Luftrausers

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 94 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 94
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 94
  3. Negative: 16 out of 94

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  1. xenoxinius
    Jun 1, 2014
    7
    Beautiful game.
    The ability to change the plane parts certainly does it for me
    Certainly worth the prize Only reason I only give this a 7 is replayability, I put like 4 hours into this game and I've pretty much seen it all. Ofcourse I might pick it up for the 'time filler' once in a while, but I might as well play other Indie games to fill that time. Is the game good? HELL YES    Beautiful game.
    The ability to change the plane parts certainly does it for me
    Certainly worth the prize

    Only reason I only give this a 7 is replayability, I put like 4 hours into this game and I've pretty much seen it all.
    Ofcourse I might pick it up for the 'time filler' once in a while, but I might as well play other Indie games to fill that time.

    Is the game good? HELL YES
    will it be my indie of the year, or be a game that will capture you for hours? Unfortunately not    … Expand
  2. R-U-R
    Mar 18, 2014
    9
    Luftrausers is the sequel to Luftrauser, a Flash game by Vlambeer. "What!?" You might say. "I'm paying ten bucks for a glorified Flash game!?" No, what you're paying ten bucks for is a very satisfying arcade aerial combat shoot-em-up game. Luftrausers is visually appealing to look at, from its well-done pixel art to its vaguely German aesthetic. The gameplay is also very appealing, as ILuftrausers is the sequel to Luftrauser, a Flash game by Vlambeer. "What!?" You might say. "I'm paying ten bucks for a glorified Flash game!?" No, what you're paying ten bucks for is a very satisfying arcade aerial combat shoot-em-up game. Luftrausers is visually appealing to look at, from its well-done pixel art to its vaguely German aesthetic. The gameplay is also very appealing, as I have a soft spot for any game that lets me fling a plane around the skies spewing bullets at everything (see also Sine Mora.) The game's appeal is also enhanced by the soundtrack, a pumping electronic death march that changes as your plane is customized with different parts. It's important to note that watching the game may be a bit bothersome to follow with all the camera shake, but when playing it the motion is very fluid and somehow this makes it a bit easier to keep track of your Rauser. While the graphics may look dated and yes, there are a handful of bugs you might occasionally encounter, it's not nearly enough to diminish the game's fun factor. If you're still on the fence, you might want to go give Luftrauser (the original flash game) a try and see if you like this sort of thing.
    + Aerial combat -- always a plus in my opinion!
    + Appealing aesthetic
    + Exciting soundtrack
    + Lots of plane customization options
    + Simple yet addictive gameplay
    - A handful of bugs
    - Repetitive    … Expand
  3. KingMob4313
    Mar 23, 2014
    6
    I was so looking forward to this game. While the gameplay is energetic, the controls tight and art style crunchy, the entertainment value does not hold up very long. It has about as much depth as a good flash game over at Kongregate, which is quite disappointing.

    Wait for a sale, this game is more suitable as a $4-6 USD game, not a $10-15.

    I expected so much more.
  4. bearcav
    Apr 30, 2014
    10
    Completely freaking worth the purchase. Yes, it's a pure arcade-style game with random enemies and one setting/stage for ten bucks, but the mechanics are so fine-tuned, the aesthetic's so unique, the crazy color palettes are just insane, and the part combinations make it very replayable. My favorite thing to do is just play the game with all random parts - just restarting with a new buildCompletely freaking worth the purchase. Yes, it's a pure arcade-style game with random enemies and one setting/stage for ten bucks, but the mechanics are so fine-tuned, the aesthetic's so unique, the crazy color palettes are just insane, and the part combinations make it very replayable. My favorite thing to do is just play the game with all random parts - just restarting with a new build each time. With just that one stage, I've put more hours into this than I did with Assassin's Creed IV, so that's something.… Expand
  5. Rabid_Shark
    Mar 26, 2014
    8
    i am reminded of an old game call Sopwith for DOS http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/sopwith/ . this game Luftrausers is actually quite fun despite the lack of color and rez there is plenty of replay and challenge as well as unlockable parts with different abilities. i just cant help but think that they could have done so much better with the look of it the gameplay is perfect tho ii am reminded of an old game call Sopwith for DOS http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/sopwith/ . this game Luftrausers is actually quite fun despite the lack of color and rez there is plenty of replay and challenge as well as unlockable parts with different abilities. i just cant help but think that they could have done so much better with the look of it the gameplay is perfect tho i hope they make a Luftrausers 2 and make it look more awesome ;) .… Expand
  6. jackhunter
    Sep 10, 2014
    5
    The difficulty of the game is much too high and the controls are rather counter intuitive, even for a oldschool game. The musics are a bit too repetitive and increase the feeling of frustration, increased by the lack of a proper tutorial. Last but not least, it seems the game doesnt really have a story mode, which would have been nice, even for that kind of game.
  7. thejuiceweasel
    Mar 26, 2014
    10
    We've been waiting a long time for this one, and it's finally here. From the guys who brought us Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box and Nuclear Throne, yet another title that screams "Vlambeer". What that means should be clear if you ever played any of their games. This game is the modern definition of arcade at its finest, having an easy to grasp concept, challenging difficulty and thatWe've been waiting a long time for this one, and it's finally here. From the guys who brought us Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box and Nuclear Throne, yet another title that screams "Vlambeer". What that means should be clear if you ever played any of their games. This game is the modern definition of arcade at its finest, having an easy to grasp concept, challenging difficulty and that certain "punch" that the dutch developing team is famous for. This game isn't an epic, but it certainly is epic fun if you just want to play a fun game without any strings attached. In "Luftrausers" (a somewhat nonsensical German-jibberish title), you play as an aircraft that shoots down other aircrafts. And boats. And Submarines. And other crazy stuff. There's not much more to it, really, but as simple as this formula might be, it's extremely effective at what it does. The handling of your little plane is extremely intuitive, it just feels so well balanced, an aspect that Vlambeer is known for. During the course of playing the game, you will unlock new parts for your little vehicle, giving you a total of 125 unique plane types to experiment with. Ever saw a flying nuke that shoots a laser from its front and bullets from its rear? Well, this is only one of the many combinations that you will try out in order to kill everything you see and survive. And surviving isn't easy, since in good old arcade fashion, the enemies aren't pushovers, and if you think you can relax for a moment, a barrage from a cunning ace pilot chasing you down will kick you straight back to reality. Time to kick back. And with style. This game oozes the latter, with its retro-ish graphics and its fantastic, dynamic soundtrack that changes depending on your loadout. Luftrausers is meant to be played in short boosts, just like in the arcade days, but because of its stellar, minimalistic gameplay, putting the controller down after 5 minutes is almost as difficult as the super-hard mode that hides somewhere in this little indie gem. If you like an easy to get into, fun game that is polished to near perfection by its devoted and beloved creators, take a look at Vlambeer's dogfighting indie casual arcade hardcore roguelike realtime kamikaze piloting simulator Luftrausers. Rauser included.… Expand
  8. MikeZillaGames
    Apr 5, 2014
    7
    I'm gonna go out on a limb and call Luftrausers overrated. Yeah. Here goes...

    I'm not saying it's bad...it's pretty neat for what it is. The game looks, and sounds awesome...and the whole free fall physics makes you feel like you're dog fighting. But, this novelty quickly wears off when you consider some of the game's shortcomings...which, in my opinion are numerous. The worst    I'm gonna go out on a limb and call Luftrausers overrated. Yeah. Here goes...

    I'm not saying it's bad...it's pretty neat for what it is. The game looks, and sounds awesome...and the whole free fall physics makes you feel like you're dog fighting.

    But, this novelty quickly wears off when you consider some of the game's shortcomings...which, in my opinion are numerous.

    The worst thing: too much screen shake. I found this incredibly disorienting and, coupled with the game's odd frame rate dips (I can't believe I'm getting frame drops on my rig for what's essentially a flash title) make it easy to lose track of your aircraft. At times, my craft will seemingly stick to one side of the screen for a while...unexpectedly.

    The sprites...I also have a bit of a problem with. Actually, they're more like outlines of sprites...and they don't contrast well with the background. Because your craft is essentially a silhouette, it's sometimes hard to get directional feedback as to which direction your are facing and because your thrusters blend seemlessly with the clouds...this too is disorientating.

    Maybe it's just me...but this stuff really bothered me while playing. I also have some very minor complaints about the game's controls, menus, etc. but they're not as important.

    But...hey...still pretty good. Got a rockin' soundtrack.    … Expand
  9. TitaniumDragon
    Sep 29, 2016
    5
    LUFTRAUSERS (the title is, apparently, all caps) is a very simple 2D arcade-style game. You control a plane which flies around and shoots enemy planes. Unlike a schmup, where you proceed left-to-right or top-to-bottom, this is a side view, looking at a plane flying over an ocean, dogfighting vertically and firing on boats below.

    The game has a highly non-standard control scheme – you    LUFTRAUSERS (the title is, apparently, all caps) is a very simple 2D arcade-style game. You control a plane which flies around and shoots enemy planes. Unlike a schmup, where you proceed left-to-right or top-to-bottom, this is a side view, looking at a plane flying over an ocean, dogfighting vertically and firing on boats below.

    The game has a highly non-standard control scheme – you can fire, you can boost, and you can pitch your plane up and down, in a full 360 degree circle. The controls are very simple and kind of unusual, but you get the hang of them after a while.

    The game has 8 different enemy types – basic planes, a nastier kind of plane, giant blimps, basic boats, submarines, battleships, and two rare enemy types which almost never spawn. You will encounter them all in fairly short order, and at that point, you’ve seen all that the game really has to offer – there is an alternate mode which is basically a bullet hell mode, but even the regular mode can start bordering on that at times.

    You can customize your plane with five different weapons, five different bodies, and five different engines, each of which alter the gameplay of the game in reasonably significant ways, but ultimately the variety granted by these unlockable parts wears off after a short while. There are in-game missions which allow you to unlock parts and color schemes, each of which is attached to one of the parts, with each part having six such missions attached to it. If you beat all the missions, you unlock a final, alternate plane.

    Really, this game is decent enough gameplay wise, but it just doesn’t have much depth to it. It is really simple and there just isn’t much variety to it in the end, so you’re likely to get bored with it after a short time.

    If you got it as part of a bundle or something, it might be worth looking at, but it just isn’t worth buying – it just feels too simple to feel like an adequate stand-alone game.    … Expand
  10. mrnice
    Mar 27, 2015
    6
    I expected a storyline, a campaign, distinctive variation, and just some surprising elements. What I got reminds me of smartphone games. Fun, addictive, attractive, but just that one screen of action that you work at. The unlockables add some variation but still within that one same setting.
  11. GRANITsalvo
    Mar 10, 2015
    7
    Simple, non-confusing graphics, tight controls, and good beats make this a fun bullet-hell. I particularly enjoy the varied parts changing the attack styles as well as having a dynamic soundtrack that changes with the parts: Guns=Drum track, Body=Lead Track, Engine=Bass Track.

    The flaw is that most lives play out the same way (if I'm not trying for a specific unlock): after 2 minutes I    Simple, non-confusing graphics, tight controls, and good beats make this a fun bullet-hell. I particularly enjoy the varied parts changing the attack styles as well as having a dynamic soundtrack that changes with the parts: Guns=Drum track, Body=Lead Track, Engine=Bass Track.

    The flaw is that most lives play out the same way (if I'm not trying for a specific unlock): after 2 minutes I have nothing to fight except for 5+ battleships.....I speculate that the enemy spawns are on a queue with a value equal to difficulty and the queue opening up as your score progresses, but I always end up between 10k and 15k points with no aircraft and sometimes an airship. The game starts with aircraft but if I kill them all first, by the 3,000pt range, 3 battleships spawn but no aircraft. If I can take out a frigate I can get 2 aircraft to spawn, but that wont get my multiplier up to open the queue. The trick is to rush for some frigates early and ignore the small aircraft, try to kill an odd number to keep them spawning fairly well. Try to take out the first battleship while keeping frigate dead, then you should be able to have fun with the air battles.
    So yeah, it's fun as hell for the first 2 minutes. If you want a life to last longer you have to plan ahead. Thus, I took points away. I wanted more freedom in it. I don't like being forced to take on 3 battleships at once to spawn more aircraft (not all builds are ideal for this). I enjoy the heated air-to-air fighting. I even tested this and just did aerobatics dodging the battleships at 11k points.....no aircraft for 5 minutes, blimp wouldn't spawn either. Kill a frigate, 2 aircraft spawn.    … Expand
  12. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    8
    LUFTRAUSERS is a fun, challenging little game with surprisingly good replay value, given that the game essentially consists of a single stage with endless waves of enemies. LUFTRAUSERS is the most basic of arcade shmups in that you play until you die and hope to get a high score. However, it has more depth then most games of that type thanks to a range of interchangable parts that greatlyLUFTRAUSERS is a fun, challenging little game with surprisingly good replay value, given that the game essentially consists of a single stage with endless waves of enemies. LUFTRAUSERS is the most basic of arcade shmups in that you play until you die and hope to get a high score. However, it has more depth then most games of that type thanks to a range of interchangable parts that greatly effect your Rauser's performance in combat. You may choose from weapons, fuselages and engines, each with very different behaviors. Each of the many, many combinations has its own name and there is an achivement for trying them all once, by far the most time-consuming one. You can also change the game's color palette away from its default, deliberately monochromatic sepia tones, though most of these alternate schemes will wear on your eyes. The music also changes to match each configuration of your Rauser, and the game comes with the separate audio tracks to create your own remixes. While thin for its list price of $10, the game is well designed, with responsive controls that challenge you rather then hamstring you, and an overall stylish presentation. Well worth getting on sale.… Expand
  13. smackme
    Feb 7, 2022
    9
    crazy, hard and fast with nice sountrack. good to see it spawned some other chaos-flying shmups.

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 28, 2014
    90
    Luftrausers has just one gameplay idea but executes it in a best way possible. [05/2014, p.67]
  2. GameCritics
    Jun 23, 2014
    65
    Luftrausers is a great pick-up-and-play game in the short term, with most sessions providing a few minutes of entertainment before culminating in a bloody ship-shattering climax.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 16, 2014
    80
    Brilliant arcade shooter than just won’t let go. Looks great, plays great and practically invites you to participate in vicious dogfights. [Issue#241]
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