Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight

 Switch
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 4 out of 10
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Mar 4, 2019
    45
    Warplanes: WW2 Dogfights is a perfect example of how not to port something to Switch and is somewhat damning to the mobile game environment in general. You cannot simply throw a freemium cell phone game on the eShop, break the progression system, and expect it to meet the expectations of that market. What passes for a game on a cell phone often comes in well below the bar of an dedicated game system.
  2. GameCritics
    May 20, 2019
    40
    While I’m sure Warplanes works fine on phones and tablets, it needed a lot more work to get console-ready. There’s too much repetition, too little progress, and no narrative to give players a reason to keep plugging away. In fact, so little work was put in that the mission generation would occasionally toss out complete nonsense like asking the British to blow up an oil refinery in rural England. The developers couldn’t get something as basic as this right, and that same lack of effort is indicative of the entire experience.
  3. FNintendo
    Mar 18, 2019
    40
    Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight represents a genre that is mostly absent on the Nintendo Switch and it does a decent job at providing the player with a wide choice of airplanes and missions. The problem is that its gameplay is simply too clunky and uninspiring, which coupled with its very lacklustre visuals and almost non-existing sound component make this an overall very disappointing effort that will not do any good for aerial combat games on the Nintendo Switch.
  5. Digitally Downloaded
    Mar 10, 2019
    40
    Its simplistic combat and dull mission structures mean it quickly runs out of steam for anything other than quick bursts of play, and the Switch has plenty of games that can fill that need in a far more compelling way.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. Slyderule
    Sep 8, 2020
    9
    I suppose the game's title sets up some incorrect expectations. This is fundamentally a resource-management game where aerial battle is howI suppose the game's title sets up some incorrect expectations. This is fundamentally a resource-management game where aerial battle is how you acquire your basic resources. The only progression is in your squadron equipment and people, airbase facilities, and reserve basic resources. The combat sequences aren't connected to each other.

    You have four basic resources. Gold is mainly used to acquire aircraft, recruit crewmembers, and build aircraft-support facilities like hangars and fuel tanks. Silver is used for routine airfield maintenance costs and for airfield defense equipment, for upgrading aircraft, and for training crewmembers. Either gold or silver can be used for buying gasoline, which is of course used by your aircraft. Prestige points can be used for management training, reducing costs and increasing income. Gold and prestige points can be converted to silver if you need more of that; especially after you've finished all of your management training, it gives you something to do with your prestige points. Occasionally you'll be give the option to convert some of your fuel into a small amount of gold.

    Each combat mission will provide you with some of all four basic resources. There are four types of missions, and each will provide extra of one kind of resource. Attack missions involve air-to-air combat and/or ground attack (basically bombing), and provide extra gasoline. Defense missions are air-to-air combat, defending friendlies against bombers, and provide extra silver (there are some forced missions defending your own airfield). Naval missions involve air-to-air combat and/or attacks against ships (bombing or torpedoes or both, your choice), and provide extra prestige points. Special missions are generally harder versions of attack missions, and provide extra gold.

    And yeah, there's not all that much variation in missions. You've got air-to-air and air-to-ground (or air-to-ship), and what else is there? Some missions are easy, some are hard. Some of the tougher air-to-ground (or ship) missions require that you keep sending your bombers back to reload because there are too many hardened targets to take out with one run... unless you've built up a fleet of impressive bombers.

    The aerial combat is 3D third-person arcade combat. Nobody's going to confuse it with a flight simulator. In "normal" usage, you can use the ZL key to lock on a target, continually track it, and even automatically lead it for your shots. ZL doesn't work on ground targets, and you're not forced to use it on airborne targets. If you want, you can disable the ZL in the Settings menu and get some extra points on the mission.

    Combat management starts with selecting a mission. Then you select which aircraft will go on the mission. If there are air-to-ground or air-to-ship aspects, you'll need to select appropriate bomb loads.

    Once the mission starts, if you've got more than one plane, you have some more management to do. You can select which plane you're controlling at the moment, and tell the other planes what they should do: attack aircraft, attack ground vehicles and installations, or bomb structures or ships. You can give them multiple options, or if you don't assign them anything, they'll just loiter outside of the combat zone. As the mission progresses, you may need to send bombers back for reloading, or send damaged aircraft back to base. All the while dealing with your own plane.

    With Version 2 just released on Switch, there are now five countries you can fly for: America, England, Germany, Russia, and Japan. Each offers a large variety of planes. Each country is like its own game-save slot: you build up your squadron and your management skills separately in each country. Although the countries are basically separate, there is an ability to transfer gold from one country to another.

    Considering the low cost, Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight provides a lot of value. That is, IF you're interested in a resource management game where your "bread-winning" is arcade aerial combat. If you're looking for a strong combat game, this might not be it.    … Full Review »
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