Stunt Flyer Review

Take to the skies as a stunt pilot in Stunt Flyer. The original Stunt Flyer was released in 2011 for the Nintendo Wii and was developed by Torus Games, but this updated version was developed by S.A. Games, updating the visuals, improving the controls, and adding split-screen co-op for two pilots to fly together. There are three islands to explore with 40 different missions to complete, on your own or in split screen.

As soon as the game starts, you find yourself in the sky, piloting a plane. If you haven’t flown before, don’t worry; taking control of the aircraft is easy. You adjust your altitude using the left thumbstick; it has inverted controls, so pushing down makes you go up and pushing up makes the plane go down. I have always been a fan of inverted controls for flying since I played Star Fox on the Super Nintendo, or if you aren’t a fan, you can turn them off. If you want to increase your speed, use the right shoulder button, and to slow down, use the left shoulder. If you want a visual guide, there is a meter on the left side of the screen that fills up when you are moving faster and decreases when you are moving slower. I thought it felt pretty obvious when I needed to adjust my speed.

Like any good flying game, you can perform barrel rolls. To roll to the left or right, use the corresponding trigger. Combined with thumbstick controls, it lets you do a quick turn in either direction. Stunt Flyer has three different views that you can switch between to find the one you like best by pushing in the left thumbstick. I found it easier to fly when I could see the whole plane instead of the cockpit view. The right face button allows you to swap the type of equipment you are using, and the left face button is used to fire your weapon. With the quick tutorial completed, you are ready for your first mission.

If you land on the runway, you can visit the hangar where you can change your pilot, planes (you only have the Gloster Special in the beginning), and the island you are visiting once you have more than one available. There are ten other aircraft to unlock, including a rocket, UFO, and water bomber. Your default pilot is a very young-looking Jimmy Jetstream (he doesn't even look old enough to have his driver's licence), but you can switch to his sister Sophie Stunts, Sky Captain, Schultz, Mayor Gloster, Chancellor Nimbus, Pirate Queen, Alien, Fighter Pilot, and a Mumu Chief.

To begin, fly through one of the floating golden rings placed around the island. The first one I selected was a time trial; you get two experience points for every red ring you fly through. The game times how long it takes for you to complete the task at hand, so even if you crash into cliffs and into the water, the timer is still going. You won't have to restart the challenge as the game starts you off right near where you crashed, but there is a decent chance that you will attempt it again as a lot of time is wasted getting back into the skies. You will need to take all the turns that you learnt in the trial to be successful here. There is a target shooting mission where you follow the exclamation points that mark which targets you need to shoot down. When you aim at the target, once you have everything lined up correctly, the circle around your gun sights will turn green once you shoot; it will go straight to your target. When you run out of ammo, fly low and skim the water to restore your cannon and earn XP to increase your pilot's rank and unlock new skins.

As mentioned, the game has over 40 different missions for you to complete, ranging from flying through rings in the least amount of time possible, shooting targets, performing stunts, and taking photos of different landmarks on the island. At any point in time, you can view all the missions available on that island, see the ones you have completed along with your best completion times, and a summary of what it entails. It shows your time and how fast you need to finish to get the next award. I was very happy to see that there were a lot of different tasks to try to finish. The variety helped with making sure you wouldn’t get bored of playing the game because of repetition.

While playing Stunt Flyer, trying to complete the missions, it felt like I was on a sightseeing trip checking out all the landmarks. The island is super cute and whimsical: you see blimps, farmhouses, lighthouses, and fairgrounds with rides like a Ferris wheel. The whole vibe of the game was very relaxing, complete with the very chill music that is playing. I never felt stressed or that I was under pressure. This game would be perfect for those times when you are stressed and just need to decompress.

I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the islands in Stunt Flyer, completing missions such as taking photographs for postcards and attempting various tasks to earn achievements in the game, such as barrel rolls, skimming the water, and abducting cows using the UFO. Despite the length of the game there are a lot of silly and fun activities to do here. I wish there were more islands to visit, but it’s definitely worth checking out, especially if you are looking for a co-op game to play with someone else!