Iron Wings is an arcade flying game developed by Naps Team, those of Twin Strike, Bootcamp Academy and Rage Ball fame. The premise of the game is pretty unusual and, as such, immediately piqued our curiosity. You see, in Iron Wings you play as one of two characters; an African American airman called Jack and a female pilot called Amelia. Our principle character Jack is a Tuskagee Airman, otherwise known as the Red Tails.
The majority of the Tuskagee Airman were Caribbean-born military pilots who, before 1940, were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Eventually civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Together the Airmen formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces.
Jack’s wingman (or wingwoman, if that’s a word) Amelia is a sassy, half Italian member of another important World War II faction called the WASPs (Women’s Army Service Pilots). WASPS were civilian women pilots who, although they were barred from taking part in combat, still played a crucial role in the war by testing aircraft, ferrying aircraft and training other pilots.
The fact that Iron Wings focuses on these two principle characters who belonged to groups which played such a critical part in WWII is both praise worthy and worth our attention.
Jack and Amelia are childhood friends and together make a formidable team against the Axis powers.
Although historically the WASPS were not allowed to take part in actual combat during the war, Iron Wings conveniently glosses over this fact in order to tell what turns out to be a compelling story of comradery, daring and sheer guts in the face of the Nazi war machine. You’re advised to suspend your disbelief if you’re going to play and enjoy Iron Wings.
Iron Wings offers some 12 main missions as well as a number of side missions. The side missions earn you money you can spend on improving your airplane for future missions. Some of the main missions are, however, incredibly challenging. Goals are very specific and have to carried out exactly as specified. There is zero room for creativity and, to make things just a little harder, there’s an invisible timer that kicks in. If the timer hits 0, its game over and you have to replay the mission.
As we mentioned earlier, Iron Wings allows you to control either Jack or Amelia. And in some missions you won’t be able to achieve your goal unless you do just that. Amelia’s main contribution is that her plane is a heavy bomber and is equipped with a very handy camera. On the issue of controlling both characters, the Iron Wings tutorial seemed to have omitted telling you how to issue commands to Amelia. A strange omission as she plays such a crucial role in the game.
However, Iron Wings’ saving grace has to be in its gorgeous graphics. Despite being ported over to the Nintendo Switch, the developers have managed to create a truly visually stunning game. Although there are a limited choice of planes on offer, the ones that are available (the Spitfire, the P51 and C.202) look incredible. The game also boasts some great cut scenes that really help immerse you in the adventure.
As this is an arcade experience, Iron Wings doesn’t pretend to offer a simulated flying adventure. Instead the focus is on getting your plane in the air and shooting down Nazi’s. Iron Wings also offers a Free Flight mode which is exactly what it says, and an arcade mode. Here you can take part in dogfights to your hearts content. Excellent. For anyone looking for an accessible arcade flying adventure on the Nintendo Switch, Iron Wings is a no-brainer.
Rating out of 10
