Pilotwings

"Overlooked, and Maybe a Little Underdeveloped"

Any console gamer lucky enough to have owned Pilotwings when it was first released will probably remember the kooky little flight simulator. It was innovative, graphically marvelous for its time, and challenging to no end. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by other SNES launch titles (and to be fair, we’re talking about Super Mario World here).

Those who are familiar with Pilotwings probably have a wide range of opinions concerning it, and rightly so. This game is not for everyone. I, however, enjoyed it thoroughly and thought it to be a lovely sleeper hit that just wasn’t quite ready for mainstream acceptance.

An Acquired Taste

Nintendo could make a game about managing a city’s traffic and it would be fun. There’s just something about Miyamoto’s fingers; anything he touches turns to gold. Even a concept like that of Pilotwings, which could have been one of the worst games ever in the hands of the wrong developer, ends up being a real, if somewhat overlooked, Nintendo classic.

In Pilotwings, you are taking flying lessons to obtain… pilot wings. But, not to be content with a plane, you also take to the skies with hang gliders, parachutes, and even futuristic rocket packs. Your goal is to obtain a passing score by completing objectives given to you by your instructors in each individual course. Flying through rings and under arches, riding thermal currents hundreds of feet upwards, and, of course, getting yourself back on the ground safely are some of the common tasks you’ll have to complete. You’ll be judged and scored after each course, and your total score for all the courses must meet a certain criteria in order for you to move on to the next lesson. Making one big mistake can usually drop your score low enough that you’ll have to retake the entire lesson. Good luck!

GAMEPLAY: 9
___________

It’s a Sprite! It’s a Polygon! It’s a… Single Manipulate-able Texture, or Something.

It’s somewhat difficult to describe what Mode-7 effects are. Basically, the Mode-7 effects used in most SNES games allow the system to take a graphic and scale, tilt, zoom, or rotate it in any direction and to any degree. This can either be used to change the size of sprites onscreen or to cause an environment to seem to rotate around the player element, creating the illusion of three dimensions. Pilotwings, along with Super Mario Kart, put this new feature to great use, giving us until-then impossible styles of play.

In Pilotwings, you control a number of flying vehicles and apparatuses from a behind-the-apparatus view. The camera stays pointed in the direction you are facing, and the environment spins around you when you turn and flies toward you when you descend. This pseudo-3D graphic engine was quite revolutionary for its time, and was a nice change of pace. The sprites themselves are good-looking, but not great. I’d call them standard circa-1992 SNES quality, which isn’t bad. Your planes, hang-gliders, and rocket packs all look like planes, hang-gliders, and rocket packs, but they don’t have the “personality” of, say, Yoshi. But that’s fine, because this is a simulator.

Anyway, the real draw of Pilotwings’ graphics is the Mode-7 feature, and this also happens to make the gameplay itself possible. It was very neat for its time, and although things did get blocky up close, it was the first taste of a 3D world I’d ever had in gaming and a merit to the platform’s design.

GRAPHICS: 9
___________

Hurray for Koji Kondo!

The man whose name I remember from the ending credits to Star Fox also shows up here as the creator of some of Pilotwings’ sounds, presumably the music. When I saw this, I went back and gave the music a bit more of a concentrated listen, and though I can’t say it is as good as the aforementioned Star Fox, it’s not bad either. Most of the music in Pilotwings sounds vaguely like elevator or lobby music. This actually fits in, since you spend plenty of time in a “lobby” reading instructions and scores, and the gameplay itself seems to somehow need calm music to compensate for some of the more insane challenges.

The game’s sound effects are very sublime and translucent as well, allowing you to feel right at home inside your cockpit while never distracting you. The lulling buzz of your engine, the screeching of tires, and the whirring of a rocket pack are all creatively composed, but not genius or attention-grabbing. They take a back seat, allowing you to focus on other, more important things, like not crashing into the water and having instructor “Big Al” bitch at you for breaking stuff.

SOUND/MUSIC: 9
______________

Hey, There’s No Need to Push the Button Harder, Stupid

This is one of those games that just has to be responsible for many smashed controllers. You know the type. They suck you in with their involving and addictive gameplay, and then punch you in the face with cold and unforgiving controls. My non-English speaking roommate ended up with a decent knowledge of expletives once I had mastered Pilotwings.

Don’t get me wrong; the controls aren’t bad. But they won’t cut you any slack. You have to work to get a perfect score in Pilotwings. Whereas the design is only very loosely a proper simulation, the controls are more realistic. The plane flies like what I imagine a real plane would. When you pull up, it slowly reacts and then builds up a climbing speed. And if you want to suddenly go down, you’re going to have to plan ahead to fight the upward momentum. This is one big thing keeping Pilotwings from being very user-friendly: the “momentum” in the controls. If you head east for 10 seconds in the rocket pack and then expect to make a clean 90° to the north, think again. You will continue to be carried east by your “momentum”. This makes it desperately hard to land on the smallest landing pad (which gives you the higher score). I happen to think this is a realistic addition that adds great depth and challenge to the controls, but it’s not fluid or simple, and it’s not something you’ll master in a day or two.

While they yield enough to let a casual yet skilled gamer pass through the game, the controls here aren’t prepared to let you get the gold medals in each level without a fight. And although “fight” seems to whisper negative implications, Pilotwings does put up a fair fight. It just takes time.

CONTROLS: 8
___________

Conclusion

If this sounds different, it is. Pilotwings is not for everyone. Its controls are demanding, and its gameplay is sometimes insanely hard (prepare for one of the most stupidly difficult “final boss” fights ever.) But if you give it a chance, it doesn’t disappoint. And if you really have the time and patience, getting gold medals (or maybe perfect scores?) on each of the lessons provides a massive replay value.

With a blend of realistic physics, futuristic devices, and quirky characters and plot that never take themselves seriously, Nintendo has managed to not only invent a sub-genre, but also create a franchise worthy of their name and above all, a really fun and challenging game.

OVERALL SCORE: 8
================

RUNDOWN:
GRAPHICS – 9
SOUND – 8
CONTROLS – 8
GAMEPLAY – 9
REPLAY VALUE – 8
OVERALL: 8

[ + ]
Original, innovative, and Nintendo
Smooth Mode-7 graphics
Awesome challenge if you’re willing to go for it
[ - ]
Not for everyone
Controls take too long to master

If you like this, try:
Pilotwings 64

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/02, Updated 11/15/02