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Project Wingman was originally released in December 2020 to hugely positive reviews on Steam. Now available through Xbox Game Pass, Project Wingman is a combat flight action game that's decidedly not a flight simulator. As such, this is an action-packed, arcade-style game that's been compared to Ace Combat, and has been crafted with an obvious nostalgic love for films like Top Gun. With fast-paced, flashy action and engaging gameplay, Project Wingman is the perfect game to live out any jet fighter pilot fantasies.
Partly funded through a Kickstarter, Project Wingman was developed by Abi Rahmani and Matthew Nguyen. Rahmani intended the game to be a blend of flight simulator and arcade game, but has been candid about leaning more towards arcade-style in order to create fun combat-based gameplay. As such, Project Wingman is not hugely concerned with verisimilitude, which actually makes the game a lot more accessible for anyone potentially put off by the concept of true-to-life flight simulators.
Gameplay
Project Wingman's gameplay consists of extravagant and visually captivating dogfights in the skies above a post-apocalyptic Earth. As many reviews have praised, despite the unlimited ammunition in the game, the combat is complex and engaging. Players can equip multiple real-life planes with a variety of special weapons; these weapons in turn function in different ways, which allow players to customize based on their play style. Excitingly, the game also supports VR, which lets players get right into the action.
As mentioned, Project Wingman has been compared favorably to the Ace Combat series. The game includes two modes, Campaign and Conquest. The rogue-like Conquest mode, as well as the more traditional campaign, give players the option to play in first or third-person. Project Wingman's gameplay is intended to be fun, fast-paced, and easy to pick up and play; the game has also been praised repeatedly for how satisfying the combat feels.
Story and Appeal
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In Project Wingman, the Earth has been affected by a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, leaving parts of the planet uninhabitable. Players assume control of Monarch, a silent member of the Hitman squad of elite pilots. The narrative follows Hitman's involvement in a war of independence between the Cascadian Republic and the Pacific Federation; while Hitman fights on the Cascadian side, Monarch makes a personal enemy in the Federation's elite Crimson Team. As such, the game has a high concept narrative that works well in recreating the action-packed thrill of a film like Top Gun. The setting of Earth 432 years after the volcanic calamity makes for stunning backdrops to the flashy action of Project Wingman.
What makes Project Wingman stand out against other flight simulators is its accessibility. The arcade-style gameplay, as well as the story and visuals, mean that Project Wingman may appeal to a wider range of gamers than flight simulators that focus on recreating the actual feel of flying jets. Project Wingman gives players the chance to live out an action film, in the same way that many modern shooters do, and the VR support only heightens this experience. In this way, rather than using contemporary gaming tech to recreate a hyper-realistic experience, Project Wingman stands as an example of the fantastical and escapist potential of games - especially VR games - to create immersive experiences of unrealistic environments. Even without VR, the game has wide appeal due to its easily accessible and fun gameplay, and since it's now available on Xbox Game Pass, it is easier than ever to check it out.
Project Wingman is out now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.