Air Mail review

There’s a wistful, nostalgic feel that permeates Air Mail, from the stirring orchestral sweep of its matinee-era soundtrack to its charmingly awful voice acting, redolent of the PlayStation's early days, that accompanies it. Its story of plucky heroism in the face of oppression is told with a total absence of irony that feels oddly bracing, while its missions call to mind the simple pleasures of both Pilotwings and Crimson Skies.

A quartet of gentle opening objectives for your apprentice courier offers the opportunity to get to grips with your sea-plane’s controls, with three selectable setups. Gyro controls are perhaps the most easily mastered, though virtual sticks and an advanced method which combines multi-touch and tilt offer marginally tighter manoeuvrability. Though later missions play similarly to the early fetch-and-carry objectives, a little narrative context goes a long way to disguising the repetition, and dousing flames in the once peaceful settlement you delivered mail to carries an additional note of danger in the form of invading airships that shoot on sight.

Away from the campaign, the five handsome worlds can be explored at a more relaxed pace, with a number of landmarks to visit and collectibles to discover, a thoughtful addition which thankfully lacks the irksomely restrictive time limit in Pilotwings Resort’s similar mode. And though a clutch of score-based challenges are both too few and too brisk, they contribute to an iOS game of rare generosity and substance. Unlockable paint jobs and harder difficulties add further longevity, though the joy of soaring through some of the small screen’s most sumptuous skyboxes should prove encouragement enough for a return flight. [8]

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