The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces

Very few games with planes have managed to excite me over the years. That is if you exclude those with a space theme, lasers and nasty aliens of course. When it comes to flight games with a more realistic theme, I can count those that I've enjoyed on one hand and still have fingers left over.

The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces comes across as somewhat disjointed. The gameplay part has a serious and realistic look. Lots of greys and planes of the not so crazy variety. But this is complemented with light-hearted Japanese anime with its typical over-the-top voices. The game is based on an anime that in turn is based on a manga comic. The cutscenes that are shown between missions are taken straight out of the movie. The biggest collision between these worlds is when you fly around in the realistic environments attempting to maneuver ones craft, while the other character are chitchatting about the hardships of war. Melodrama at a high altitude.

I get the feeling that the developers made their game without a license at first. Then they got cold feet, and thought it lacked an identity and decided to add some kind of known brand to it. Enter The Sky Crawlers. (Editors note: Probably not the case. Why not just make it an Ace Combat title then?) But it matters little. Sure, the game feels split into two different worlds; the realistic missions and the cartoon crap in between. But the story motivates me to finish the missions in order to see what happens next. So it fills a purpose.

The game starts out with an incredibly boring tutorial, as is often the case. As essential as it is boring it tries its best to squeeze out every last ounce of your will to live, or perhaps its the other way around. I got the urge to turn my TV off, and do something more meaningful with my time, rather than going over the controls at a pedestrian pace.

You hold your Wiimote in your left hand to adjust your speed. The right hand holds the nunchuk that you use to control altitude and to turn the plane in different directions. Despite the realistic tone it is easy to pick up and perform impressive evasive maneuvers. I enjoy it. Part simulator, yet relaxed and accessible. It is also possible to play with the Classic controller, which isn't as much fun, but easier to master.

Despite the fact that the controls aren't all that comfortable they work nicely. Responsive and smooth. It really feels as though I'm controlling a plane. However, I must add one thing. The controls are great given what the developers had to work with. They have done their best to turn the Wiimote and nunchuk into a stick, but the truth I would have wanted some kind of base. It's hard to hold up the controls in thin air in front of you. I miss the joystick. You know those things we gave up for the pad, that we then gave up for the Wiimote? I guess we've come full circle, when I once again long for it.

Most of the time I'm enjoying myself. While dogfighting may not be my favourite occupation in the couch, Innocent Aces manages to turn it into a decent experience. When you are forced to fiddle with your plane in the garage, everything is easy to understand, and I'm not overwhelmed by it. Very accessible.

The graphics do their job and the controls are good. And although I would never have thought as I started out with the tutorial, The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, is a fairly entertaining piece of software. Unfortunately the game is soon over. The credits start rolling after just a few hours and there isn't much in terms of replayability.

I would give the game a cautious recommendation, even if it only scores a six. If you enjoy a bit of aerial action, and what to see how well the Wiimote works as a flight stick, then it's a decent purchase. If you also happen to love the manga and/or anime you'd better run straight for the nearest shop. I won't be returning to The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, but I enjoyed the hours I spent in its world.