Opinion: Hijong Park's Defender Patrol (Demo)

Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos
Oct 15
4 min read

One game that I have been keeping my eye on for quite a while has finally left itch.io and is now participating with their very own demo during the ongoing October Steam Next Fest: Hijong Park's Defender Patrol.

This retro-inspired sim has been in development by the solo developer, Hijong Park, for at least a year. Originally published to itch.io, this game has seen quite the evolution throughout its development. With its simplistic, retro-inspired art style, the developer was able to focus on what matters most for us flight enthusiasts: gameplay feel and the sensation of flight. This article will focus on the basic aspects of the title, seeing as this is only about the demo available during the October 2025 Steam Next Fest. This build is equivalent to the last version uploaded to the game's itch.io page, so everything said here applies there as well.

FLIGHT PHYSICS AND CONTROLS

The game feels amazing to fly in VR, especially if you come from games such as VTOL VR and even VRChat's Saccflight flight system. You have physical controls that you can manipulate directly, with physical movement being required to fly. Yaw is done through a twist-stick solution, or otherwise done through pedals, but that is something I could not get working reliably.

If you do not have VR, it is playable on flatscreen as well, with TrackIR compatibility. I was personally unable to get my FreeTrack software to work with it, but I have seen that others have been able to without major issues. So, it is a bit hit-and-miss in that regard, for now. My main issue was that I was unable to use controller inputs when I held the cyclic or collective with my VR controls. The moment I let go of either with my VR controllers, I could use my pedals again. I am sure this could be solved through mapping, but I would have to check that out better during the official launch and not the demo.

In general, the controls and cockpit interactions are fantastic. I loved the feedback I get when I click on buttons and flip switches. It is very similar to what is considered to be the golden standard of VR cockpit interactivity, VTOL VR, with the addition of having the capability of using physical controls alongside your virtual ones.

You have to properly manage your engine torque, collective and apply anti-torque pedal input to control your MD-500. Most forces that you would expect to be present on a simple but realistic flight model are there, which gives the helicopter a tactile and grounded feeling when flying. It is something better experienced by yourself, so I would recommend you try out the demo and get that experience yourself if you have any doubts about the flight model.

GAMEPLAY

In this aspect, I think the demo overdelivers! It provides a mission generator that is constantly able to put you on interesting scenarios for you to fly in, as well as a full suite of tutorials that are surprisingly easy and fun to go through.

Using the weapon systems is very straight forward, as well as entertaining. You have everything from several types of gunpods, rocket pods, ATGMs and even air-to-air missiles; all of which are as easy to operate as you think they are. The most "complex" systems come in the form of the ATGMs, as they also might need assistance from your "co-pilot", which just means you will need to occupy the seat yourself, and use the display available to you as you track the target and guide warheads into foreheads. If you have ever played VTOL VR, then that is the best analog I have to how entertainingly simple everything is.

Aside from being solely an offensive platform, you have the capability of carrying door gunners and deployable troops that you can insert as mission-critical assets into an AO. Enemies range between infantrymen, MANPADs, AAA and BTRs, as well as allied assets and artillery pieces. You also have friendly wingmen that you are able to guide, which will follow you and support your attack on objectives.

You are also able to customize your loadout from an interactive rearming menu. It gives you the freedom to equip or unequip your gunsight, and replace it with a grease pencil dot, or even just have no gunsight at all. Aside from that capability, you can load your gunner positions, balance your fuel load and even give all your wingmen your loadout!

This brings the amount of content and gameplay available on this demo to the same level as the equivalent title's full releases! It is actually kind of amazing to get all of this content just from a demo, and I cannot wait to see what the full game will be like.

TRY THIS TITLE OUT!

I cannot recommend this demo enough. It allows you to get a solid, non-time constrained look at a very interesting upcoming flight sim. One that does not pride itself on graphical fidelity, but it does on gameplay, content and style.

I will be check out the full release and writing about it, too! Be on the lookout for that content.

About the Author

Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos

Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter | Discord: Cubeboy