Developer: Nukklear, Nukklear UG
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Comanche – Preview
Early Access is a perfect way to develop a game, as it allows the community to give the creators feedback on their findings. Comanche looks like the spiritual successor of the classic Comanche series, which was released late ‘90s and early 2000s. The revival of an old series is getting popular nowadays, which is great since nostalgia can hit you hard. The start of the development for the game looks promising, although there isn’t much to see yet.
Comanche takes place in a futuristic world and you start in the flight academy. At this place, you will be taught the basics of the game. But if you wish, you can skip this and drop straight into the campaign mode. Each mission will have a long briefing that will explain the current situation and why your interference is needed. In the first (and currently only mission) it tells you that you never graduated flight school and you are a rookie pushed into the battlefield, due to a pilot shortage.
When flying over the tropical island, you will be able to enjoy the scenery from far away or really close by (don’t crash though). The game is viewed from the cockpit of the helicopter which empowers the simulator feel of Comanche. Overall the graphics aren’t that great, they are smooth but feel a bit ‘asset’ like. The game also needs some optimization, as normal settings on a strong pc still cause frequent frame drops. Take in mind that the game is at a really early stage so it isn’t abnormal that the graphics are in its current state. The visuals are basic and the animations are stale, in their current state, objects move simply like old games.
Luckily, the sound is a bit better as the characters you come across are all fully voiced and each person has its own accent. While communicating on longer ranges there will be more radio static or even interference. Due to Comanche feeling like a simulator, there isn’t an emphasis on a soundtrack but the music that is integrated is decent. You are flying a futuristic helicopter, which is way more silent than the ones we know today. It makes the experience much more comfortable than going deaf in one of those old Vietnam-era choppers.
Those who know the Comanche series will know that the games try to be fun helicopter games while simulating the many elements of being a pilot. At the start, you can decide between arcade, semi, and simulator mode. Only simulator mode is currently recommended, as the rest are in their experimental phase. When opting for simulator, you will notice that on the one hand there is some realism to it, yet there are a few things that are different from real life. If you have played flight or army simulators, you will know those airborne vehicles are controlled by a power lever (precision input), and not (direct) by a pedal like in a car. The Comanches that you fly are controlled by the latter, power input is direct and while this isn’t like conventional helicopters, this might be done due to the futuristic helicopters.
Currently, there isn’t much content to explore; you have the tutorial, one campaign mission, and two online multiplayer modes. The tutorial is very in-depth and will teach you a lot. Controlling the chopper is advanced and once you get the hang of things, it almost feels like you could control a real helicopter. The game supports both controller and keyboard & mouse input, flight stick support is planned for the future. Controlling the game is advised with a controller, as using the mouse feels like rowing a boat.
The campaign mission will drop you into a rescue mission of a missing comrade. What was strange is that this mission was currently bugged, giving the player invincibility and unlimited ammo. Meanwhile, the tutorial worked normally. We cannot say much about the multiplayer as the times we tried to connect to the servers, all of them seemed empty.
Conclusion
Comanche is at a really early stage in development. If you like helicopters and prefer a mix between arcade and simulator gameplay then you might want to give it a go. Don’t expect much as this is just a early demo with its faults, yet it gives you a glimpse of a product that it could become. If you are a seasoned veteran with flying vehicles, then you might not like how the game handles.
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