Luftrausers

I make no secret of my love for the guys at Vlambeer. Their approach to design, making games that are instantly understandable yet endlessly challenging, hits at the very core of what I think makes for timeless entertainment. For this year's PAX Prime show, they brought along their latest project; the stark and simple, Luftrausers.

Luftrausers first saw life as the singular Luftrauser, a Flash game the Vlambeer guys put together over two days in mid-2011 with artist Paul Veer and musician Jukio "KOZILEK" Kallio. Basic but addictive, the player controls an acrobatic fighter jet against an endlessly increasing onslaught of enemies. The balance is struck by your ability to automatically repair your ship whenever you're not shooting, leading to desperate chases, quick maneuvers and a whole lot of dying.

Luftrausers is all this and much, much more.

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