Bomber Crew

Bomber Crew for PC and XONE is a hybrid of a strategy game and a simulator, with some additional RPG elements. The game is a debut project of a British studio called Runner Duck.

Plot

In Bomber Crew, a player assumes the role of a WWII captain commanding a bomber crew. The missions involve completing diverse objectives behind the enemy lines: the long-range vessels are used to eliminate strategically important military targets as well as learn about the enemy entrenchments and numbers. When airborne, both the plane’s plating and the crew’s nerves of steel are crucial for survival and success. Whether one becomes a decorated aviation ace or perishes in a burning wreckage, depends only on the player’s skills and decisions made on the battlefield.

Mechanics

The gameplay is divided into two parts – the preparation stage and the proper missions. In the first stage, a player has to select and train inexperienced recruits in a military base, in order for them to become aviation specialists. Each protégé features a unique set of skills, story, and other details. It is worth to keep them alive and take care of them, as their death is permanent. A bomber is a complicated machine and needs diversified crewmembers – there has to be a pilot, a mechanic, several gunners, a gun loader, at least one radio operator, and a navigator.

When airborne, the gameplay very much resembles another game called FTL: Faster Than Light. In combat, the planes begin to break down, there are too little hands to man all the stations, and only a calm mind might save them from inevitable death. The bombers are not designed for close combat, thus each anti-aircraft system, radar, hostile fighter, and bad weather might pose a significant challenge. The simulation elements force a player to tend to the plane’s onboard systems. After being shot on the tail, the plane loses its maneuverability; if an engine begins to burn, the hydraulics break down, the plane runs out of fuel, or a crew member is killed. Thus, on a mission, there is always something to repair or someone to heal.

When over a target, a player gets to operate the onboard systems in order to photograph the target or bomb it. Finally, one has to return home safely – provided he has enough fuel.

Technical aspects

In Bomber Crew for PC and XONE, the 3D cartoon visuals do not feature many details, however, a different perspective on the events from World War II might be a pleasant change, after the monotonous landscapes filled with mud and bronze colors. A player is also bound to appreciate the dynamic vessel damage system.

Last updated on 29 August 2017