Developed and published by Digital Reality, SkyDrift is an aerial combat racing title also known as ‘Mario Kart Airplane Edition’ for lack of a better comparison. The game features a single player mode loaded with content plus it also has online multiplayer supporting up to eight players over three different modes. Modes offered in the game include Power Race, Speed Race, and Survivor. Power races are the most common early on in the campaign and feature Mario Kart-style racing with some heavy combat elements. Speed races feature no weaponry and there are speed rings that you’ll have to fly through consecutively (as many as possible) if you want to stay in first place till the finish. Finally, the survivor mode acts like any racers’ elimination mode where the person in last place is out when a timer hits zero.
Although there are only a small handful of courses to race, they are repeated in each of the three modes, plus there are reversed tracks that feel quite different, and even look quite original from the reversed perspective. There’s an available option for DLC in the menu so I’ve already got my fingers crossed to see some new courses in due time. New planes and/or skins could also be added however there are already eight planes to choose from and four skins for each. Planes have strengths and weaknesses in regards to their speed, boost power, armor, and more so no planes truly stands taller than the rest of the pack.
Weapon pickups hover in many areas on the course and you can have two different weapons at any time. To make things even better, you can have two of each weapon as well, for example, if you have missiles and mines, you can carry two sets of missiles and two mines at any time. The combat is quite fun, but the AI can infuriate you at times with their very annoying *and smart* mine placement. There are around seven pickups including a repair option and all the weaponry feels balanced but certain items are obviously better in specific areas.
The AI is a mix of fun and frustration depending on the race you’re in. More often than not I found them to be acceptable and playing at a level where I could easily win the race if I played it smart. Then there were a few races where I simply felt I was screwed from the start because they magically get a huge head start. Restarting the race is easy though, and doing so usually solved my issues.
Multiplayer is extremely fun, but the community is unfortunately non-existent for the most part. If you plan to take this one online it’s best to have a few friends to play against… and if you want all the achievements you’ll need to jump online for a short time. Support for up to eight players is great and based on the bit that I played online it was really well coded and I didn’t experience any lag.
SkyDrift’s strongest aspect is its incredible visual style which reinforces the already strong presentation value of the game. Each and every course in the game is brought to life in various ways from massive avalanches to spitting lava and destructive factors. You’ll race through dense forest, tight caves, bubbling lava, and icy terrain amongst other areas and each course is stunningly beautiful. While I seem to tune out the actual music in the game, the sound effects are pretty well done. Crushing metal and the crumbling ice from the dynamic features of the track are notably good as are the weapon sound effects and explosions of your plane when you get taken out or hit the ground.
SkyDrift is definitely a hidden gem if you’re a fan of the genre, and it offers more than enough content to warrant the 1200 :MSPoints: price. It offers a fantastic sense of speed and intensity while keeping the game fun and challenging. Digital Reality seems to have surprised myself and many others with the release of SkyDrift so do yourselves a favor and check it out!
For more information on SkyDrift or to try the demo, visit the Xbox.com Marketplace.
| Rating | Description |
| 8.0 | Gameplay Usually fun, but the AI can frustrate you at times. You'll wish all planes could take corners just a little tighter as well. Lots of great track designs to play over three fun-filled modes. |
| 10 | Graphics For what's offered, it's stunning. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Get the point? Sure I'd like to see more variety through DLC, but what's included is phenomenal. |
| 7.5 | Sound Solid sound effects but the music isn't really enjoyable and I often forget it's even playing. |
| 8.0 | Final Score |
