There are times when we all need to step back. To have a quick look at everything we’ve got going on and take a break. There are plenty of amazing games reviews coming to this site at the moment and it’s hard to find enough time to give each of them attention (it would be a lot easier if they sucked!) While taking a break from the PS4 to use the new fancy gaming PC I did the unthinkable and browsed the Steam store page. Typically Steam is full of hundreds of garbage games but I stumbled across this nice looking simple one called Superflight. A charming little intro by one of the developers and promised to provide a simple no frills experience, just what the doctor ordered.
If you’ve ever played Race the Sun and found its minimalist game design and aesthetic pleasing then you’ll be right at home here. Superflight looks very similar in its simple blocky procedurally generated levels and flying character but the gameplay is more akin to AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity but slowed right down, made considerably more calm and a lot more enjoyable. You glide around with a simple feeling physics system to fly as close as possible to surfaces for points. The closer you fly the more points you get. That’s pretty much all there is to it.
Superflight plays perfectly for what it sets out to do. There isn’t much on show here, you can fly into portals that warp you to the next stage early but that’s the only pickup to get. If you fly too low or out-of-bounds you’re simply warped to the next stage anyway. Each stage is generated with a procedural seed so you can save them if you pause during and even load others. The Zen mode in the options is there if the scoring is bugging you but it’s essentially just a quick achievement to pop it on and off.
You’ll find yourself popping some music on, zipping around and playing with the mechanics at hand. Pulling up until you stall to fall down with a faster boost, enjoying the simplicity of the simple up, down, left, right controls and getting a sense of achievement for zipping through a small hole and a pop up of additional points. Crashed into the wall 49 times? Just pass that stage by gliding to another. Does playing like this matter? Only to you and that’s sometimes just what you need in a game.
Why did I feel the need to write-up a quick review for Superflight then? It’s not a big bad title and it’s nearly 2 years old so why give it the attention? Because it really deserves it. There’s something to be said for the smaller studio releasing a little gem in the sea of games. Its charming no-nonsense controls and tight flying feeling is worth a quick go alone. Granted Superflight is lacking in options. Don’t expect a multiplayer mode, extra different effects or items but to add in all of those features could have detracted from the core of what makes it great. I highly recommend Superflight just for what it is.
7/10 – super fly
ElderlyGoose 
1 Comment