Pilotwings Resorts to Wuhu Island! Ugh.

Pilotwings Resort Review
3DS

It’s been an awfully long time since Pilotwings, a series which fans thought had crashed and burned into an abyss of classic Nintendo franchises never to see the light of day again but here we are, fifteen years after Pilotwings 64, with a sequel which doesn’t as much soar but mildly float amongst the clouds.

If you’re not familiar with the series, Pilotwings is a videogame based around aerodynamics in various different types of flight and fall. The Super Nintendo version, arguably the best of the series had almost everything you could want from Hang Gliding to Trampolining across the sea in effort to secure as many points as possible to pass your test and progress onto the next challenge.

Pilotwings Resort is a bit of a mixed bag and while it’s true to say many of the players won’t have played a game like this before, Nintendo seem to have forgotten that the older player i.e myself are well experienced in flying planes through all sorts of nooks and crannies leaving a game which is all a bit too short, easy and lacking in variety which in turn makes the game a little underwhelming and lacking in any true surprise to the player.

That’s not to say there isn’t any variety amongst the main meal which consists of planes, rocket packs and hang gliders, we also see for one use only a flying squirrel suit which is particularly impressive when you’re free falling through the recycled Wuhu Island which features in Wii Sports Resort, another lacklustre feature which makes the whole game seem a little under thought and a bit bland.

Once you’ve managed to finish the mission mode and earned three stars for each there is a free flight mode which does have some tweaks and additions but ultimately is lifted directly out of Wii Sports Resort down the style of game play to the animation which plays when you crash your plane, a sore note indeed, Nintendo.

Obviously the draw to any launch game will be how well the 3D works but I am once again left underwhelmed with a 3D effect so over done you will often find yourself struggling to pop a balloon high in the sky which is soon doubled due to the overuse of the 3D effect leaving you with a penalty on your score and an eventual restart is inevitable.

While Pilotwings Resort doesn’t feature multiplayer, lacks in variety and offers no longevity there is some redeeming game play to be had here but just don’t go spending full RRP on it, you will definitely feel short changed.

6/10