subtitled Deluxe Edition, was released in March 2019 by Golem Entertainment. It was announced during Sony's pre-E3 2013 press conference in June 2013. 17-Bit CEO Jake Kazdal describes it as "modern Halo and Far Cry 3 combat in a 2-dimensional shell." Reflecting its inspiration in part by Japanese anime, the game is also known officially by the Japanese title of Uchuu Senshi Galak-Z.

<i>Ridiculous Fishing</i> 2013 video game

Ridiculous Fishing is a fishing video game where players use motion and touch controls to catch fish and subsequently shoot them out of the sky for cash. The game was developed and published by Vlambeer—Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman—and released for iOS on March 13, 2013, then later that year for Android.

<i>Proteus</i> (video game) 2013 video game

Proteus is a 2013 exploration and walking simulator video game designed and created by Ed Key and David Kanaga for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. In the game, the player traverses a procedurally generated environment without prescribed goals. The world's flora and fauna emit unique musical signatures, combinations of which cause dynamic shifts in audio based on the player's surroundings.

<i>Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a 2013 2.5D platform game developed by Sega Studios Australia and published by Sega. The game is a remake of the original 1990 Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive video game of the same name, which was the first title in the Illusion series of Mickey Mouse video games. The game was released on PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360, in September 2013, and later for iOS, Windows Phone, Android, and OS X.

<i>Akibas Trip: Undead & Undressed</i> 2013 video game

Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed, released as Akiba's Trip 2 in Japan, is a 2013 action-adventure video game for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows by Acquire. It is the sequel to Akiba's Trip on the PlayStation Portable. A third game in the series, Akiba's Trip Festa, was released in November 2016.

<i>Farming Simulator 2013</i> 2012 video game

Farming Simulator 2013 is a simulation video game in the Farming Simulator series, developed and published by Giants Software and Focus Home Interactive for Microsoft Windows in 2012, and for Mac OS X, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2013.

<i>Foul Play</i> (video game) 2013 video game

Foul Play is a 2013 brawler action-adventure developed by UK-based indie studio Mediatonic and published by Devolver Digital. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on 18 September 2013 and for Mac OS X and Linux on 28 October 2013. After a port to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita was announced in mid-2014, the PlayStation 4 received its early version of the game on 1 September 2015 in North America as part of the PlayStation Heroes charity campaign, while both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions were actually released on 23 February 2016.

<i>Nuclear Throne</i> 2016 video game

Nuclear Throne is a bullet hell roguelike video game developed by Vlambeer. Early prototypes of the game were distributed through Steam's early access program in 2013. Nuclear Throne was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita in December 2015, for Nintendo Switch in March 2019, and for Xbox One in September 2021.

<i>1001 Spikes</i> Platform video game

1001 Spikes is a platform game developed by 8bits Fanatics and Nicalis, and published by Nicalis. Originally named Aban Hawkins & the 1000 Spikes, the game's objective is to escape a vast terrain and struggle to reach for victory without being impaled by spikes and many other disasters. Throughout the multiple travels, the game gets increasingly challenging, especially having to dodge falling stones and much more.

<i>Always Sometimes Monsters</i> 2014 video game

Always Sometimes Monsters is a role-playing video game created by Canadian indie developers Justin Amirkhani and Jake Reardon, developed by Vagabond Dog and published by Devolver Digital. The game was released on 21 May 2014 for Microsoft Windows. A later update using the MonoGame framework brought the game to OS X and Linux on 8 January 2015 and to iOS and Android on 28 May 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "LuftrauserZ Presskit". RGCD.DEV Press Release. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Podgorski, Daniel (December 16, 2015). "99 Arcade Luftballons: 3 Major Pros and 2 Minor Cons of Vlambeer's Bullet Hell Arcade Dogfighter LUFTRAUSERS". The Gemsbok. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Farokhmanesh, Megan (February 10, 2014). "Luftrausers to launch for all five platforms simultaneously". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Pitts, Russ (April 24, 2013). "Cloned at Birth: The Story of Ridiculous Fishing". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  5. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (March 21, 2013). "Vlambeer's Luftrausers coming to PS3 and PS Vita this spring". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  6. ↑ Paulissen, Michel (March 4, 2014). "LUFTRAUSERS". Michel Paulissen's Portfolio. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Crecente, Brian (June 14, 2013). "'Vlambeer got stolen,' Ridiculous Fishing dev says". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (March 21, 2014). "Vlambeer's Luftrausers became profitable in three days". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  9. ↑ Devolver Digital [@devolverdigital] (December 20, 2014). "LUFTRAUSERS from @Vlambeer is now available on @Amazon Fire TV!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 21, 2014– via Twitter.
  10. 1 2 "Luftrausers for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Luftrausers for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Luftrausers for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ Zimmerman, Conrad (March 18, 2014). "Review: Luftrausers (PC)". Destructoid . Gamurs . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  14. ↑ Donlan, Christian (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers review (PC) [date mislabeled as "February 9, 2015"]". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Turi, Tim (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers Review (PC, PS3)". Game Informer . GameStop . Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Peele, Britton (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers Review (PC, PS3)". GameSpot . Fandom . Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Luftrausers - Review (PC)". GameTrailers . Viacom. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  18. ↑ Strom, Steven (March 21, 2014). "Luftrausers Review". Gamezebo . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 Navarro, Alex (March 19, 2014). "Luftrausers Review". Giant Bomb . Fandom . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  20. ↑ Cobbett, Richard (March 21, 2014). "Luftrausers Review (PS Vita)". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ Prell, Sam (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers Review: Aerial Ace (PC)". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  22. ↑ Iwaniuk, Phil (March 25, 2014). "Luftrausers PS Vita review – Indie dogfighter shoots to thrill". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK . Future plc. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  23. ↑ Griffin, Ben (March 26, 2014). "Luftrausers review". PC Gamer . Future plc . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  24. ↑ Brown, Mark (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers". Pocket Gamer . Steel Media Ltd. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  25. 1 2 Gies, Arthur (March 24, 2014). "Luftrausers review: vintage bomber". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  26. ↑ Valdes, Giancarlo (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers's unfriendly skies packs a ridiculous amount of thrill and drama into short chunks (review) [PC]". VentureBeat . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  27. 1 2 Martin, Liam (March 26, 2014). "Luftrausers review (Vita): Relentless arcade action". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  28. 1 2 Goodman, Paul (March 24, 2014). "Luftrausers Review – Fliegen die Unfreundlichen Himmel (Vita)". The Escapist . Gamurs . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  29. ↑ Valentine, Jake (March 30, 2014). "Luftrausers Review: Prepare for liftoff (PC) [date mislabeled as "March 24, 2014"]". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  30. ↑ Patterson, Eric L. (March 18, 2014). "EGM Review: Luftrausers (PS3)". EGMNow . EGM Media. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  31. ↑ Andersen, Kell (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers Review (PS3)". Push Square. Gamer Network . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  32. ↑ Edge staff (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers review (PC)". Edge . Future plc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  33. ↑ Purslow, Matt (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers PC review [date mislabeled as "May 29, 2014"]". PCGamesN . Network N. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  34. ↑ Williams, Mike (March 18, 2014). "Luftrausers PC Review: Welcome to the Dogfight". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  35. ↑ Kershaw, Rob (March 24, 2014). "Luftrausers (PC)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  36. ↑ Hargreaves, Roger (March 20, 2014). "Luftrausers review – ridiculous flying (PS3)". Metro . DMG Media . Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  37. ↑ Morrison, Marc (March 20, 2014). "Luftrausers (PC) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  38. ↑ Giant Bomb staff (December 27, 2014). "Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day Two Text Recap". Giant Bomb . Fandom . Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  39. ↑ "2014 Winners". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 16, 2015. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.