Game Reviews

Panic Flight

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| Panic Flight
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Panic Flight
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| Panic Flight

We're often told that it's the journey that matters, not the destination. In the majority of cases, the people pushing this line are either selling cruises or self-help novels, but that doesn't mean you should discount the phrase altogether.

Indeed, AMA's plane-centric Panic Flight is all about the journey. It would be easy to criticise the endless-flyer's lack of direction, because it's basically just a procession of power-ups and craft upgrades with no real endgame to speak of.

However, if you're happy to take your eye off the radar for the duration you'll find an accessible, fun little ride that will suck a decent chunk of your disposable time into its engines.

I can see blue skies

In many ways, Panic Flight sticks closely to the tropes of the genre. Your plane flies from left to right, the environment does its best to get in your way, and, you know, there are coins and stuff.

But it gets the most important thing right: the flying is fun. Controls are twice as complicated as your average endless-flyer, meaning you're going to have to contend with both an up and a down button.

However, these controls afford you the opportunity to skim over clouds for speed boosts and perform coin-grabbing loop-de-loops with greater confidence than in Panic Flight's mono-buttoned cousins.

There's a roster of purchasable planes to unlock and collect, which offer an incentive to keep chasing the trails of coins littering the sky. This motivation is important, as hoarding skybuses is the only real 'goal' beyond clocking up air miles.

The aircraft are nicely varied, too. The speedier kites in particular will force you to switch up your playing style if you want to dodge clusters of tornadoes, avoid pursuing aircraft, and keep your petite fuel tank full.

There's something on the wing

Optional mini-missions provide brief, if slightly repetitive, distractions from the long haul, and power-ups like shields and speed boosts add a subtle gloss to the gameplay chassis.

Some keen-eyed players might be disappointed when they start to notice repeating cloud formations within the first ten minutes, while others may bemoan the surprising lack of sound effects.

But there are enough turbines powering the basic mechanics to help you forget about narrative or destination, allowing you to focus on your next purchase, and, of course, to enjoy the flight.

Panic Flight

While Panic Flight doesn't soar all the way to the heavens, there should be enough airborne excitement to keep you in the cockpit for a decent spell
Score
James Gilmour
James Gilmour
James pivoted to video so hard that he permanently damaged his spine, which now doubles as a Cronenbergian mic stand. If the pictures are moving, he's the one to blame.