Air Force vs Luftwaffe

Despite the fact that combat aircraft have become infinitely more deadly and powerful since the conclusion of World War II, it’s amazing how appealing the likes of the Spitfire and Messerschmitt remain.

From Airfix kits to Hollywood movies, these classic propeller-based fighters seem to capture the imagination, and side-scrolling iPhone shooter Air Force vs Luftwaffe proves to be yet another example of how these airborne relics refuse to fly gracefully into the sunset.

Sadly, this particular game is about as convincing as a badly assembled plastic model, and fails to capture the romance and excitement of being a ‘Knight of the Sky’.

Get those birds in the air

Controversially, the developer has decided to ditch the traditional cockpit perspective and instead utilise a side-on 2D viewpoint. Turning is achieved by tilting your iDevice, with the nose of the plane lifting and dropping depending on how you twist your wrists.

Machine gun fire is controlled by a button on the left-hand side of the display, along with the dropping of bombs. Some aircraft in the game also have the ability to launch missiles – something that we’re not convinced is historically accurate.

With your basic training complete, you’re thrust into the maelstrom and expected to send your Nazi enemies packing across several dangerous missions.

Tally-ho, chaps

That’s the theory, at least. In practice, Air Force vs Luftwaffe stalls almost immediately and contact with terra firma quickly follows.

The game’s biggest problem is that the gameplay isn’t engaging – the viewpoint is zoomed in too close to allow tense dogfighting, and the hopelessly unrealistic nature of the action robs it of any real sense of achievement.

It’s possible to fly clean through enemy and friendly planes, which means all you have to do is avoid getting hit by hostile projectiles.

During particularly busy missions, it’s not unusual to see several planes on screen at once, but rather than being invigorating and thrilling, it looks ridiculous. Aircraft become trapped in stalls, or simply perform never-ending loops in an attempt to get behind their rivals.

Looks like Ginger’s bought the farm

To make matters worse, the visuals in Air Force vs Luftwaffe are incredibly basic. The planes themselves are recognisable if you’re familiar with their real-world counterparts, but they exhibit very few frames of animation and look slightly weedy – especially when set against the crude backgrounds.

In fact, the planes and other vehicles in the game are little more than cardboard cutouts, and never is this more obvious than when you meet with a fearsome battleship – which magically manages to hover over rather than in the water - its sides, bottom, and propellers on full view.

Although there’s a welcome selection of unlockable planes – all of which can be upgraded – the dour gameplay never improves.

Air Force vs Luftwaffe could have been a decent title, but it doesn’t last long once it’s airborne. The historical inaccuracies will annoy aviation fans while the uninspiring gameplay and rough design will ensure that action lovers remain firmly in the barracks.