Airborne Kingdom

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 31
  3. Negative: 4 out of 31

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  1. dryerlaw
    Dec 20, 2020
    8
    A truly innovative city-building concept, with new factors to consider such as city lift power & tilt (given that your city is in the skies). Having fun so far, though I wished the developer has more funds for better graphics details & scenarios.
  2. Celestialflower
    Dec 20, 2020
    8
    Airborne Kingdoms is a brilliant, well executed concept, and a joy to play, but it's also hindered slightly by technical issues. There is so much here to like. It's the first city builder to truly feel fresh and unique since Sim City appeared at the end of the 80s. That is a remarkable accomplishment, and for that alone, A Wandering Band deserves your attention. It's a fascinatingAirborne Kingdoms is a brilliant, well executed concept, and a joy to play, but it's also hindered slightly by technical issues. There is so much here to like. It's the first city builder to truly feel fresh and unique since Sim City appeared at the end of the 80s. That is a remarkable accomplishment, and for that alone, A Wandering Band deserves your attention. It's a fascinating experience, one that answers the question, "What if you could a built a city, and then take that city on adventures?"

    I didn't know that question even existed before sitting down with Airborne Kingdom, but I'm glad someone out there thought to ask it. And while this is, at its core, a city builder, Airborne Kingdom borrows heavily from other genres. You have to balance population, employment, lighting, storage, faith, propulsion, and lift as you expand your city. You also have to balance the city itself; put too much weight on one side and the whole thing tilts. Tilt too far and your citizens start to tilt along with it, and their quality of life is one of your most constant concerns. There are RTS elements in the resource gathering, as your city produces very little of what it needs to survive. As you glide around the map (which is new every time you play), you send out small aircraft to harvest necessities like wood for building, coal to keep the propellers running, clay for ceramics, along with materials for glass, iron, and canvas, and, of course, food and water to keep your people alive. This aspect is nothing like most city building games, but is very similar to the resource harvesting you manage in games like Starcraft.

    Perhaps most interesting, though, is how much the game learns from encounter-fests like FTL or Renowned Explorers. As you traverse the sprawling map, which is rendered like a beautiful board game in ancient tile, you find other cities, which you are trying to unite. They give you little quests to fulfill before they will form alliances with you. There are dye factories and metal shops which add aesthetic options to your city. Small settlements where one might recruit new denizens, assuming your standard of living meets their expectations. Old ziggurats, ruins which avail you of lost pieces of civilization, and more. There's always something new and interesting to find beyond the next cloud bank, and the combined effect of all these little things is that Airborne Kingdom brings with it a sense of wonder that is unlike anything you've encountered in a city builder.

    As you've no doubt realized by now, I am a big fan of the game. That makes it that much harder to bring up the downside of A Wandering Band's indie jewel, but, sadly, we've got to talk about the meta of actually running the game. My computer is well over the recommended specs, and yet I've been plagued with constant graphics issues since about one-third of the way through the game, despite my freshly updated drivers (thanks, Cyberpunk!). Your city involves more moving parts than a propeller beanie museum, and as you expand, you're probably going to be forced to dial down graphics options to compensate. As you continue building, you'll keep needing to lower those settings. This is especially heartbreaking in a game that trades so heavily on its visual charm, and it robs progress in the game of its full sense of reward. I'm a big believer in being honest about the specs for your pc games, because how else is anyone supposed to make informed purchasing decisions on a gaming platform with no standardization, and the specs for Airborne Kingdom are simply not accurate. You should consider the recommended specs to be the minimum, because if you try to play this game with that recommended pc, you're going to have all the graphics options set to minimum by the time it's over. Because of these issues, I have to give an otherwise great game a 7.5/10, as opposed to the 8.5/10 it deserves.

    The devs have said, via twitter, that a number of updates are bringing new content to the game in 2021, and I can only hope that new content includes some sweeping improvements to optimization, because this wonderful little game both needs and deserves them.    … Expand
  3. pladeira
    Dec 20, 2020
    9
    Cool game, nice graphics, amazing mechanics.

    I finished in 6h50m. Wished it would last longer.
  4. Ghibreel
    Dec 20, 2020
    9
    Really nice game with a play through that can be completed in two evenings. Great to relax if you don't want to venture into too long game.
  5. ssssss2
    Dec 18, 2020
    10
    Fun gameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  6. vomov
    Jan 23, 2021
    0
    Saw it some time ago, and loved it. Instantly put it on my Steam wishlist. Saw it at a friend recently, and wondered why I didn't get a message saying the game was available.

    Turns out the Dev used Steam for free marketing, and then pulled it and went to the Epic store. SHAME!
  7. RaysOfGrey
    Mar 15, 2021
    9
    Finished it in 1 go. yes, I guess it is that short. (i.e: About 6/8 hours depending on your strategy)
    But I absolutely enjoyed it very much.
    It had a sense of awe just going out about in your floating town hall and just ever expanding. The economy in the game is very forgiving, and I personally like that. There is some trial and error but once you get the hang of it...it`s great.    Finished it in 1 go. yes, I guess it is that short. (i.e: About 6/8 hours depending on your strategy)
    But I absolutely enjoyed it very much.
    It had a sense of awe just going out about in your floating town hall and just ever expanding.

    The economy in the game is very forgiving, and I personally like that. There is some trial and error but once you get the hang of it...it`s great.

    I can really recommend. 9/10    … Expand
  8. jruebear
    Dec 27, 2020
    10
    Airborne Kingdom is a beautiful city builder with some unique twists like flight and lore! It borrows familiar concepts from other builders including resource management (e.g. find ore to keep your city afloat), population management (e.g. build housing and keep citizens happy), and city management (e.g. position factories far from housing), and expands on the concept with rich lore in aAirborne Kingdom is a beautiful city builder with some unique twists like flight and lore! It borrows familiar concepts from other builders including resource management (e.g. find ore to keep your city afloat), population management (e.g. build housing and keep citizens happy), and city management (e.g. position factories far from housing), and expands on the concept with rich lore in a beautiful environment. Parts I enjoyed most were (1) finding ways to design a city that is both balanced (i.e. not tip over and fall out of sky) and optimized, and (2) completing quests to reunite the world. Many city builders offer quests but they're typically arbitrary and lame. In Airborne Kingdom, I felt motivated by allying with cities and completing my "tapestry", and benefitting from the perks from allies (e.g. free resources). I was proud to have completed the campaign while also having achieved designing a city that could stay afloat indefinitely with a fully "jubilant" population. Well done, Wandering Band. I look forward to seeing what you publish next!… Expand
  9. PicklRick
    Dec 26, 2020
    10
    I wish there would be a little more gameplay, but nonetheless this is one of the funnest city builders i ever played with
  10. Rzeznik
    Jan 2, 2021
    8
    Interesting city builder, some nice new mechanics and really amazing music. Unfortunately too short - finished almost everything in 8,5hr.
    More scenarios needed, maybe some battle mechanics as well would be nice, depends which way Devs wants to take it.
  11. steve07805
    Dec 21, 2020
    10
    Just the chilled out city builder I was looking forwith some great mechanics.
  12. Transnosaurus
    Aug 11, 2023
    8
    Nice chilled out game to play for a few hours. Some interesting concepts with the likes of tilting, but was a little too much on the easy side.
  13. davethedeal
    Sep 5, 2023
    8
    I've played a dozen or more city-building, colony-survival type games over the past few years, and Airborne Kingdom brings a new dynamic to the genre in that your city moves to where the resources are. It is a fairly casual game without much stress, but it is also noteworthy in that it has an end goal that wraps up/ends your game (it took me 16 hours) rather than being a game that you justI've played a dozen or more city-building, colony-survival type games over the past few years, and Airborne Kingdom brings a new dynamic to the genre in that your city moves to where the resources are. It is a fairly casual game without much stress, but it is also noteworthy in that it has an end goal that wraps up/ends your game (it took me 16 hours) rather than being a game that you just keep playing forever without any closure. I'm glad I played it.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2021
    70
    Due to repetitive gameplay Airborne Kingdom might not be the best city builder of 2020, but it definitely is one of the most interesting. Its mechanics nicely reflect the fact that your city floats in the air, but even though you need to consider the weight distribution and be careful not to tilt the whole thing, the game is easy and relaxing. [02/2021, p.37]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 18, 2021
    75
    Rather than trying to beat the giants at their own game, Airborne Kingdom carefully selects its core tenets and takes flight without getting weighed down by steep difficulty or stressful play. It might not be the kind of city-builder one comes back to again and again, but I enjoyed my time floating above it all.
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  3. DarkStation
    Jan 29, 2021
    70
    Airborne Kingdom is a pleasure to spend a relaxing few hours with. It has a refreshing approach to the city building genre which is genuinely unique and although it eschews conflict and drama, the survival elements, resource collection tasks and challenges of building an optimal floating city are both engaging and relaxing. Airborne Kingdom has an outstanding core premise and aesthetics but lacking some genre-standard features like a sandbox mode or customizable structures, it can offer up its pleasures and be done a little too quickly.
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