Ace Pilot Pacific

Michael
Mar 29, 2024
5 min read

Introduction

Have you ever played a game that makes you wonder if the developers even wanted to play it themselves? This one is a perfect example of that. Set during the Pacific battles of World War II, the game gives you five maps, six planes, and no story to tie them together. It’s as if the developers threw some historical settings into a blender and called it a day, hoping that would be enough to entertain you. Spoiler: it isn’t.

If you’re a die-hard WWII enthusiast, maybe you’ll squeeze some joy out of it, but for the average gamer, this feels less like a game and more like a chore. And trust me, there are far better free games out there that won’t leave you regretting your time.

Storyline

There is no story. It is just 5 maps and 6 planes for you to choose from. Each map is one of the World War II battles taking place on the Pacific. Maybe if you are someone deeply interested in history of World War II this will be enough story for you but for a typical gamer that is not enough.

Gameplay

I will be brutally honest. I played this game only for 40 minutes but that was enough to make me uninstall it. I played better flash games 25 years ago and they were free and I know there are many better free games on Steam right now that you can have more fun with than you will ever have with this game.

The game also has a ranking system and I managed to get the second place in mission 1 with 4082 points and the second place in mission 2 with 6524 points during that time. This tells you how badly people don’t want to play this game and how fast they quit. I also checked the whole ranking system and mission 1 was played by 20 players while mission 2 was played only by 5 and missions 3 and 4 and 5 was only played by 1 player and only a minute each giving him 150 points – probably the developer just testing if the game is even working and if the levels load at all and even he did not want to play this game. I can’t blame him for not wanting to play this game but I can blame him for developing a game that he himself would not want to play. It was also funny to check that all time peak player count for this game is 1 – probably just people like me trying the game and uninstalling it.

The gameplay is so boring and uninspiring that it just feels bad to waste your time on this game instead of doing literally anything else. You shoot at enemy planes one wave after another while trying to keep your allies from being destroyed so at least they will be your bullet sponges for longer. I also think that you are the only one that is responsible for destroying ships and boats as your allies I think are only able to attack enemy planes as I saw one enemy boat destroying 4 planes without them ever firing back at it. Also in mission 2 even when your allied ships were bombarded and are burning in multiple places and the soldiers from these ships are in the water the ships still shoot in the same pattern around themselves like they do when they are fully operational and not damaged at all – this makes me think that it is not the ships that shoot but just random points placed by the developer.

Also you should really use a gamepad if you ever want to play this game as on keyboard you would have to use 15 different keys just to play the game and you can’t change the key bindings and since keys are in many different places playing this game on a keyboard would feel like playing on a piano. You want to fly your plane? Well you have to use 10 buttons on the numpad! Oh you want to shoot your enemies both in air and on the ocean and land? Well let’s see how fast you can switch between pressing a space bar and pressing up arrow with your left hand while using your right hand all over the numpad just to fly and avoid enemy fire. Oh there are many planes on the screen and you don’t know which one are you and which ones are your allies and enemies? Quickly press A before you start shooting! But even with the gamepad speeding up and turning with the plane feels like a chore that requires multiple button presses just to increase the speed and that makes the gameplay frustrating. It is strange that in a game about planes actually flying the plane feels like the worst part of the game.

Now let’s get to some funny things! You can destroy enemies that are not on your screen just like you can be hit by enemies you don’t see on your screen as bullets travel really far. With low speed you can do a half loop constantly and this makes you just stay in one place without flying in any direction at all and you can shoot while doing this to destroy enemies that will not know what to do and will just fly in circles around you. You can also have fun by flying to the corner of the map and look at your plane and enemy planes just bouncing around the edges of the screen like they are rubber balls or something. And the same way planes bounce around when they hit the edge of the screen so do ships and boats when they hit islands.

Graphics and Sound

What you see on screenshots is what you get. I’m sure many people played better looking free flash games and there are still many better looking free games on Steam. Music and sounds are fine and serviceable but the announcer announcing new wave of enemies sounds like it is out of place and does not fit the war theme of the game.

Pros

Historical Setting: Offers maps based on Pacific battles of World War II, which might appeal to history buffs.
Simple Graphics: Some might find the retro aesthetic nostalgic, reminiscent of old flash games.
Serviceable Audio: The music and sound effects are functional, though unremarkable.

Cons

No Storyline: The game lacks any narrative depth, making it feel hollow and unengaging.
Boring Gameplay: Repetitive and uninspired mechanics, with waves of enemies that fail to keep interest.
Poor Player Engagement: Extremely low player count and barren leaderboards reflect the game's lack of appeal.
Unbalanced AI: Allies appear ineffective against enemies, and gameplay feels frustratingly one-sided.
Awkward Controls: Keyboard controls are overly complex and unintuitive; even with a gamepad, flying feels clunky.
Low Production Value: Graphics are underwhelming, resembling outdated flash games, and the announcer's voice feels misplaced.
Glitches and Oversights: Enemies can attack off-screen, planes and boats bounce unrealistically, and the mechanics feel unfinished.
Lack of Replayability: The absence of engaging mechanics or progression means there’s no reason to keep playing.

Conclusion

This game feels like an unfinished relic of a bygone era, with uninspired gameplay, clunky controls, and little to no reason to keep playing. The historical setting might appeal to a niche audience, but for most gamers, it’s a frustrating and forgettable experience. If you want to fly planes, there are much better free games on Steam that will respect your time and offer genuine enjoyment.

Rating: 2/10