Dogfighter

Developer: Dark Water Studios | Publisher: Dark Water Studios | Release Date: 2010 | Genre: Shooter, Arcade | Website: Official Website | Format: Digital Download

While I am aware that there are some good Indie games on the market, I don’t usually pay much attention to them, especially the ones that are multi-player focused. Dogfighter however caught my eye and since it was on sale to celebrate the launch of dedicated servers for the game I decided to give it a shot. I am glad I did though as once you get the hang of this arcade flight combat game the fun really begins.

Matches take place in arenas with scenery like pyramids, a volcano and abandoned mining settlement but the action takes place in the skies using biplanes. These maneuverable propeller driver craft come in seven variations, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

They are equipped with machine guns by default, but floating  about the arenas are various power-ups that will give you access to limited use weapons like shotguns, rocket launchers and homing missiles. The arenas are quite small but well designed so you will always be in fighting range of your opponents but through fancy flying can use the environment to your advantage.

The game is about all out action so don’t expect flight simulator style realism. The controls do take some getting use to however as you will be fighting in all three dimensions so a  bit of practice before taking on the online opposition is highly recommended.

The various game modes can be played against computer controlled bots but the heart and soul of this game is the online multi-player sessions. With online leaderboards and Steam achievements don’t be surprised if you spend more time than you intended playing this game. My experience with the multi-player modes were largely lag free and the games that I joined usually had other players joining in quite quickly , depending on the time of day.

Visually the game looks very good with some great plane designs and colorful levels. Flying at breakneck speed through mine tunnels or the inside of a volcano is quite a rush and the scenery is very helpful for evading opponents, especially if you fly low. Special moves like barrel rolls and loops can also be pulled off with ease in order to get foes off your back. The game has a very active forum with very helpful developers keeping everyone updated and helping out where they can. The have some very cool additions to the game planned which I can’t wait to check out. The audio tracks in the game is unfortunately very limited and will start to grate after a while but the sound effects are quite good.

If you are tired of the usual first person shooters and have a stable online connection then Dogfighter comes highly recommended. It’s a blast to play and from the look of things there’s still plenty in store for this title.