Constructing a metropolis within the sky in 2020’s Airborne Kingdom was a largely chill expertise—whilst you have been in a continuing warfare with gravity as you tried to increase your metropolis whereas preserving it aloft and balanced, there have been no conventional enemies to struggle. It was additionally a comparatively brief sport that may very well be totally accomplished in about 10 hours.
That is all altering in its sequel, Airborne Empire, which is due out in early entry later this yr and now has a free demo as a part of Steam Subsequent Fest. The once-friendly skies at the moment are peppered with enemy planes, cannonballs fired from forts on the bottom, and different airborne enemies to deal with whilst you develop and handle your flying metropolis.
There’s additionally a a lot greater world to discover, which suggests the airborne metropolis builder will take longer to finish than its predecessor. So much longer. Talking to PC Gamer, lead designer Zach Mumbach of developer The Wandering Band joked that he was afraid Airborne could be slightly too huge.
“I needed to make a Skyrim or a Breath of the Wild, this huge world the place there’s all these secrets and techniques to search out, and for those who look out on the horizon you see one thing attention-grabbing, and for those who go there you can be rewarded with one thing attention-grabbing,” he stated. However Mumbach is slightly stunned how huge his personal sport is popping out to be. Playtesters have already managed to spend round 50 hours in Airborne Empire… regardless that solely about 50% of the sport world has been constructed up to now.
“So that is all like dawning on me now,” he stated, laughing. “I am form of grappling with that. Like… did I make too huge of a sport?”
From my very own perspective, Airborne Empire feels huge, however positively not too huge. I am solely 5 hours in, not 50, however I’ve explored a variety of the starter continent and I am itching to fly my rising metropolis additional to find new areas, battle extra enemies, and uncover new expertise—particularly the arsenal that can ultimately change into accessible.
Mumbach describes a few of the weapons I have not discovered and constructed but, together with freeze cannons, flame cannons, and even a tesla coil that creates an power subject across the hovering metropolis that may zap incoming projectiles.
“The concept is that there is gonna be all these several types of weapons, and also you’re form of restricted within the variety of weapon slots you could have,” he stated. “So your mixture [of weapons] will decide lots about the way you play the sport, whether or not you are gonna do the actually small, quick, quick-strike metropolis, or you are going to be this big fortress within the sky that is transferring gradual however you could have this overpowering arsenal.”
I am most wanting ahead to having my very own fleet of assault planes. I’ve protection towers that may shoot enemy pilots out of the sky, however presently my very own pilots are of the peaceable selection: they’ll fly their little planes all the way down to the floor world to mine for sources, collect meals, and discover ruins. Quickly I will have the ability to ship them out to dogfight with air-pirates. My stunning metropolis shall be like a flying plane service. Hell, yeah.
“A variety of the sport is balancing out what number of assault planes you could have, what number of enemy targets are there, what number of planes do you ship to every goal,” Mumbach stated. “And so then there’s the technique of the way you maneuver your metropolis. Are you going to have interaction a bunch of this stuff without delay [or are you] going to attempt to are available in and kite sure enemies, and attempt to do it that manner?”
For followers of the unique sport who have been hoping for extra chill vibes and fewer fight as they construct their flying metropolis, you have not been forgotten. “Whether or not it is via a artistic mode or problem settings, or most likely each, we’ll attempt to nonetheless help that type of gameplay,” Mumbach stated. “I believe there’s additionally an area for metropolis constructing and tower protection with out the quests and all of the characters. I believe we simply wish to help all these issues by having a bunch of various sport modes.”
A brand new trailer for Airborne Empire premiered right this moment on the Glitch Way forward for Play showcase, and you’ll test it out above. You’ll be able to strive the brand new demo on Steam.
