Developer: Lugus Studios
Publishers: Lugus Studiios, Astragon
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tested On: PS4
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing – Review
Drone racing has been a hobby that emerged only a few years ago. Enthusiasts build their own drone and add a camera to it so they can fly it in a first-person view. This hobby combines the speed of planes and the stability of helicopters thanks to the four fan setup. In this game, you follow the story of a person who just picked up the hobby and you will follow his life from the small beginnings to the world championship of FPV racing.
Story
You actually start as a complete nobody, not even having touched a drone in their life. You get the help of a friend who has been in the hobby for quite some time and he teaches you the ropes. Once you get the hang of it and get gifted your first drone setup, you will be able to start your adventure. It will begin with some unofficial races in people in their backyard, but slowly and steadily you will expand to bigger and bigger leagues, working your way up to the world championship. It’s not really a grand plot or a massive adventure you’re undertaking, but it’s still a nice incentive to get into this somewhat niche game.
Graphics
The game oozes out Indie, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The graphics are rather simple, yet this ensures that the game runs smoothly during even the most hectic times. You can fully build your drones and they all look great but don’t expect a 4K experience from Liftoff. The interaction between characters has been done with some simple dialogue boxes which is a simple yet effective way of presenting you with the necessary information. One setting that can be a hit or miss with some is the retro camera view. This is a bit cheesy to tone things down to that 80s camcorder view, yet real-life counterparts come with some of the most impressive camera setups available. Luckily, if you don’t like the aesthetic then you can always turn this off in the settings, yet it would be way cooler if the filter would only apply to FPV mode.
Sound
The sound is a bit like the game’s graphical prowess, not great, not terrible, but mainly functional. In the background, you will have this boring generic soundtrack playing, so that isn’t anything to write home about. Drones sound like drones and that’s the way it should be. Having a high pitched humming from the fast turning blades makes races sound like locust infestations, yet this is how most of these events sound like. Characters are voiced, so these make the cutscenes more pleasant to watch.
Gameplay
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is a simulation game where you must fly your drones through checkpoints at high speeds. You can start with a great tutorial that holds your hand step-by-step. One of the most important things in the settings is how you want to play the game; with or without assists. If you play with assists on, then the game feels accessible for a wider audience, while playing in full control mode you can fly just like the pros do. The biggest difference between the two is that if you don’t have real-life experience with drones then it’s wise to turn the assists on and get the hang of things first.
When you are done with the tutorial or feel right at home with the controls, then you can jump into career mode, do a random race or set up a customized event. The career mode is very elaborate, taking you from the little steps of an enthusiast to becoming a world champion. To get there, you will need to have the right skills and equipment; the skills are yours to train but the equipment is yours to accumulate. You have free reign over how to build your drone as you can simply swap out different parts for others to fine-tune it to your needs.
As mentioned earlier you can either play with assists or without. Playing with assists is like flying an assisted drone and without is the real experience. Real racing drones don’t come with stabilization units so you will have to balance out the quad during each interaction. It is as a word of advice that you only use ‘complete control’ if you have real-life experience because the drones are really sensitive and will flip over with ease.
If the career mode takes too long to play or you just want to drop right into the action, you can either do a quick race with complete random settings or create an event completely to your liking with the rules you prefer. The possibilities are endless and in the career mode, you can unlock more parts to build drones with.
Conclusion
Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing is a game where you will have hours of content if you can overcome the difficult controls. Even when playing with the assists, the game is pretty hard, yet with some learning and dedication, you will be rewarded with an open playing field filled with content and progression. The sounds and graphics are mediocre, yet provide you with that classic indie game look and feel. This is one of those indie games that charms its users with its contents, its realistic controls, rather than its outward appearance. If you don’t have the option to fly a real drone, this one might entertain you for quite a bit, even without the shiny graphics present.
No Comments