Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 13
  2. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. May 26, 2020
    80
    Aces of the Sky immediately hits you with frenzied, stylized, WWI-era aerial combat, then does little to change the formula throughout its two stories. Whether you can deal with the repetitiveness depends upon how much of an arcade gamer you (and hopefully a nearby squad mate) really are.
  2. May 25, 2020
    80
    If you're a fan of flying games then participating in Red Wings: Aces of the Sky's dogfights will surely keep you happy for a while.
  3. 80
    Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a surprisingly addictive game. It is a prime example of a very simple gameplay loop executed extremely well. It is a focused experience and I think that is for the best. While I did run into some mild colorblind accessibility issues, they didn’t slow down my enjoyment too much. Arguably where it stumbles most is in trying to force in diversity via the bombing missions. When Red Wings accepts its own simplicity it is brilliant. The local co-op makes for a wonderful and unexpected addition, and strong art design helps to maintain its charm for many hours. Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is no doubt destined to become a hidden gem of the Switch eShop.
  4. Jul 5, 2021
    78
    Red Wings biggest sin resides in its little varied offering, but it does right a lot of things: campaign can be played in coop, the action is intense and joyful, it has some interesting mechanics... It's a shame that it doesn't offer more types of missions and modes.
  5. Jun 8, 2020
    78
    At the end of the day, Red Wings is actually a good game. Is it great? Probably not, mainly for longevity reasons, but it’s fun to play. It feels like a well-designed and executed WWI dogfight game and it certainly is a comfortable bit of fun on the Nintendo Switch. Will it be replacing your Flight Simulator on your PC anytime soon? No, but that’s okay.
  6. Jun 17, 2020
    75
    Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a solid first effort by All In! Games. I hope this isn’t the end of the road for the franchise, because there’s tremendous groundwork that’s been laid here for something that could be truly special. If the developers were to flesh out the modes, further the variety in the missions, and hire actors more capable of conveying the power of the writing, we could have one of the all-time great dogfighting games ever made. Until then, Red Wings remains good, but not great.
  7. Jul 9, 2020
    68
    Red Wings is an interesting game if you are looking for an immediate arcade gameplay, but the lack of deepness feels like a missed chance.
  8. Jul 7, 2020
    65
    Red Wings: Aces in the Sky surprised me. I went in with low expectations and found a fun arcade shooter that does a lot of things well. It works as advertised and can provide some fun but short-lived action moments that detail the story of the Red Baron during WWI. Fans of the subject matter will certainly get a few decent hours out of the game, but the experience is severely held back by a lack of variety in almost all areas. If you're not into WWI or arcade shooters, Red Wings probably won't keep you entertained for too long, but it is a solid experience that does most things well enough for a quick rush of adrenaline on your Switch.
  9. May 26, 2020
    64
    Well intended but average in execution, Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a noble also flawed attempt at an arcade WW1 flight shooter. Despite occasionally beautiful visuals and audio, execution is sorely lacking.
  10. Jun 9, 2020
    60
    Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is alright, it all really depends on how much you enjoy your aerial combat. If you don’t want to get bogged down in simulation but still want something a little grounded, then there is fun to be had here.
  11. Jun 5, 2020
    60
    Despite its flaws, Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a decent dogfighting game. The night flight missions show just how tricky it must have been, trying to pick out the enemy against the inky black sky, and the dogfighting is genuinely engaging, if a bit too repetitive and not quite historically accurate. If you’re a fan of combat sims and you want to try something different to the modern fighter jets we're all used to, it's worth a shot.
  12. May 29, 2020
    60
    Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is filled with over 50 missions, and although there's plenty to do and the controls are easy to get used to, it does become repetitive after a while.
  13. May 26, 2020
    30
    A boring story, narrated in a manner similar to a snore-inducing school history class video, manages to further deflate an already flat campaign. Battling waves of enemies in the Survival mode is as unappealing as it sounds given it features the same one-note combat. Red Wings: Aces of the Sky clearly tries to take off with a solid framework of ideas, but the gas peters out quick, crashing it upon takeoff.
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 22
  2. Negative: 6 out of 22
  1. Dec 4, 2021
    2
    Pros: only one.... presentation and visuals.
    Cons: many...
    1. Unfair gameplay: at some levels you’re suddenly swarmed by tons of enemies
    Pros: only one.... presentation and visuals.
    Cons: many...
    1. Unfair gameplay: at some levels you’re suddenly swarmed by tons of enemies firing at you. 1 vs 20 it’s just impossible and very unfair 2. Allied AI is useless and stupid
    3. Boring and repetitive
    4. Story is almost none existant
    5. Plane Mechanics are too simple and basic in a bad way: the enemies are almost impossible to outmaneuver or follow. 6.Every time you come back you immediately remember why you stop playing this game the first time because of all this issues and more.
    Full Review »
  2. Oct 16, 2020
    2
    My god, this game is bad, REALLY bad. I don't know about the Switch version (I played it on PC). I don't have the time or the patience toMy god, this game is bad, REALLY bad. I don't know about the Switch version (I played it on PC). I don't have the time or the patience to write a detailed review, so here are the main points.

    -the gameplay is good. That much, I'm willing to admit. Shooting planes is satisfying and fun. The problem is, the game seems designed to prevent the player from having fun.

    -simply put, the game suffers from a horrible case of artificial difficulty; that is to say, the game is made harder by impeding the player's progression.

    -the most obvious case of this are the hoops levels. Yes, like Superman 64. It was garbage then, and it's garbage now. It is flimsily justified by the plot, has no use and is made even harder by the fact that the path through the hoops are through clouds. Which means you see the hoops one second before passing them. Which means you have to go slowly. Which means you won't get the highscore necessary to get skill points on you first try. Which means you have to memorize the entire course. Fun.

    -then you have the plane numbers. Simply put, the game decides to answer the question "how can we make the game challenging" with "let's throw 10 planes at them at once". This is made worse by the fact the ally AI is dumb. Seriously, I ended up getting more kills in three mission than the Red Baron in his entire career! I know this is an arcade game, but my suspension of disbelief has limits.

    -speaking of which, the enemies are pretty much all kamikaze with no sense of preservation. Which means you're going to die to a lot to the AI because of its bad programming.

    -of course, this is used to amp the difficulty even further with elite enemies, who can charge without damage, but are also more precise. And there's at least a dozen of them in the very map they're introduced in. And there's a sandstorm preventing you from seeing everything. And you have to play defense. FUN.

    Anyway, this game is a complete waste of money, and I advise you save it to buy a game that is actually good. I'm told the last Ace Combat is pretty fun.
    Full Review »
  3. May 26, 2020
    10
    Red Wings: Aces of the Sky is a surprisingly addictive game. It is a prime example of a very simple gameplay loop executed extremely well. ItRed Wings: Aces of the Sky is a surprisingly addictive game. It is a prime example of a very simple gameplay loop executed extremely well. It is a focused experience and I think that is for the best. Full Review »