In recent years, we have witnessed the phenomenon of mobile games. With the development of super powerful mobile phones, games for them were also developed. So it sometimes happens that a game becomes very successful in its mobile version, so developers and publishers decide to maximize their product a little more and publish it on consoles. Such a case happened with Warplanes: World War 2 Dogfight. Many will recognize this video game of the same name from the Google Play Store, where it is free to download and play. We have played the latest, complete version for PlayStation 5, which includes all previous updates and DLCs. And for comparison, we also played a little with the Android version of the game.
The game was developed by the Polish studio Home Net Games. They are known for creating accessible simulations with deep management systems, such as Zombie Defense, Shogun's Empire, The Pirate: Carribean Hunt, Space Commander, and the entire Warplanes series of games. Warplanes:WW2 Dogfight on PC and Nintendo Switch arrived at the beginning of 2019, and a whole 7 years later it was launched for PlayStation 5, in February of this year.
From the title, we can conclude that the video game contains only flying warplanes and fighting, but it is much more than that. It is actually a hybrid of flight action and management simulation. We take control of around 50 historic aircraft, many of which will be familiar to WWI enthusiasts. But between flights and missions, we are the commander of the entire squadron. Our task is to manage the entire base. We build hangars, train new pilots and buy aircraft while managing resources. Resources in this game are fuel, silver and gold. The playable campaigns at the beginning were only Great Britain, USSR, Germany, and USA and Japan were added later. So we can play on any side of the air fronts of the Second World War.
The PlayStation version brings us graphical improvements in the form of more detailed 3D airplane models and special effects. This is especially visible after you try the Android version. It's obvious that the PlayStation version is maximized, although the mobile version is also superbly made. Unlike only one game mode on the mobile phone, the Play Station version offers as many as 3 game modes - the first is fully arcade with automatic aiming, the middle is the standard mode, while the Hardcore mode requires great skill and manual target tracking.
The main advantage of this video game is its simplicity. Even someone who has never played a flight video game will learn the basics within ten minutes. Historical authenticity is also an advantage - the radio communication of each campaign is in the original languages (English, Russian, German, Japanese). The progression system is well developed. The feeling of expanding the base, training pilots, buying new planes and the like, provides additional motivation to solve missions. Engine and gunfire sounds are also superbly implemented. The positive side is the price (9.99 euros on the Play Station Store), and on the Google Play store it is absolutely free to download and play on Android mobile devices.
We come to the shortcomings. Although it is interesting to build a fleet and expand the base, the missions are quite repetitive. This may be less annoying on mobile devices, so you solve missions when you wait in the waiting room and your time passes, but on the console version it is still a bit annoying. The missions are slightly different from each other. The graphics of the planes are superb, they are well modeled, but the environment is very poorly developed. The environment graphics look dated and empty. The flight physics is simple, the controls are quick to learn, and this will certainly bother fans of hardcore simulations.
In conclusion, Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight is a fun video game. For those who are not fans of flight simulations, the fun will be short-lived, but they may also be attracted by the well-made base building system. It is obvious that this video game was originally intended for mobile devices, although it is maximally optimized for consoles. Gameplay on the PlayStation 5 console runs smoothly, without any pauses. If you're a World Wars enthusiast, we see no reason why you shouldn't buy this game, or at least play it as an Android version.
A copy of the PlayStation 5 version was provided by publisher 7LEVELS S.A. for review purposes
