"Good fun but plenty of room for improvement"

I was a big fan of the old PC game of Crimson Skies so when I saw Freedom Wings I bought in in anticipation of a similar experience.

The premise of the game is that you are a rookie pilot in an island chain where trade and transport are conducted by air. The area has a big problem with air piracy and the skies are thick with pirate planes and zeppelins which sometimes invade the airports, taking over. Your job is to fly around shooting down the pirates, rescuing transport aircraft, and liberating the pirate occupied airports. The general feel of the game, like Crimson Skies, is a sort of alternative 40's where the planes all look like WWII planes and use machine guns, etc.

Sounds great doesn't it? And it almost is...

Gameplay 6/10

There is a big problem here in that there are two main methods of controlling your plane. The default method is "Automatic" where you don't fly the plane but tap locations on the map to fly there and tap targets to attack. You see the plane doing these things on the top screen but the only controls you have are speed and altitude. The other method is "Manual" where you have full control of the plane, using the d pad for steering, the shoulder buttons for fine rudder control and the touch screen for throttle. This becomes a problem in that the automatic mode is a bit too easy while the manual can be a bit too hard. The difficulty is a bit inconsistent too. I used manual for a long time and became better than the automatic mode at shooting planes but am still not as good at shooting zeppelins for some reason. These control issues could have been solved so easily which is why they are so disappointing.

The rest of the gameplay is pretty good. You have a very freeform RPG style of play where you can fly in any direction and do what you please. The suggested route through the game is provided by contacts in the various airports.

There is a nice system of aircraft upgrades where you can put new parts onto your planes and modify them in a variety of ways. This adds a lot to the game because you get money for every kill and it can be fun to spend half an hour, not following any mission, just flying about shooting pirate planes.<p>

Story 8/10

The story isn't deep in any way but it does the job. The various contacts you meet along the way are quite handy for advice but the story never gets in the way of the game which is refreshing. It is quite a pleasant change to play an RPG where you don't have to spend the first hour chatting to villagers.

Graphics and Sound 7/10

Again nothing special but it does the trick. The ground textures could be a bit more interesting and the town textures are a bit inconsistent with the odd raised building. The plane graphics are simple but effective. Nothing to write home about but no real cause to complain either.<p>

Playtime and Replayability

As I haven't completed the game I can't really comment on this. I also haven't tried the multiplayer mode which certainly looks interesting. I need more friends with DSs.

In conclusion I am really enjoying this game but it's control faults are continuing sources of irritation. I only paid about &pound;10 for it but if I had paid the full &pound;30 I would have been a bit bothered by the problems with it.

My suggestion is that, if you like the sound of the game, you should look for a cheap copy on auction sites or borrow it before paying full price.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/06