Bomber Crew

Release Date: October 19, 2017

Strategy, World War II, planes, RPG elements, arcade elements, indie games, simulation elements, Game Pass, EA Play, PS Plus Premium, PS Plus Extra, singleplayer

7.8

OpenCritic

89%

Steam

Rate It!

Bomber Crew is a hybrid of a strategy game and a simulator, with some additional RPG elements. Developed by Runner Duck, the game allows the player to assume the role of a WWII pilot commanding a bomber crew. During the game, one has to complete numerous missions, which involve eliminating strategically important military targets and providing reconnaissance behind enemy lines.

Videos and Screens

[1:04] Bomber Crew USAAF DLC

[1:12] Bomber Crew launch trailer

7.8

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 71% of Critics. There are 21 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

FingerGuns: 7 / 10 by Rossko Keniston

Bomber Crew is difficult and begins with a cumbersome tutorial and a fiddly control scheme. If you’re willing to stick it out past the tutorial though you’ll discover a rewarding, thrilling experience that keeps you focused and holds your attention better than most simulators of late, purely because you’ll just fail if you’re not paying full attention to every little cog in this particular machine. It’s fast and frantic and takes no prisoners and that’s just what it should be.

Full Review

NintendoWorldReport: 7 / 10 by Casey Gibson

Missions tend to be repetitive, but the thrill of executing them flawlessly is equally as satisfying as it is devastating when a crash whips out your entire crew. Roguelite elements throw a great wrinkle to the gameplay, but do come at the expense of light grinding when losing members of the crew or plane. Although not without blemishes, it presents an interesting and challenging take on simulator that requires quick thinking and even faster reactions.

Full Review

PlayStation Universe: 8 / 10 by John Websell

Minor gripes aside, the best way to describe Bomber Crew is (if you'll forgive the attempt at period-accurate officer-class patois) bally good fun! There's a pleasing amount of depth to the game's equally impressive array of systems and mechanics, hidden behind a charming, low-res visual style and sense of humour. While the sheer range of customisation options gives players everything they need to put their own, unique stamp on each save file. Hectic, tense, and ineffably satisfying, Bomber Crew is certainly one of the more original and entertaining indie games currently available on PS4.

Full Review

89%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Very Positive (9,389)

STEAM

8.4

GAMERS Score

Average score from 68 votes. 5 players anticipated the game.

Rate It!

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 September 8, 2017