Ever hear
the one about the pilot, the bombardier and Picasso?
Throughout
its varied and often seemingly incompatible forms, there exist two basic
criteria for defining the concept of art — the act of creation and the attribute
of beauty. These may be subjective notions, but even with the most embellished
arguments, it would be difficult to equate either with warfare, a ritual which
leaves the opposites —destruction and ugliness — in its wake.
Yet
screaming across the horizon, darting between enemy fighters like a pinball in a
machine framed by towering clouds and the setting sun, there’s certainly an
argument to be made. Indeed, if there exists such a concept as the artistry of
warfare, Sky Crawlers is about as close as it gets.
Despite its
flaws, it’s also the best flight game on Wii.
Developed by
Namco-Bandai’s Project Aces team, the folks at the helm of the acclaimed Ace
Combat series, Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is all about the inexplicable joy of
climbing into a nimble B-52 with a full tank of gas and unlimited munitions at
your disposal. Games such as this usually focus their efforts into high-octane
action, but surprisingly, Sky Crawlers also features an interesting story about
wealth, greed and their reliance on warfare.
Based on the
2008 feature-length anime film The Sky Crawlers, the game takes place in a world
where war has become passe, an antiquated burden from which mankind has finally
relieved itself. Without conflict, however, the corporations begin to
struggle — to generate profits, they fabricate endless wars based on empty
threats, media manipulation and selling death.
Surprisingly, this despicable deception is the least of their sins.
Obviously,
the combat takes center stage in Sky Crawlers, but the story is much more
intriguing than one might expect from a flight game. Because of this, however,
the game’s narrative weaknesses are magnified. Although the plot is compelling,
Sky Crawlers does very little to capitalize on it. The story isn’t conveyed as
well as it might demand—rather, the game is content to rely on players’ prior
knowledge of the plot over facilitating a narrative.
Fortunately,
aerial dogfights are therapeutic for corporate manipulation and disappointing
in-game storytelling, and Sky Crawlers offers plenty of them.
Players
assume the role of Lynx, a young pilot-in-training for the Rostock company. Even
during cutscenes, Lynx is silent—he’s essentially a conduit through which the
player can step into the cockpit, much like Link or Samus Aran do for the Legend
of Zelda and Metroid. Each mission starts with an objective briefing, and after
choosing a plane, Lynx hits the runway.
As the enemy
appears over the horizon, the battle begins.
Unlike its
realistic flight-gaming brethren, Sky Crawlers embraces highly exaggerated
gameplay with an arcade-like feel. The game deals with trivial inconveniences
like aerodynamics and the laws of physics by ignoring them, opting instead to
enable players to execute spins, dives and other stunning aerial maneuvers
without the worries of lift, fluid air and the pesky science behind flying.
Simulation purists might object to the game’s unabashed disregard for Isaac
Newton, but Sky Crawlers is better because of it.
Better, that
is, if you still have a GameCube controller. Sky Crawlers may have trimmed
complexity from its gameplay, but it seems to have piled the scraps of
intricacies onto its pointlessly complicated control scheme. Using motion by
default, planes are controlled by lifting the Wii Remote backward like a flight
stick to accelerate, pushing it back downward to slow and tilting the nunchuck
to steer — it requires an extraordinary amount of patience to learn these
controls, let alone execute them with any precision in battle.
Twisting
with one arm and pulling with another, Sky Crawlers may as well ask players to
rub their bellies while patting their heads. I recognize Project Ace’s attempt
to use deep, engaging and thoughtful motion control for a Wii title, but when
motions are more complicated and less accurate than button commands, an obvious
question arises along with the wrist cramps.
What’s the
point, and why should I bother?
Fortunately,
once you’ve dug up a GameCube or Classic Controller and foregone the ridiculous
hand ballet, Sky Crawlers truly begins to shine. It’s simple to soar through the
sky like a seasoned ace pilot, and the combat is just as fulfilling. In addition
to their default weapons, each of the game’s 20 unlockable planes can be
equipped with an alternate weapon, which Lynx can switch between in battle.
Because none of the game’s weapons lock onto targets, shooting down enemy pilots
feels much more rewarding.
For agile
foes, however, you’ll need more advanced techniques than aiming and firing.
That’s where the Tactical Maneuver Commands come into play.
While flying
within close proximity to a foe, an onscreen gauge begins to slowly fill. Once
the gauge reaches any of three levels, Lynx can perform a TMC, a cinematic
series of fancy aerial spins which puts you directly behind the enemy — and in
perfect position to fire at will. The higher the level of the gauge when
activated, the better your positioning will be. Fail to activate it before the
enemy breaks the distance, however, and the gauge empties.
As the game
progresses and foes become nimbler, you’ll rely on TMC for positioning, and
waiting for devastating level-three attacks becomes a risky gamble. You’ll want
to hang on for just a second or two longer to max out that meter, but often,
your greed allows the enemy to escape the range.
You’ll kick
yourself for it, but the self-inflicted frustration is half the fun.
In addition
to TMC, pilots can customize their own moves and map them to the d-pad, a great
addition which injects even more depth into the combat.
As enjoyable
as flying through the clouds and blasting enemies from the skies can be,
however, Sky Crawlers loses altitude in other areas. Some of the missions lack a
sense of urgency, and they don’t impress much intensity or grandeur until the
last few. Sky Crawlers is a story about individuals, and everything else is a
prop — unfortunately, so are the missions, at times.
Inconsistency also hinders the game’s graphics. Especially for a genre in which
spectacular views from 30,000 feet are the presentational backbone, Sky Crawlers
fails to muster the jaw-dropping panoramas one would expect from such an ideal
vantage point. Of course, some environments look better than others, and as you
emerge from the clouds to see the sun reflecting off rippling waves below, you
might find a rare sight worth gazing at. Mostly, however, dull colors and boring
landscapes make for bland scenery. The planes
look decent, but even when the game looks its best, it’s hard to ignore the
PS2-like, last-generation aesthetic Sky Crawlers wholly utilizes.
Maybe more
glaring, however, is Sky Crawlers’ lack of multiplayer modes. The game offers
one basic two-player option in which a friend operates an additional pair of
onscreen crosshairs — that’s it. Ignoring online multiplayer has become the status
quo on Wii, but for a system capable of connecting displaced friends for
long-distance laughs, the omission is worth noting.
Despite all
that, however, Sky Crawlers kept me entertained. Period.
As with so
many Wii games in the past, even decade-old graphics, poor motion controls and
the lack of online multiplayer weren’t enough to dilute Sky Crawlers’ gripping
gameplay and story. There is an antithetical allure to its aerial pirouettes, as
well, performances as elegant as they are deadly, as graceful as they are
treacherous. Sky Crawlers captures them at their most magnetic, allowing us to
make something beautiful while we destroy — and, like Will Smith in Independence
Day, to kick the tires and light the fires.
If you find
it in your consumer crosshairs, Sky Crawlers is the best flight game on Wii.
Still, don’t expect more than its modest price suggests.
You’re
dismissed, pilots. Happy hunting.
Gameplay:
7.0
If you can
master them without tearing your hair out, the default motion controls are at
least deep and interesting. Otherwise, plug in a GameCube controller and take to
the skies. Sky Crawlers is addictive and fun to play.
Graphics:
7.5
It doesn’t
look bad — here’s the obligatory addendum — for a Wii game.
Sound:
8.0
Sky Crawlers
is packed with plenty of engaging voice work and a musical soundtrack that sets
the ideal mood for dogfights 30,000 feet in the air.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept:
8.5
Based on a
2008 anime film, the surprisingly serious story is a highlight of Sky Crawlers.
It’s too bad the game doesn’t have outstanding storytelling to match its
outstanding story — there are some unfortunate narrative flaws.
Overall:
7.5
Sky
Crawlers: Innocent Aces fully captures the antithetical beauty of aerial warfare
and matches it with an engaging story about wealth, greed and their reliance on
death. Flaws aside, at $29.99, it’s the best flight game on Wii.
