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FLIGHT OF LIGHT (WIIU)
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Publisher: Crystalline Green.
Developer: Crystalline Green. Released: August 2017. Genre: Rhythm; Racing. Other versions: PC. Posted 17th August 2017. By Tom Clare © 2017 |
Part-racer, part-rhythm game, Flight of Light follows in a distinguished line of Wii U titles to offer a local multiplayer party experience. Its unusual premise is an interesting one, though performance problems with the console port, a lack of variety and a scarcity of content serve to undermine it.
Stylised in the fashion of a futuristic racer, FoL places a spacecraft on rails in a high velocity, rollercoaster-style experience. The aim is simply to lever said craft through gates placed at varying angles and intervals throughout each course. The more precise your positioning in the passage of each gate, the more points you'll accrue. There's little to shout about if played using the GamePad's left analogue stick, whilst the use of the Pro Pad isn't supported, but the idea goes a lot further using Wiimotes. Using motion controls like a steering wheel (perhaps a slalom skier would be a more apt comparison), the player can make smooth movements and quick changes of direction far more easily, resulting in a more enjoyable experience.
Stylised in the fashion of a futuristic racer, FoL places a spacecraft on rails in a high velocity, rollercoaster-style experience. The aim is simply to lever said craft through gates placed at varying angles and intervals throughout each course. The more precise your positioning in the passage of each gate, the more points you'll accrue. There's little to shout about if played using the GamePad's left analogue stick, whilst the use of the Pro Pad isn't supported, but the idea goes a lot further using Wiimotes. Using motion controls like a steering wheel (perhaps a slalom skier would be a more apt comparison), the player can make smooth movements and quick changes of direction far more easily, resulting in a more enjoyable experience.
A possible case of too much going on...
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Some of the levels have great themes, the best being Yellowfin Reef
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These colourful helter-skelters are fun in the short term. Levels feature a decent mix of locales, but play very similarly. With the Wiimote, it's pleasantly diverting, though the racing aspect is minimal, as there's no A.I. to do battle with. As a result, tackling the courses alone can feel a curiously isolating experience. Each of the nine tracks can be bested easily at the first attempt, and with no tournaments and little in the way of rule variances to spice things up, there isn't an awful lot left to see beyond the first hour of play, with a bit of high-score chasing and the multiplayer left to shoulder the game's longevity.
FoL's game engine struggles on the Wii U, with concessions in resolution leaving it lagging behind its competitors. Unfortunately despite this, the frame-rate remains fairly low, often dipping when played in split-screen. This is a shame, as the game appears in a constant conflict between ambitious visual design and technical difficulties. Sometimes it pays off nicely, as with the wonderfully trippy underwater circuit Yellowfin Reef, where you can enjoy a fishbowl reflection playing along the surface of the water. Deneb Complex is a bit hit and miss, with some rather basic close scenery offset by the impressive spectacle of a moon as a backdrop. Rigel City has a ton of visual issues but there's a lot going on, whilst opening track Cloud Forest just looks ropey. Overall, it lacks the smoothness and clarity of FAST Racing NEO.
FoL's game engine struggles on the Wii U, with concessions in resolution leaving it lagging behind its competitors. Unfortunately despite this, the frame-rate remains fairly low, often dipping when played in split-screen. This is a shame, as the game appears in a constant conflict between ambitious visual design and technical difficulties. Sometimes it pays off nicely, as with the wonderfully trippy underwater circuit Yellowfin Reef, where you can enjoy a fishbowl reflection playing along the surface of the water. Deneb Complex is a bit hit and miss, with some rather basic close scenery offset by the impressive spectacle of a moon as a backdrop. Rigel City has a ton of visual issues but there's a lot going on, whilst opening track Cloud Forest just looks ropey. Overall, it lacks the smoothness and clarity of FAST Racing NEO.
Tom and his fiancee flinched simultaneously when this occurred
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Most of the levels are quite easy to beat
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Free Play offers the chance to tackle individual courses in score or race formats, though these tend to play out in very similar fashion, with races rewarding precise gates with bursts of speed rather than points. Here you can also compete in up to five-player simultaneous action (four-player split-screen and one player using the GamePad). Whilst even with a group it doesn't quite feel like a competition, it is more fun than playing solo. Inconsistencies in the frame-rate can cause problems here however, especially in a game that requires quick, precise judgements.
Though the sound effects are conspicuous in their absence, the music is a highlight, as whilst the tunes don't always create a definable rhythm to the gameplay, they're consistently enjoyable, and diverse compositions that generally add a dash of style to the experience. At £7, Flight of Light offers a mere fraction of the longevity and involvement FAST Racing NEO manages for £10.99. Play with the Wiimote to get the most out of the experience, but if FoL does take your fancy, be aware its brevity is a killer.
Though the sound effects are conspicuous in their absence, the music is a highlight, as whilst the tunes don't always create a definable rhythm to the gameplay, they're consistently enjoyable, and diverse compositions that generally add a dash of style to the experience. At £7, Flight of Light offers a mere fraction of the longevity and involvement FAST Racing NEO manages for £10.99. Play with the Wiimote to get the most out of the experience, but if FoL does take your fancy, be aware its brevity is a killer.
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*Kindest thanks to Crystalline Green for supplying an EU Wii U code for review purposes*
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In a nutshell...
"the game appears in a constant conflict between ambitious visual design and technical difficulties... Play with the Wiimote to get the most out of the experience, but if FoL does take your fancy, be aware its brevity is a killer." |
Visual: 4/10
Audio: 7/10 Gameplay: 5/10 Longevity: 3/10 OVERALL: 4/10 |
Vid by Crystalline Green
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