On October 18th, 2025, Skyward Flight Media posted its 500th release. Founded on March 24th, 2020, this organization has truly come a long way. As we reached and passed this milestone (the article you are reading now is our 503rd release), we take a moment to look back at some of the notable points in our journey so far. Decision Height The organization that preceded Skyward Flight Media was named Project Lighthouse (2017-2019). This community was created with a focus on all things about the Ace Combat series from Bandai-Namco. After two years of operation, there would occasionally be content created about games outside of that series, but not in a substantial way. Project Lighthouse would secure two pivotal interviews in 2019 that would begin a shift in how the content creation branch of that organization would approach future efforts. Their first indie game interview with Johan Persson from Muddy Pixel, developer of Worlds At War and Ace Combat Series Brand Director Kazutoki Kono at PAX South 2019 during the launch weekend of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Finally having the potential to be recognized as a media entity in a more substantial way, the rebranding in 2020 would be influenced by these two interviews. The new organization, Skyward Flight Media, would become highly diverse in the type of content it would create within the flight game and simulation genre with a more standard game journalism style approach. Frecce Tricolori Virtuali A major part of defining the content the newly formed Skyward Flight Media would produce came from our coverage of the activities of Freccee Tricolori Virtuali . In May 2020, our interviews with this virtual air demo team was our first major coverage of content related to Digital Combat Simulator by Eagle Dynamics. While discussing airshow flying and aircraft module development on this platform, our connection with certain individuals that founded IndiaFoxtEcho would also lead to future coverage of their modules in DCS and Microsoft Flight Simulator in the future. Our work with Freccee Tricolori Virtuali would kickstart our Digital Combat Simulator coverage, which would act as a sort of "counterweight" to our still noticeable Ace Combat series focus within the first 10 months of our foundation. Creator Highlight Month 2022 While 2021 was mostly spent trying new types of content, monitoring audience reception, adjusting our social media trends and refining creative processes, one of our defining moments in 2022 was Creator Highlight Month . CHM was a new effort to start covering content creators that interacted with simulated flight operations on their own media channels. The mixture of well-known video content creators and unusual developers successfully opened a new avenue of content. From that time forward discussion of content creators did start on Skyward Flight Media, albeit not in a reoccurring month-long series, but rather multiple single creator focused articles spread out over time. As of October 2025, the Creator Highlight concept is being reviewed for a potential restart as a formal, consistent series with an altered name to deconflict with another series on the website. VRChat Aviation: In Game and Beyond VRChat Aviation had a profound impact on Skyward as an organization and on an individual level. As an organization, our involvement with this subject started in 2020 during the height of COVID 19 lockdown as coverage of flight simulation in a rather unexpected place. Years later, Skyward has become a staple of airshows, tournaments and media coverage for aviation across the entire platform. This includes a level of ' virtual aircraft development ' by two members of the staff designing original aircraft and 3D modeling them from scratch to then fly them in various VRChat worlds. The personal connections with people we have met have spawned many new opportunities. Some of the VRChat focused world developers have started pursuing game development. One of the Skyward staff members found employment as a 3D modeler for an in-development flight game and government contract work. Another staff member has used their passion and skill as an aeronautical engineer to see some of their designs take to the virtual skies. Some of the partnerships Skyward has made on this platform have also created cross community events on other flight games and in-person meet ups. Flight Sim Expo Media Partnership Our involvement with Flight Sim Expo , North America's largest expo focused on flight simulation, was a huge move for us. By May 2021 Skyward Flight Media had found its footing with a rather eclectic mix of content focused on flight games and simulators. Wanting to further expand our content reach, Skyward made contact with the Flight Simulation Association and became a formal media partner for Flight Sim Expo. Since then, Skyward has made it a point to register for each event as media partners and attend as many of these events in person as possible. The experience of meeting so many individuals and companies within flight simulation has been a deeply impactful experience and has changed the way Skyward operates. Indie Highlight Series When deciding what the identity of Skyward Flight Media would be after the rebrand in 2019, we took note that other established flight focused media outlets focused at least 80% of their coverage on two to four flight simulators. Skyward then endeavored to establish itself as an indie flight game supportive platform from its first day of operation. Whether it was the smallest, one-off game created for a game jam or an indie game that reached game consoles, Skyward would be interested in covering it. Looking for a way to further increase our indie content rotation, the Indie Highlight Series was started on May 17th, 2025. The original concept for this series was to create compilation articles that would discuss many indie games per release. Each game mentioned receiving a paragraph or two of coverage within the articles. Release 001 followed this concept. Shortly after the series started discussions with Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen ( Project Wingman producer / co-writer , flight game focused producer) about his inclusion into the series began. An agreement was made to have FlyAwayNow join the Indie Highlight Series on July 21st, 2025, with a new focus on interviewing upcoming indie developers creating the next generation of flight games. To date, this has been one of the most successful content series in Skyward Flight Media's history. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile ]

​ The third weekend of January 2019 was undoubtedly an important weekend for the Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown but also featured a landmark event for the Ace Combat series as a whole. This summary of event coverage is the first of a set of articles about PAX South 2019 as covered by Project Lighthouse (this is the name of the organization that preceded Skyward Flight Media). ​​The initial plan was to send a single representative to observe, record and later write an article about PAX South 2019 from January 18th to January 20th, 2019. Our focus would be on everything related to Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. A few days before the event, others from the Ace Combat online community were confirmed to also be attending. The result of this was Aaron " Ribbon-Blue " Mendoza joining up with Ace Combat Fan  (Ace Combat-focused YouTuber),  F22Coleman  (USAF Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Long-time Ace Combat fan) and  Zetec  (the head of  r/AceCombat ) to collaborate on event coverage and meet with new and returning fans of the series. Ace Combat Fan, Zetec, Ribbon-Blue and F22Coleman at the AC7 booth. Attendance of Kazutoki Kono It goes without saying that any event attended by the Brand Director of the Ace Combat series is important. Having Kazutoki Kono attend PAX South on the weekend of Ace Combat 7's launch was huge. In comparison to other PAX conventions in the United States of America, PAX South is still relatively new. For this reason, along with the small window of travel before the event for Kono-san, no one was expecting him to attend before the announcement was made days before the convention doors opened. Especially not on the launch weekend of the latest main series release of the series. Kazutoki Kono autographing a postcard with the Trigger emblem. While at PAX South, Kono-san had casual interactions with the attendees, performed an interview with Ace Combat Fan and had an on-stage presentation before watching AC7 played live in an eSports style event. His two autograph sessions on Friday and Saturday were entertaining. As he signed merchandise presented to him by fans, he used his own personal cellphone to snap photos, autographed everything from postcards to video game consoles and saluted in photos with fans. He was very engaged with the event from start to finish. Fans expressed their own gratitude by presenting him with gifts . He also took the time to try a staple Texan fast food chain . The AC7 Booth In the landscape of PAX South 2019, the Ace Combat 7 booth was eye-catching in the mass of booths on the PAX floor. With a wall-sized banner as its background, the blue and white booth presented three clusters of PlayStation 4 game consoles. Eight player battle royale and virtual reality experiences we offered. Bandai Namco Entertainment USA staff and other attendants wearing flight suits consistently interacted with attendees as they came to the booth. It didn't matter if they were waiting for a chance to play or looked on from outside with curiosity, the staff there was courteous and always on standby to answer questions. Gamers at the AC7 demo area. The booth was also a meeting spot for new, returning and veteran Ace Combat fans. While there they discussed the current game and all facets of Ace Combat as a whole while networking with one another. Of note were long-time fans taking the time to teach new players quick tips to make their first flights with the Ace Combat series more enjoyable. ​Throughout the weekend three grand prizes for the individual that put up the highest score on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were available. These top scorers would win a PlayStation VR bundle that included two games, the PS VR headset, and a PlayStation camera. Winners would have their achievement commemorated with a photo of themselves with the grand prize and staff at the booth. Competition for this grand prize was quietly fierce with a handful of particularly skilled players regularly walking by to see if their score was outdone. ​ On Friday, January 18th, 2019, PAX attendees who won their battle royale matches at the Ace Combat 7 booth were registered to compete in the Air Force Ace Combat 7 Open Competition on the PAX Arena stage. A select few of them would later participate in an event on the same stage that was a landmark event for the public outlook of Ace Combat as a whole. Gamers at the AC7 demo area. Once in a Lifetime Chris Aguilar had one of the most interesting experiences any convention attendee could possibly have. During the weekend of his first convention visit ever, he won a PlayStation Virtual Reality headset for having the highest battle royale score in a day and competed in the first PAX Arena Ace Combat 7 competition. Air Force Ace Combat 7 Competition Live at PAX Arena ​​The headline event for Ace Combat at PAX South 2019 was both days of the Air Force Ace Combat 7 competitions done on the arena stage.  For those that do not know, PAX Arena broadcasts competitive game play from PAX events to thousands of Twitch viewers and a live audience. For Ace Combat, eSports style tournament play with commentary rarity but having it broadcast for the first time to such a wide audience has raised the curiosity of many. On Saturday, January 20th, Ace Combat 7 events at PAX Arena consisted of many rounds of battle royale made up of players that won matches at the AC7 booth the day before. Each victory on stage resulted in a short interview with the winner and a prize for their victory ranging from mugs, a copy of Ace Combat 7 and more (time stamp 00:00:00 to 01:53:00): After the battle royale matches, a change in programming occurred which resulted in the first-ever live team death matches for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Unexpectedly, members and affiliates of Project: Lighthouse appeared on stage as Team Project: Lighthouse - announced as the first team to participate in an eSports style event for Ace Combat 7. Commentary by Ace Combat Fan and Matrym carried through the event (timestamp: 02:02:49): The final, headline event for Ace Combat at PAX Arena was the Air Force Ace Combat 7 Showdown on Sunday, January 20th. This pitted Twitch streamers Deejay Knight , Kyente , PmsProxy , and Tinmac against members of United States of America Air Force. After an on-stage presentation with Kazutoki Kono with translation by Ace Combat Fan, both the Twitch and Air Force teams were introduced, and gameplay began. Commentary for the event included a former F-15C Eagle pilot. Colonel Bradley Oliver of the United States Air Force is the Commander of the 369th Recruiting Group. His commentary discussed his own life experiences with combat aircraft in comparison to what he saw being played on stage.   The full event can be viewed here . 'Apex Predator' Known as ' Valk ' to the Ace Combat online community, Jonathon B. now jokingly self identifies as an accidental Ace Combat eSport personality.  At PAX South 2019 he flew with the title of 'Apex Predator' as his in game nickname. A fitting name for one of the best players attending the convention that weekend. Besides securing a top score and winning a PS VR bundle, he also won a copy of Ace Combat 7 during the PAX Arena battle royales and filled an open slot with Team Project: Lighthouse in the team death match competition on the PAX Arena stage. ​ Bandai Namco America Outreach Ribbon-Blue, Dmitryi Khlynin and Ace Combat Fan. I​​n the lead up to the release of Ace Combat 7, Bandai Namco Entertainment America performed a level of community outreach they had never done before in relation to the Ace Combat franchise in the US market.  The last high-level outreach was performed in 2011, in support of the release of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Outreach was directed at AceCombatSkies, one of the oldest English Ace Combat fan forums with roots extending back to the early 2000s. This contact resulted in a representative of the long-established fan forum attending E3 2011 with the Community Manager at the time.  In 2018 and 2019, Bandai Namco Entertainment America maintained a constant presence on social media, engaged directly with well-known hubs of Ace Combat activity and performed interviews and livestreams with notable individuals from the Ace Combat online community. While at PAX South their engagement and enthusiasm continued. From the AC7 booth, behind the scenes of the Air Force Ace Combat 7 events at PAX Arena, in support of Ace Combat Fan's interview with Kazutoki Kono and encouraging F22Coleman, Ribbon-Blue, and Zetec to engage with convention attendees coming to the Ace Combat 7 booth.  Let the record show that for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Bandai Namco Entertainment America has put on one of the most, if not the most, extensive community outreach thus far for Ace Combat in the US market. Congratulations and thanks are in order for their staff for all they've done. Special thanks to Dmitryi Khlynin , Community Specialist. Many may know him from the December 2018 and January 2019  AC7 livestreams. While he may not have been on camera, his efforts were pivotal in the success of Ace Combat 7 related events at PAX South 2019 that weekend. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. A lifelong aviation enthusiast with a special interest in flight simulators and games. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating aviation related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He continues to explore past and present flight games and sims with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. | Twitter | Discord: RibbonBlue#8870 |

​This report is written by Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza who attended PAX South 2019 and experienced it all first hand. Written from his point of view, he describes some of the day by day events not mentioned in the Summary: PAX South 2019 article. Launch weekend of the long-awaited newest game from Project Aces with the brand director of the series in attendance and a live competition sponsored by the United States Air Force? It was undeniably a once in a lifetime event. ​In my opinion, some of what happened at PAX South 2019 was a landmark event for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and for the Ace Combat franchise as a whole. Preparation Two weeks before the convention doors opened, I had not looked too closely at PAX South. Just because I thought it was too far away and with Ace Combat 7 being released that weekend, a far off game convention seemed less critical. As time passed, and contacts were made, it became apparent that PAX South 2019 would be an experience with key people from Bandai-Namco USA, Project Aces (Ace Combat Development Team) and members of the Ace Combat online community. In the end, the final deciding factor for my trip was location. San Antonio, Texas, USA. My hometown.  ​Days of rushed prep work, buying supplies, researching camera equipment and booking flights and hotels paid off. By January 17th, 2019 I was landing in San Antonio still riding a wave of excitement and anticipation. All of those feelings weren't just about the convention itself. In the lead up to PAX South, I learned that Ace Combat Fan  (Ace Combat-focused YouTuber),  F22Coleman  (USAF Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Long-time Ace Combat fan) and  Zetec  (the head of  r/AceCombat ) were also going to attend. It would be one of the few times I would ever meet up with people I've spoken with on a computer screen, at a location that was sure to be full of new and returning Ace Combat fans.  In-flight entertainment. With agreements to support one another made and collaboration on media coverage established, the four of us were prepared for the weekend. Prepared for what we thought the weekend would be at least. Though my focus was on taking pictures and video, we were all pulled in much deeper than any of us had planned for.  On January 17th, at a time in the morning I may never travel during again, I was at Denver International Airport before the baggage check in kiosks were even activated. Three hours and one flight transfer later I landed in San Antonio, Texas. Midnight Pickup The same day I arrived in San Antonio, F22Coleman and I picked up Ace Combat Fan from the airport around midnight. Upon his arrival we were gifted Canadian Chocolates. My only regret is that I ate them far too quickly. San Antonio was unusually cold during the weekend. Day One - January 18th, 2019 ​My own experiences with conventions of all types and sizes have made me relatively use to them, but even for me, PAX South seemed to be larger than I expected. On the internet many people that attend other PAX  conventions talk of PAX South as though it is smaller and less important. That created a preconception before I arrived and saw it for myself. With F22Coleman at the wheel of his dependable vehicle, we picked up Zetec and met Ace Combat Fan at the Ace Combat 7 booth. ​After winding through PAX security and the various other booths, we arrived at the Ace Combat 7 area. As mentioned in the event summary article, it was eye-catching when looking at the different booths around it. The constant crowd of convention goers getting in line and looking on with interest kept the atmosphere active. After meeting with the Bandai-Namco staff there, the four of us spent the day challenging one another, interacting with fans while they waited in line, encouraged others to give the demo a try and frequently used the booth as a meetup point for the weekend. It became the unofficial event HQ for our coverage from day 1.   AC7 demonstration area. Throughout Friday, January 18th, the booth would run two unique events for attendees that played the eight-player battle royale. The winner of each round would be signed up to participate in battle royale matches for the Air Force Ace Combat 7 Open Competition to be held on Saturday, January 19th, live on the PAX Arena stage. The second event was a weekend-long high score challenge. The individual that put up the top score for each day of the convention would win a PlayStation VR bundle that included two games and the PS4 Camera. A select few skilled Ace Combat fans openly and frequently battled one another for the top prize all weekend. ​ ​ With the Saturday battle royale on the minds of the top scorers, Ace Combat Fan, F22Coleman, Zetec and myself played as many rounds as possible at the Ace Combat 7. We all felt as though we needed to gather experience quickly. No one wants to embarrass themselves in a live stream on stage. Little did I know that everyone but me brought a PS4 and a copy of AC7 with them to their hotels.  The final events of Friday rounded out with a midday lunch at Whataburger, an autograph session with Kazutoki Kono, Brand Director of the Ace Combat series and the rest of the four-man PAX South team supporting Ace Combat Fan during his interview with Kazutoki Kono. ​ ​ ​There are times when meeting the people behind your most beloved game series can be disappointing. After having conversations with Kazutoki Kono, taking photos of his autograph sessions, watching his interactions with fans and casually talking to him throughout the convention, I felt happy and relieved. He is a humble man with a genuine appreciation for those that have played and continue to support the Ace Combat series. During his autograph sessions he often took his own pictures of the merchandise fans asked him to sign and saluted with fans that asked for photos with him. You could tell he was genuinely happy to be there.  After a successful day at the convention, the four of us ended up at Denny's, the current in-joke restaurant related to Ace Combat ( ACF explains in this video ) to review the day's events and prepare for Saturday. Interview Wingmen F22Coleman, Zetec and I provided whatever support Ace Combat Fan, Kazutoki Kono and staff from Bandai-Namco Entertainment America needed for his interview. After relocating chairs, banners and personnel to an area away from the busy Ace Combat 7 booth, the interview went without a hitch. With Zetec on the camera (as seen in the photo) and myself taking separate photos, ACF's interview with Kazutoki Kono was an important part of the PAX South weekend. Day Two - January 19th, 2019 Arriving just in time to play on stage, F22Coleman, Zetec and I entered into the battle royale segment alongside new companions we met on Friday. With commentary by Ace Combat Fan and  Matrym ,  beneath the stage lights, with a camera high above roving around the arena, waves of contenders got on stage with only the winner of each round receiving a prize and a short interview. Though competitive, a casual atmosphere filled both the arena seats and the stage. As I walked around the arena snapping photos before and after my own battle royale round, an amazing chance appeared.   The decision to change the battle royale format of the segment came to us suddenly during a commercial break. With the immediate assistance from Bandai Namco staff on site, the final details were settled within minutes.  We found ourselves preparing for the first-ever, live on stage Ace Combat 7 team death match (TDM) exhibition . With less than forty minutes of overall game time on Ace Combat 7, I selected the F-15J with SAAMs and competed alongside the rest of what was be known as Team Project Lighthouse. The atmosphere of team-based competition felt like it had finally set in. This offset any nervousness or stage fright we would have felt. After four consecutive victories, Team Project Lighthouse was split, new teams were formed, and competition continued.  ​ Ace Combat Fan (right) and Matrym (left) providing commentary. Throughout the on-stage team death matches, we were told there were consecutively over 10,000 viewers on Twitch with a peak of 16,000 viewers. ​​No pressure, right?  After the on stage, on camera events ended, the post-game celebration between those that participated shifted back to the AC7 booth. You'd figure after roughly four hours of competitive game play we'd need a break. Instead, we were right back at it celebrating with our newfound companions with battle royale. It's hard for me to say if we're creatures of habit or a bit more diehard than I expected.  The second round of autographs with Kazutoki Kono resulted in him signing everything from copies of Ace Combat 7 to entire video game consoles. Zetec flew back to his home that evening, leaving Coleman and I to indulge Ace Combat Fan in a local Texan restaurant once again. Saturday's choice being Bill Miller's BBQ restaurant. With both this restaurant and Whataburger under his belt, we felt as though Ace Combat Fan could honestly say he had "been to Texas." Day Three - January 20th, 2019 USAF personnel (left), Twitch Streamers (right) January 20th, 2019. ​The final day for PAX South featured the main Ace Combat 7 event which pitted Twitch streamers  Deejay Knight ,  Kyente ,  PmsProxy , and  Tinmac  against members of United States of America Air Force. I found myself in the crowd with the other hardcore Ace Combat fans, as well as Kazutoki Kono in the audience. Cheering and commenting as we watched the tide of competition slowly rise. It was at this time, sitting in the crowd with fellow Ace Combat fans and new acquaintances that I found myself having to let this all sink in. A history of competitive Ace Combat gameplay from my time joining the online community in 2004 up to sitting in this crowd in 2019 came to mind. What a long way this has all come. Left to right: Matrym, USAF Colonel Bradley Oliver and Ace Combat Fan commentating. As my thoughts on this began to gather, F22Coleman said his goodbyes and began his drive home. This ended his weekend of being very popular with just about everyone that saw him or spoke to him for those three days.  ​Once again, those that had been involved with the live events found ourselves at the Ace Combat 7 booth. We exchanged contact information with new friends, I had reunions with members of Ace Combat online squadrons from over a decade ago and even met the representative of AceCombatSkies.com from 2011 in person. Throughout the event, I met many others that knew of Project: Lighthouse. In an interesting moment of "coming full circle," I met a younger individual along with their family. To be told that he was the same age I was when I signed up on my first Ace Combat forum in 2004 and that Project: Lighthouse was a significant part of what got him involved today was very special for me. The thanks I received from them are something I'll probably never forget. ​The final highlight of my personal PAX South experience with AC7 was using a MiG-21 with Machine Gun Pods for "the memes" as it were. The target? An advanced version of the X-02 Wyvern, one of the most well known fictional aircraft in Ace Combat. A random but hilariously satisfying high point.  With the main event hall closing at 6:00 PM on Sunday, January 20th, goodbyes were expressed, and thanks were given to Ace Combat Fan and the dedicated staff of Bandai Namco USA who truly performed above and beyond. Not only at PAX South, but in many other ways leading up to the launch weekend for Ace Combat 7.  The after effects of the meetings, interviews, live events, photos and videos of PAX South 2019 are still having an effect on the online community at large today. In the background of the energy surround in the release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, plans are being laid for long term ventures created by and managed by various members and organizations within the Ace Combat community.  I look forward to seeing where it all goes from here. Kazutoki Kono and Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. A lifelong aviation enthusiast with a special interest in flight simulators and games. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating aviation related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He continues to explore past and present flight games and sims with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. | Twitter | Discord: RibbonBlue#8870 |

Our interview with Ace Combat Brand Director Kazutoki Kono at PAX South 2019 was originally scheduled for Tokyo Game Show in 2018, but under went a rescheduling due to unforeseen circumstances. We give our special thanks to Bandai-Namco US community specialist Dmitryi Khlynin for assisting with the rescheduling of this interview. This interview is available in English and ​日本語 thanks to TaskForce23 who also assisted Ace Combat Fan in his  interview with Kazutoki Kono. Congratulations on the official release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. What a surprise it was to have you present on the launch weekend of Ace Combat 7. Thank you for making the trip to San Antonio, Texas to meet with the fans in person. What did you think of PAX South? Were you surprised by how many fans were wearing flight suits? ​I was really surprised. (lol) It was a sight that you really don’t see in Japan. They showed that they were fans of Ace Combat from head to toe, and I was really pleased. What were your thoughts on seeing Ace Combat 7 played live on the PAX Arena stage in competition? For this event, we showcased the multiplayer and VR modes. Many times I watched from the booth, wondering “what kind of playstyle are they going for?” in the multiplayer mode. I laughed because first place for the daily rankings went to community members every day. Have you seen any events in Japan for Ace Combat similar to what you saw in PAX Arena? There aren’t that many events hosted in Japan. In contrast, PAX is an event that takes place in many locations in North America over the course of the entire year, and was an impressive event  where “real game fans” gather, with these communities and fans at the core. Looking at the differences in how these events are in Japan and North America, it was very intriguing as an example of what we [in Japan] should aim for. In AC7, Spare Squadron is a penal military unit, which is very unique for the Ace Combat series. The concept of using the 'Sin Lines' to represent how severe their crimes are is eye-catching. Why did you decide to use this kind of unit? When brainstorming scenarios for Ace Combat, one very important factor to consider is “what kind of name/designation will the player be known by from his enemies and allies?” In the case of this game, we thought “what about having scars on the tail [of the aircraft]?” as a design-like symbol. That became “diagonal strike lines,” and while this idea was moving towards “sin lines,” we also wanted the game scenario to put the player in a situation that differed from previous installments. Thus this concept [of a penal unit] was born and both of these ideas [sin lines and a penal unit] were created accordingly. About the mural "Skies Unknown". As you know, people find different messages or meanings when they observe art. When you view the mural, what do you think about it? Since I’m the person who instructed the artist to “make a painting like this,” I know all the meanings that were put into it. (Lol) But I still think about the virtue of aiming towards a so-called Utopia that goes beyond ethnicity and nations, and how it can be realized in “a painting,” but is something that cannot really be done in reality. "Skies Unknown" by Yukari Masuike. Unrelated to the main story of Ace Combat 7, the hero Mobius 1 from Ace Combat 04 and 5's Arcade mode returns for the PlayStation VR missions. How did Project Aces feel reintroducing this iconic protagonist? At first, I had doubts like “do we really need to bring back a protagonist from ten years ago?” I even had fears thinking, “will this ruin the dreams of all the fans?” In the end, I made the decision to entrust it to the staff’s strong enthusiasm. As a result, the fans were delighted, so I feel wonderful about it. It seems like the pilots flying alongside Mobius 1 are unsure of his exploits from the past conflicts. One of them even said they don't like "old timer pilots." What a change of tone regarding a former hero! What was the reason for this change around Mobius 1? One of Ace Combat 7’s themes is “the gap between the old era and the new era.” Even Mobius 1 cannot fight against this tide. However, through players flying as him, he was able to make those around him accept that he is a hero once again. Those actions themselves are our message. In your opinion, what is the greatest accomplishment the Project Aces team achieved during the development of Ace Combat 7? The fact that we developed the game with new members and a new [organizational] structure, overcame huge hardships, but was able to good results. This was especially true for the clouds. “Through the use of clouds, effects of  weather and air currents will be added, revolutionizing the environment in the sky, and the gameplay itself will become new.” There were some staff members that were skeptical of this, and we were even firmly told “NO” by the in-house product evaluation team. Even then, we believed in the concept, completed it, and actually received support from users and fans for the novelty this “revolution in the skies” brought. That [support we received] is proof that the development team carefully examined the vision that lay before them. Without visionaries, there won’t be a good development [period]. Implementing virtual reality is undoubtedly a landmark achievement for the Ace Combat series. When the team tested the final build of the VR component, what were your feelings and thoughts? We realized that this really elevated the fun of Ace Combat, “the experience of a pilot flying and fighting freely in the skies.” We really felt that revolutionizing entertainment shouldn’t be done solely on the software side of things, and that revolution will come from innovation in hardware. We are hoping that many more people get to experience VR. After seeing VR in its completion do you feel as though future Ace Combat titles could utilize VR on a larger scale? It is possible. Despite problems from a business point-of-view. We gained experience in the methods and know-how of how to create an Ace Combat specialized for VR. We’ve said this many times before, but if we were to create an Ace Combat game solely for VR, the storytelling and presentation will be completely different from previous installments. If it’s a product that requires that much effort, there needs to be a correspondingly high demand for it. In the past, you've said you're a fan of the Sukhoi Flanker series of aircraft. That being said, are you living your dream of flying a Su-30 Flanker with AC7 and PSVR? We didn’t include it just to suit my personal tastes. I think the dreams of a lot of fans have been achieved. Am I wrong? (lol) What is the process to translate the game and game materials to other languages like? First of all, we transcribe everything in Japanese. Then we translate those into English, which is then translated into other languages, but in the case of Project ACES, we work on the English wording within the team, and re-check and re-translate military terminology. With the release of Ace Combat 5, the series introduced the map of what would become known as the "Strangereal" World. How early in development did the decision to create an original world arise? For example, did the idea start with Ace Combat 04 development back in the year 2000? “Ulysses” and “a world with craters” were born when I was working as art director for 04. I thought in the Ace Combat world, a world where you look down at the ground from the sky, a “massive symbol” was required. This was to differentiate it from other flight games. At that time, I think instead of “creating a world,” we were focused on “creating a setting where battles between fighter jets are frequent and heroes are more easily made.” Afterwards, I personally named and called it a “Strange Real World.” That turned into “Strangereal” among fans, developed into common language, and thus became a world. A world map in 5 was shown because it was necessary to depict the cross-national war between Osea and Yuktobania. Map of the original world of Ace Combat. On the subject of Strangereal, what are some of your favorite additions from over the years? Any specific countries, characters, original aircraft or events? Hmm, this is a very difficult question. I want to know what’s going on in places like SOTOA where nothing has been talked about yet. (lol) I’ve checked the main stories over and over again, so I love everything equally. Rather, I like the “events not depicted in the main story of Strangereal” that are presented on the Japanese official website or Aces at War. Seeing those things, it really feels like Strangereal actually exists. Were there any original aircraft designs you wanted included in a game, but they were never used? Could you possibly describe any of them or tell us their names? All original aircraft should be included in one title or another. Even the ADA-01B “Adler” which had not been implemented for a long time was added in Ace Combat Infinity. Right now, I feel like there aren’t any [unused aircraft]. In games and books from series' past, there are references to unseen conflicts in the 1900s of Strangereal. Some Ace Combat games featured famous World War II-era aircraft as a part of their aircraft list as well. Has there ever been talk of a making a World War II-era Ace Combat game using propeller-driven aircraft? Even now, Producer Shimomoto frequently proposes ideas. We definitely have staff that want to make one within the development team. However, we, Project ACES is a much smaller team than what you imagine. We have our hands full with just 7 and the season pass. Another game by Project Aces, Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, features wind and minor clouds in its gameplay. Did these mechanics have an influence in the early development of Ace Combat 7? There are no direct influences. The clouds and wind phenomenon seem the same, but the way of implementing things via “setting the concept’s focal point” and “adding features” varies greatly. In the case of setting the concept’s focal point, conforming to the concept affects the game system, scenarios, presentation, multiplayer, and everything else. The blueprint becomes something totally different. This is a feeling particular to [game] development, so it might be hard to put into words. Throughout the years the Project Aces team has interacted with the Japanese Self Defense Forces in many ways. Have you had any memorable experiences involving the JSDF? Have they taken you for a flight in one of their aircraft? Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to ride in one, but some development staff has sat in the cockpit of one their aircraft. We’re always so grateful for their cooperation when we collect data, but the most memorable experience was that they went out of their way to line up F-15s and F-2s at Matsushima and Nyutabaru Air Bases for the Ace Combat 7 exhibits. I was extremely moved on how the people on the bases came together to promote our work. Has your vision for Ace Combat 7 come alive with the game’s release? I don’t think everything has been fulfilled. There are probably users who weren’t satisfied. However, I think we have definitely moved the series forward. After experiencing 7’s skies, “the sensation of the sky” in previous works should feel like there is something missing. The fact that we were able to go one step beyond that ambient sense and revolutionize [the game] by appealing to the human senses makes me think that my vision has been achieved. Our final question: How would you describe your journey with this franchise as it has evolved? I feel like I’ll be like Mihaly soon. People like Producer Shimomoto, [VR] Producer Tamaoki, and Trigger and his allies have appeared. The times will change. I want to stand in their way as an obstacle that must be crossed and surpassed. We would like to thank you for this interview and meeting with our interviewer at PAX South. Thank you for everything you and the Project Aces team has done to create the Ace Combat series and continue moving it ever forward. ​ The original Japanese interview can be found here . About the Translator TaskForce 23 // Japanese to English Translation About the Interviewer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Profile]

Our interview with Ace Combat Brand Director Kazutoki Kono at PAX South 2019 was originally scheduled for Tokyo Game Show in 2018, but under went a rescheduling due to unforeseen circumstances. The questions presented in this interview were gathered from various members and staff from Project: Lighthouse during the lead up to the convention, along with questions that were created onsite at PAX South. We give our special thanks to Bandai-Namco US community specialist Dmitryi Khlynin for assisting with the rescheduling of this interview. This interview is available in English and ​日本語 thanks to TaskForce23 who also assisted Ace Combat Fan in his  interview with Kazutoki Kono. エースコンバット７: スカイズ・アンノウンの発売おめでとうございます。ゲーム発売の週末に来てくれて驚きました。テキサス州のサンアントニオに来て、ファンに直接会ってくれてありがとうございました。 PAX Southをどう思いましたか？こんなにたくさんフライトスーツを着ているファンがいるのにびっくりしましたか？ とても驚きましたよ。(笑)日本ではなかなか見られない光景です。ACE COMBATのファンであることを全身で表現していて、すごく嬉しかったです。 エースコンバット７が生でPAX会場にプレーされていたことの感想は？ 今回は、マルチプレイとVRを出展しました。マルチプレイは「どういう遊ばれ方をしているのだろう？」と気にかけて何度もブースで見守っていました。デイリーランキングの1位が毎日、コミュニティのメンバーだったので笑いました。 PAX会場で行われたようなイベントは日本にもありましたか？ 日本のイベント開催数はそれほど多くありません。対照的にPAXは北米で数か所にわたって年間を通して行われるイベントで、また「本当のゲームファン」が集まり、コミュニティやファンが中心になっている力強いイベントでした。日本と北米のイベントの在り方の違い、目指すべきお手本としてとても興味深かったです。 7に登場するスペア部隊は懲罰部隊で、エースコンバットシリーズの中でもとても一意的な存在となっています。「罪線」を使って、犯した罪の重さを示すコンセプトは目立ちました。どうしてこのような部隊を使うことにしたのですか？ エースコンバットのシナリオを考えて行く際に、プレイヤーが「なんという呼称で敵と味方に知られるか？」というのが１つの大切な要素です。今回の場合、デザイン的なシンボルとして、「尾翼に爪痕」があるのはどうだろう？と考えました。それが、「斜線の取り消し線」となり、「罪線」という設定に進む中で、同時にシナリオもこれまでとは違った境遇にプレイヤーを置いてみたい。というコンセプトが生まれ、双方が一致する形で誕生しました。 絵画:「スカイズ・アンノウン」について。ご存知でしょうが、人は絵を見て色々なメッセージや意味を見つけますが、河野さんはこれを見てどんなことが頭に浮かびますか？ 僕は、「このような絵にしてください」という指示をした身ですので、込められた意味を全て知ってしまっています。(笑)ただ、民族、国家を超えて理想郷ともいえる世界を目指すということの尊さ、またそれは『絵』では実現できるが、現実ではなかなか実現できないということを考えます。 絵画: スカイズ・アンノウン 7のメインストーリーとは関係ないですが、エースコンバット04とエースコンバット5のアーケードモードの英雄、メビウス1がPlaystation VRのミッションにまた登場します。Project Acesの皆さんはこの象徴的な主人公の再導入にどう感じました？ 最初は、わざわざ本当に「十数年前の主人公を再び借り出す必要があるのか？」と疑問はありました。「ファンの方々の夢を壊してしまうのではないか？」という恐怖もありました。最終的にスタッフの熱意の強さに「任せてみよう」と決断しました。結果として、ファンの方々も喜んでくださったので素晴らしいと感じています。 メビウス1と一緒に飛んでいる仲間たちは彼の過去の成果に自信がなさそうですね。 「故老」はすきではないと言うやつもいました。元英雄になんという言葉遣い！どうしてメビウス1への態度が変わったのでしょうか？ ACE COMBAT 7のテーマの１つに「旧時代から新時代への狭間」があります。メビウス1もその波には抗えません。しかしながら、皆さんのプレイによって、彼は再び英雄であることを周囲に認めさせました。その行動自体が我々のメッセージです。 河野さんはエースコンバット7を開発している間、Project Acesの最大の功績とは何だと思いますか？ 新しいメンバー、新しい体制で挑戦的な開発を行い、大きな苦労を乗り越えて成果を出したことです。「雲」の表現１つとってもそうです。『「雲」によって、天候、気流が加わり、空の環境が革新されて、ゲームプレイそのものが新しくなる。』このことに懐疑的なスタッフもいましたし、実際に社内での製品評価チームにも「NO」を突き付けられました。それでもコンセプトを信じて完成させて、実際にユーザー、ファンの皆さんから『空の革新』がもたらす新しさに支持を得たこと。それは、開発チームがキチンと半歩先のビジョンをみて開発を続けた証拠になります。ビジョナリストなしには良い開発はありません。 バーチャルリアリティーをエースコンバットに導入できたことは画期的な成果で間違いないです。完成したVRモードをテストした時、Project Acesの皆さんの気持ちや思いはどんなものでしたか？ これはエースコンバットの原点的な楽しみ、「空を自由飛んで闘うパイロットの体験」の根底を格上げさせるものだと気づきました。エンターテイメントの革新はソフト側だけで行うことではなく、ハードの革新性によって飛躍的に高まるということを実感しました。もっとVRを体験する人が増えて欲しいと我々は願っています。 VRモードの完成を見たとき、将来のエースコンバットにもっと大きな規模にVRを用いることができると思いましたか？ 可能ですね。ビジネス的な課題、問題はあるにせよ。VRに特化したACE COMBATの制作のメソッド、ノウハウは溜まりました。何度もお話していますが、VR専用のACE COMBATを制作する場合は、ストーリーテリングも、演出も全て従来とは違ったものになります。それだけの大規模な作品であれば、それ相応の受け皿が必要ですね。 河野さんは前にSukhoi社の飛行機がお気に入りだと言ったことがありますが、Su-30をエースコンバット7のVRモードで飛べることができて夢が叶ったのでは？ 僕の個人的な趣味で収録したわけではありません。多くのファンの夢を叶えたと思っています。違いますか？(笑) ゲームやゲームの資料を英語や他の語言に通訳するときはどんな手順を取るのですか？ 先ずは日本語で全て書き起こします。それを英語化して、そこから各国の言語に翻訳していくのですが、Project ACESの場合、英語化されたものをチーム内で言い回しや、ミリタリー用語の再チェック、再翻訳を行っています。 エースコンバット5の発売で、シリーズは初めて「ストレンジリアル」と名付けられる世界の地図を紹介しました。開発のいつ頃から別世界を生み出すと決めたのですか？もしかしてエースコンバット04が開発が行われていた2000年頃からですか？ 僕がアートディレクターを務めた04で「ユリシーズ」と「クレーターのある世界」が誕生しました。僕は空から地表を見下ろすこの世界、ACE COMBATの世界には「巨大なシンボル」が必要だと考えました。それは他のフライトゲームとの差別化です。その時は「世界を生み出す」というより、「より戦闘機同士の闘いや、英雄が作りやすくなる設定を作る」だったと思います。その後、Strange Real Worldという名称で個人的に発信していました。それがファンの間で「ストレンジリアル」となって共通言語化し、世界となったのです。5での世界地図の公開は、オーシアとユークトバニアの国家間戦争を描くため必要になったのです。 ストレンジリアル 河野さんは「ストレンジリアル」の中の好みな国、登場人物、オリジナル機体や出来事はありますか？ うーん、非常に難しい質問ですね。まだ語られていないSOTOAとかで何が起こっているのか知ってみたいです。(笑)僕は、本編は何度も何度もチェックを重ねるので、すべてが平等に愛おしくなってしまっています。むしろ個人的には日本の公式ページや、ACES  at WARで発表されている「ストレンジリアルの世界で起こっていた本編で描かれていない出来事」が好きですね。あれらを見ると、より、ストレンジリアルの世界は実在するような気がしてきます。 オリジナル機体をゲームに含みたかったけれど、出来なかったことはありますか？もしあればその機体の名前やデザインのことを話せますか？ オリジナル機体自体は、全て何れかのタイトルに収録されているはずです。長年、実装されていなかったADA-01B”ADLER”もACE COMBAT INFINITYにて収録されましたし。今のところは存在しない気がします。 シリーズ過去のゲームや資料にはストレンジリアルの1900年代に起こった戦争や紛争が言及されています。有名な第二次世界大戦の戦闘機が登場したエースコンバットもあります。第二次世界大戦頃のプロペラ機をつかったエースコンバットゲームを開発する談話があったことはありましたか？ 今も下元プロデューサーからちょくちょく提案されます。開発の中にも作りたいというスタッフはいますね。ただ、僕らProject ACESは皆さんが想像するよりも小さな開発チームです。7とシーズンパスで手一杯ですね。 Project Acesが他にも開発したゲーム、Sky Crawlers: innocent Acesは立体っぽい雲や風が飛行機を動かす機能が含まれていました。この機能はエースコンバット7の初期開発に影響をあたえましたか？ 直接的な影響はないです。雲も風も、同様の現象ではありますが、「コンセプトの軸に据える」という考えと、「機能を追加する」では作り込む方向が全く異なります。軸に据えた場合は、それに準じてゲームシステム、シナリオ、演出、マルチプレイと全てに影響を及ぼします。設計図は全く違うものになるのです。これは開発的な感覚なので上手く言語化できていないかもしれませんね。 Project Acesのチームは日本自衛隊と色々かかわっていますが、自衛隊との忘れられない経験とかありますか？ 航空自衛隊の飛行機に乗ったことはありますか？ 残念ながら私は乗ったことがないのですが、開発スタッフの何人かは、コクピットに搭乗しています。我々の取材へのご協力にはいつも大変感謝していますが、最も印象的だったのは、松島基地や新田原基地など、ACE COMBAT 7の出展に際して、わざわざ本物のF-15やF-2を並べてくれたことです。基地の方々が一致団結して我々の作品を盛り上げてくださって、すごく感動しました。 ゲームが発売してから、河野さんのエースコンバット7のビジョンは叶ったと思いますか？ 全てが叶ったとは思いません。賛成できないユーザーもいらっしゃるでしょう。しかしながら、我々は確実にシリーズを前進させました。7の空を体験した後に、過去作の空を飛んだなら、「空の感触」に物足らなさを感じるはずです。そういう、臨場感より一歩踏み込んだ、人間の感覚に訴える革新ができたことは、ビジョンが叶ったと考えています。 最後の質問です。このシリーズが進化していく中、河野さんの「旅」はどのようなものですか？ 僕はそろそろミハイかと。下元Pや玉置Pなどトリガーたちが現れました。時代は変わっていきます。彼らの障害として、越えなければならない存在として立ち塞がりたいと思っています。 Project: Lighthouseはこのインタビューに参加し、PAX Southで私たちの会見者と会ってくれた河野さんに感謝を告げます。あなたとProject Acesの皆さんがエースコンバット    シリーズを生み出し、それを進歩し続けてくださって本当にありがとうございます。

Mind Melting Air Combat, Soviet Future Punk Monster Slaying Hey howa’ doin, FlyAwayNow here again, bringing you Q and As from the cold dystopian Soviet flavored future past and simultaneously a bombastic delivery simulator. The line between these two being, of course, aerial combat. In one: the enemy is rebellion and monstrous manifestations of creatures more horrible yet than all of the imagery of Christian reckoning. In the other? Drones and dragons and the g-force itself. We are surrounded by radical dreamers in this genre, building brick by brick new games that bring this genre of arcade flight action, in its wide gradient, to its gameplay ends of explosive, fast-paced, insanity seen only in Touhou or the rebirth of the Boomer Shooter these last few years, or the other side of the Iron Curtain, where order and politics at the End of History are as much of a threat as cancerous beings, bleeding in the streets.  Here are two of those dreamers: Yollie, and Misha, of Delivery Must Complete and Zakon . Delivery Must Complete Website Links: Linktree Who are You? I'm Yoyoyollie, but I prefer people calling me Yollie. If you call me Yoyo, I will stab you. I'm an Australian gamedev who makes games as a hobby and have been doing so for like, 5-ish years now, all for game jams. I've made 29 games as of now, but currently this game is going to be my 30th.... that is, if I don't end up doing (another) jam in the middle of making this one. You might know me from GMTK 2024 (because I was a winner, Pizzascaper, search it up). I'll do my best to make this game with the skills I learnt from making all those.  Why are you making your game and this type of game?  Honestly, the main reason I'm making this game like this is I just feel like I should make a full game by now (lol). A lot of my dev friends are moving from doing jams to making full games and I felt like I should be doing the same, so here I am. This genre in particular because I'm sick and tired of waiting for Ace Combat 8 to release. Though as you might be able to tell, I'm also a big fan of the spectacle of games like Devil May Cry / Ultrakill, plus I also like roguelikes, so I sorta just stuffed all that into the game and it works? What do you want this game to be? I absolutely want this game to be fast paced and action packed, as well as having a ton of build variety and depth in its roguelike elements. I mean, I can't be the only one who found Project Wingman's Conquest mode lackluster, right? As I design the game, I realize I'm deviating a lot from traditional acelike design (by that I mean, basically just Ace Combat and games like it) but it lets me have way more freedom in what I can do with the game, so it's a fair tradeoff. Also, I do not want this game to focus on story as much as Ace Combat does, and the story won't ever be nearly as serious. Instead, I want to dedicate all that into the gameplay, because I think a fun game is more important.  29 Game Jams and games is a lot, what’s your secret? Doing jams is really fun and somewhat addicting, and every time an interesting jam came up I'd join it and give it a shot... which ended up being like, 80 jams (though I only managed to submit to 31). Game jams are just really, really fun to participate in, especially being able to have a game idea and rock out a prototype in a weekend. I LIVE for that adrenaline rush at 2am, an hour before submissions close, finishing and building a game while battling the clock. What’s your background? When did you get started making games? Aside from messing around with scratch when very young, I basically learnt gamedev and programming entirely through game jams. I did originally start gamedev by just straight up following a tutorial series loosely for a month or so, but game jams were what really taught me how to make games. I guess, after practicing making games for jams enough, I just got good at it? Were you surprised by how much traction Delivery Must Complete, then Cloudbreaker, got when you shared it for the first time? Not at all, the first time I shared it, it got as much as most of my other twitter posts get. A couple dozen likes and a few retweets (lol). The first reddit post (and later on the first YouTube post) REALLY surprised me though. I literally did not expect the community to have that good of a reaction to the game and was very unprepared for it. Now I’m terrified of filling up the Ace Combat subreddit with posts about Delivery Must Complete instead of Ace Combat (lol). I wonder what the mods will think about that.  This game used to be called Cloudbreaker, and now it’s Delivery Must Complete. What caused the name change? Literally a day or two after I put the game up on Steam, another game that was ALSO called Cloudbreaker got put up. The other game's team had been working on their title for longer than mine at that point, so it was just a pure coincidence we both came up with the same name and published the pages at the same time. Anyways, I decided to change the name of my game so we wouldn't sabotage each other's place on search engines (also it gave me an excuse to get a redesign for the old mediocre logo for the game).  How about inspirations for Delivery Must Complete? You mentioned Ultrakill and Devil May Cry above, but anything else?   The main inspirations for the game are, of course, Ace Combat, Project Wingman, Ultrakill and Devil May Cry. I also took a lot of inspiration from Afterburner, especially the sheer speed and energy it has. I suppose the roguelike elements of the game are heavily inspired by Backpack Hero and Sephiria, with a little bit of Slay The Spire and Hades on the side. The drift and boost in the game were actually inspired by Mario Kart, funnily enough. I don't actually have a Nintendo Switch, I just thought one day, "oh, that could work in a plane game." How long do you think a run in Delivery Must Complete can last? I'm aiming for a full run from an experienced player to last somewhere around 45-60 minutes! There is still a bit of game design that will probably change a lot as I develop the rest of the game though, so it might be longer / shorter by release. What features make your roguelike experience the way it is? The biggest feature is the upgrade grid system. It ’s difficult to explain through text and it’s still WIP but it allows players to customize and improve on practically every aspect their weapons and aircraft throughout a run. Much deeper than what games like Ace Combat let you do. Aside from that, the fully procedural environments and the Slay The Spire style map are both pretty new to the genre and makes the game feel wildly different between runs. Why’d you decide to go after this crazy aesthetic for DMC? It's more like I really don't wanna do realism and stuff like other acelikes do because it takes too much effort. Plus I'm too lazy to draw any textures. This style means I just have to make a couple shaders here and there, and I'm not restrained by having to make things look feasibly realistic. I mean, I do this sorta similar visual style for a lot of my jam games because it's pretty damn fast, so I'm used to it by now -- its gotten to the point where some people I know can tell that I worked on a game just by looking at the VFX... which might mean I have a unique visual style but might also mean I'm not creative enough. Idk.  You post a lot of new features on your social media, how much more can you possibly have? I'm lucky enough to be working in a genre which already has crazy ass stuff constantly, and I'm designing the game around having a ton of variety in the content. So literally anything. I'll continue showing them off on socials though, making weird content is always very fun to do  I don't want to dig too deep but, what's going on as far as story and characters go in DMC? What are we delivering? The game will have story, characters, but most importantly, planes. No, actually, not that, the most important part of the story is what you're delivering. It's highly confidential but you gotta get it there fast, it tastes way better piping hot! Is it a pizza? No comment. Alright well what's your favorite type of pizza, unrelated to the previous question? Pineapple. Nice. Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Wishlist the game, RIGHT NOW ON STEAM ( https://devilmayfly.com/ ). PLEASE WISHLIST I BEG YOU. Also join the Discord too if you want. ZAKON Website Links: Itch.io  | Steam  | X.com   | Who are you? My name is Misha (or Mishanya). I'm a regular shmegular software developer who is developing Zakon in my free time. Why are you making your game and this type of game? The origin story of Zakon is related to Ubisoft but not in a way that you would think. During my last year of University, I applied there for an intern or junior dev and got rejected. One of the reasons was that I didn't have a C++ project in my portfolio (which was true). So, I decided to play around with Unreal Engine and have something in my portfolio. Because I didn't know any 3D and especially modelling, I decided to go with the flying game because: A. I always liked the jets IRL and jet & vehicle games. B. It was much easier to do, in comparison with the normal 3D human-characters games. After some time though, the game grew into something much more defined and I decided to try and make it into a real video game. What do you want this game to be? Sadly, I didn't know what direction I wanted to take with Zakon for a fat while. That made a lot of the aspects feel incoherent or not well developed all together. Only somewhere late in the development I was able to shape out what Zakon is and what ideas I want to explore with it. Developing a game, for me, is a way to explore a certain idea or a topic. Usually, I have only one main idea that the whole game is structured upon: from gameplay to the story, UI, sounds, worldbuilding, etc... I've always been fascinated when videogames are using all of the available tools of this media: from the writing and cinematography during the cutscenes, sparkly VFX, gameplay input controls, etc... to the consequences of the player's actions in the world. When everything is being made with the idea of the supporting the main topic. That being said, the main topic of Zakon is "following orders". Especially now, with so many terrible conflicts in the world, we yet again are faced with the arguments surrounding "I was only following orders". It's easy to judge it while being inside our cozy houses, but it's hard to imagine what it's like to actually be a soldier and receive inhumane orders. Of course, if it were only good vs. evil there would be far fewer questions about that, but I think there are a lot of variables that have a great effect in the decision making and even in knowing that the there is a decision to be made. In a way, Zakon is just a tool to explore that. Through the game the player will have questionable mission objectives and it's up to the player to decide what to do with them. Not knowing that you can disobey is already a part of this conversation. You complete the orders? Great! The UI is going crazy in the affirmation of your actions and here, have some cool new shiny upgrades that are fun to use. You accidentally helped the protestors? Careful, your Social Score has been decreased and who knows what happens when it goes too low? Better keep it high and healthy. And the people and the officers are shaming you? Not good. You helped to stop the protests? Yay, people are cheering and happy, right? They must be happy if they are cheering? I don't want to sound all this artsy-housy pretentious guy. I'm not trying to hide it under layers of deep meanings. On the contrary, I just think we kinda lack some simple games with silly gameplay and a topic that is somewhat easy to access and digest. What are some inspirations for Zakon? I've been thinking about it for a lot but honestly, I don't think that there are many inspirations. Obviously, I take a lot of visual inspiration from Evangelion, Gundam, old PS2/PS1 games. But nothing in particular. The most "influential" were real events, such as protests in Belarus and in Russia. In both countries, after the big protests and the start of the war, there was a trend of policemen burning their uniform on video. Some of them got arrested and are still in jail AFAIK. I would say this is one of the big questions that I want to explore and maybe find an answer to in Zakon. Zakon can be a bit intimidating to get into, so, just for a short summary, what is the world of Zakon? The world of Zakon is somewhat based on the real world which had quite a few historical turns during the 19th century.  The game takes place in the capital of a country called Krasnogorie. It's an exaggerated high-tech world with old problems. I often find myself calling it "futuristic soviet punk" to give it a simple and short explanation. I've played Zakon, and it's not exactly the easiest, or most traditional of "flight" games. Do you intend it to be a harder experience? Yes, that's one of the biggest hurdles of Zakon. There is a lot to this question, but ultimately it comes down to the trade-offs of what I want from the game and what a player will experience.  From a conceptual point of view, Zakon is on the harder side: Much more dense map Non-trivial navigation Big boss fights Due to the high density of the city, I had to modify the controls to the extreme in comparison with other flight games. However, this led to a lot of frustration for the players because it doesn't feel right at the beginning. Especially if they have little experience with flight games. I received a lot of feedback from the demo about it, tried a bunch of different methods, but sadly I couldn't get anything to work properly to give the same feeling and level of control. But also there is another big point to it - my abilities. The game is clearly unpolished and lacking some of the basic QOL features. Buuuut I'm still relatively new to game development and due to the lack of experience I might not even know how to make something feel better.  That being said, the game fundamentally has a level of difficulty which I wanted. I will work on improving it and adding QOL features but I doubt I will make it easier, hopefully less frustrating though. How much farther do you have to go in development before 1.0? Ah, the famous question... And the famous answer is - hopefully not a lot. All the main things are more or less completed: all the missions are done, most of the cutscenes are done, the main systems are done, etc... So, the roadmap would be something like: Finish all the endings Improve QOL Localization UI fixes Sound fixes OST coherence Fix what needs to be fixed Balance changes Performance optimization Any closing thoughts or things you want to say? Thank you for the opportunity to speak about Zakon . I really feel grateful that my little game could bring so much attention. I appreciate everybody for their support and thank you to all who played the demo. I did not expect myself to be an indie developer and definitely did not expect Zakon to reach this level. I'm enjoying the ride and, with all the flying games that are being baked right now, am excited about the future of this genre. And remember: war bad, jets rad . About the Interviewer Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen Artwork by alice (@atrousyolks) Producer, writer, incidentally personified online as a rooster. One of the three main developers of Project Wingman and now working across the board on several other combat flight videogames, audioplays, podcasts, and books. Advocate for indie creators, fanfiction, and critical analysis of what you love. [ Bluesky  / Linkedin  / X.com ]

The rarest forms of flight in VRChat aviation Welcome to the first article in a new series, VRChat Aviation Journal. This series will be focused on discussing sets of VRChat Aviation (VRCA) worlds tied to a similar theme. We are creating this series to increase awareness of VRChat worlds and their world creators beyond a few dedicated articles on specific experiences. There is no denying that to the casual onlooker, fixed wing fighters locked in air-to-air combat is the default experience of VRChat Aviation (VRCA). Rightfully so. If you were to gather all of the worlds that use the Sacc Flight prefab to make flight possible in VRChat, it is probably not an exaggeration to say that at least 80% of them are combat focused. On the General Aviation (GA) side of things, most of those worlds are about airliners, smaller fixed-wing passenger aircraft and helicopters. In this article, I discuss a few of the smallest subsect of GA worlds: airships and gliders. The list is short but distinguished. I would like to thank fellow Skyward Flight Media staff members ' Cubeboy ' and ' Hueman ' for their assistance in flying these aircraft with me and providing the screenshots within this article. Just Airship by Tobiuo Up until recently, airships in VRChat have existed in name only. Just static objects that give the illusion of being in an airship. Really more of an object shaped like an air balloon permanently hanging in the sky. Just Airship  by Tobiuo (とびうお)  finally changed this by giving players a hands-on airship experience. This world was released on June 21st, 2025, and if the fantastic promotional video did not win me over, visiting in person certainly did. It is set around the experience of traveling from island to island to view them from above or land to explore them on foot. Island houses, a crashed container ship, a windfarm, large beaches and other landmarks await. While in transit, even whales can be observed traversing the ocean. This is very much a sightseeing world. The colorful airships in this gleaming archipelago are the stars of it all. While sitting in the back of the cabin, looking out the window, I felt myself physically unwind. The airships are flown with VR controllers or keyboard and mouse. They use standard Sacc Flight controls though they are so unusual compared to other aircraft, it takes a bit to understand how to properly ascend and descend correctly. The airship can come to a hover to slowly descend or ascend with nearly zero forward movement. This capability allows the airship to land in relatively secluded areas. Something especially useful on the islands and other landmarks scattered throughout the world. While you will not see airships flying at the speed of sound, they can travel around the speed of an ultra-light aircraft. At time its feels as though, the airship is moving a bit faster than most real-world airships, but not so fast there is a danger of not being able to enjoy the finer details of the world. The world creator tuned the experience to be accessible for people that may be unsure how exactly and airship flies, while also letting people master its slow speed characteristics over time. The flight deck, which has an eye bleeding amount of detail, seats up to six people with the pilot is in full control of this aerostat aircraft. There is an impressive array of flight instruments available, at least in terms of what you would expect from an airship. While Just Airship  by Tobiuo (とびうお) does have first person view drones and a helicopter with a rather impressive gyro-stabilized multi-axis gimbal housing an observation camera, it truly is the airship that makes the experience. Test Pilots by Sacchan Test Pilots is the birthplace of VRChat aviation. This world was created by Sacchan , the solo developer of the free to download Sacc Flight and Vehicles prefab ; the "seed" that has made an entire generation of aviation possible in VRChat. Test Pilots is often the introduction for new players to see what is possible with aviation on the VRChat platform. Since April 2020, the Test Pilots world was the first VRCA world and to this day continues to be the most visited world in the entire genre with over 15 million visits as of the time of this article's release. We have written about this pioneering world in detail, but its primary draw is the variety of aircraft and other vehicles it provides in a single experience. On September 14th, 2025, Sacchan added a new air vehicle to the experience: a Hot Air Balloon. The Test Pilots Hot Air Balloon does not rely on the familiar control scheme that the fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft in the world utilize. The balloon gains lift with its burner cluster mounted above the passenger platform and pilot seat. When turned on, the burners gradually increase the altitude of the balloon. Players that are standing on the platform are carried aloft even when not in the pilot seat. Synchronization issues make avatars seem as though they are clipping through the platform, making photos while standing on the platform a bit awkward. But it is functional. Rather than use the tried-and-true control method of SaccFlight, the flight direction of the balloon is controlled by a wind controller - a first for a SaccFlight vehicle. While in the pilot seat, players use their left-hand Touch Controller while holding the lower button to show a small blue arrow which shows the direction of wind. Rotating this arrow by moving an arm to the left or right will change the direction of the wind and the direction the balloon will fly. That sounds rather 'normal' when you think about it in terms of how airships actually operate, but for VRChat aviation it is an entirely new concept. I can appreciate this new effort towards a more realistic hot air balloon experience. The only real "problem" here is avatar synchronization, but that is pretty minor. Also, that may even be a temporary issue as Sacchan has done a few interesting updates to solve similar issues. Let's see where Test Pilots by Sacchan this goes in the next few weeks. Primary Gliders by JagaimoSkull While most world creators were pushing the boundaries of world distances, innovating new aircraft functions and adding as many aircraft as possible, JagaimoSkull went against 'the wind current' so to speak to create the Primary Gliders world. Back in February 2022, this world creator stripped away the excess from the standard VRChat aviation experience at the time to provide what is still one of the most distinct flight experiences on the platform even in 2025. The layout of this world is as simple as it gets. Two islands, multiple gliders and the wind. Launching from the side of a hill, players must figure out the wind currents around the island to remain a loft and climb ever higher. Primary gliders mainly saw use in the 1920s and 1930s when aviation was still a relatively new concept. These gliders were an inexpensive way to learn how to fly and to fly recreationally. Seeing such an old form of aviation available in VRCA is respectable. JagaimoSkull made a compromise since players cannot physically feel the updrafts and wind currents. A button toggle to also show the updrafts in the world as colored blocks in the sky is also in the world to let those that may not quite understand this concept to better visualize how they should be flying these gliders. This type of flying is very unusual and crashing multiple times before consistently succeeding is an inherent part of the experience. Players that gain a good understanding of how to fly these aircraft can even gain a surprising amount of altitude above the wind-swept hill or glide across to the second island that seems too far away for these oversized kites with a seat. Despite being released over three years ago there are very few other worlds that have incorporated gliders in a meaningful way. A further testament to how far off the beaten path Primary Gliders by JagaimoSkull this type of experience is. Skyward Night Flight by Cubeboyy Skyward Night Flight  is the third world from Cubeboyy , co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. This tropical themed world set to a calm night features beach equipment for relaxing, a floating dock for social gathering, a media player for watching videos and listening to music and other 'social hangout' related design choices. Of the two aircraft available, the ASK 21 sailplane is featured. Though this world was released on March 30th, 2025, the ASK 21 under Cubeboyy's direction has been one of the most high-profile sailplanes in VRChat aviation since January 2023. This glider has performed in multiple airshows in cooperation with The Black Aces. Large crowds of 80+ users were able to fly these gliders after each event, getting a limited time experience with a glider. For a time, it was the only frequently observed glider in VRChat aviation. As of 2025 it appears in two publicly accessible worlds. This iteration of the ASK 21 is a solid representation of what the modern glider experience in VRChat is like. It is both easy to fly in long-term unpowered flight and is capable of performing limited aerobatic maneuvers if the pilot is skilled enough and knows how to smartly deploy its stowed electric powered engine. The two-seat ASK 21 in this permanent night setting lends itself to the slower going night vibe relaxation. When players activate their battery powered engine for self-launch, their instruments show battery charge represented by green, yellow and red indicator light. The battery onboard is realistically shorter, as it is not meant to be relied on for extended flight operations. Upon take off players eyes are naturally drawn to what looks like upward moving streaks of air. These are the updrafts that gliders rely on for extended flight times, visualized in a thematic way that fits the setting. Rather than spiraling cloud-like wisps as seen in Skyward Island Resort, Skyward Night Flight seemingly asks players to ride moonlight. While other glider worlds incorporate wind and updrafts, with there being little to no indications, players usually need to rely solely on instruments like Varios to potentially find these updrafts. By providing a minor visual reference players are able to "get to the gliding experience faster". Once at a safe altitude and ideally within an updraft area, the Vario and speed indicator become the most important instruments. In airshows the ASK 21 has done formation breaks, barrel rolls, loops and hammerheads. Experienced glider pilots can also keep the sailplane aloft for well over an hour without ever coming down to land. Skyward Night Flight  by Cubeboyy  is one of the most accessible glider experiences in VRChat aviation to date. Small Island Beta 3 by Builder_1 Released somewhat quietly on October 14th, 2023, Small Island Beta 3 by Builder_1 is technically still in development despite its world creator moving onto projects focused on air demonstration teams and airshow flying. The world's setting is at a somewhat sizeable regional airport. The flight line features many types of unflyable aircraft and undriveable cars to fill out the scene between the hangars, support buildings and air traffic control tower. The world has a day and night cycle that feels natural. That is to say that the sun and moon don't scream by every 5 minutes for the sake of pushing the gimmick. Of the aircraft that can be flown, there are four Alisport Silent 2 Electro gliders. The cockpits of these gliders feature a limited function LX Navigation Zeus system showing the positions of other aircraft while in flight. A pretty handy feature in a busy airspace. Few aircraft in VRChat aviation, including most representations of fourth and fifth generation fighters, have a type of situational awareness display like this. These sailplanes are able to self-launch with their nose mounted front electric sustainer identified as the ENGINE function in the Sacc Flight function dials. When activated the propellers fold out from the nose of the aircraft and produce thrust. Players will need to taxi their gliders to the runway to gain enough airspeed to lift off, as the sustainer motor is only powerful enough to allow for a long takeoff roll with a very shallow climb to altitude before beginning gliding. While in flight and at a safe altitude, the sustainer can be shutoff with the propellers folding back into the nose of the aircraft. When this world was first released the gliders did not have updrafts / windzones. Something that was not obvious from the start. The glider experience was difficult because of this with many people relying on using the engine to fly them as you would normal aircraft with very short periods of gliding in-between. That being said, the experience was not great for gliding from day one. I have a memory of thinking the gliders were great while under their own power, then the experience immediately becoming rather difficult the moment the FES was shut off. On February 10th, 2024, the world creator pushed a sizeable update that did include an updraft system and a toggle to make the updraft zones visible as solid blocks, similar to the Primary Gliders world. The glider experience dramatically improved with the electro gliders still retaining very high battery capacity making long-term sustained flight with the engine activated very easy. Players not too accustomed to how gliders operate may find having ample engine power available appealing. These days Small Island Beta 3 by Builder_1 is now a decent glider experience. ドラード砂漠海岸 -Dourado Desert Coast- by Yakisaba dayo With both player vs player combat focused worlds and non-combat GA worlds, Yakisaba Dayo has established a reputation for themselves as a reliable VRChat aviation world creator. On October 13th, 2025, they released an unusual dusk dipped desert world with a rather ambitious pair of features centered around gliders. ドラード砂漠海岸 -Dourado Desert Coast- features biplanes, a single seat trainer with instructions on how to fly aircraft built into the cockpit and the JAG Assets JGT-21 glider. The newest glider for sale on BOOTH designed with VRChat in mind. The features listed on the JGT-21 product page include a winch and tow launch system based on the Sacchan Grapple System and an experimental script for thermals (rising air currents). The pilot of the glider has two dial functions for attaching their glider to either a tow truck with immensely high horsepower or any of the other propeller driven aircraft in the world. In the case of the truck, the tow vehicle should gear up to maximum speed with the cable either being detached by the pilot once maximum altitude is achieved or the cable breaks on its own. With a tow aircraft players will be following the same lift off and gradual climb sequence followed by real world gliders. Both tow capable aircraft have low engine power, making the process to gain altitude a slower, more deliberate process. While in flight the JGT-21 has a clean dash of instruments providing the necessities for navigating and remaining airborne. This glider is not highly aerobatic but is stable for longer flight sessions. The experimental thermal system, while interesting in concept, does need a bit more testing. After a few flights it was difficult to reliably find thermals leaving most flights to rely on high altitude than thermals to remain aloft. However, if that system can be refined, having an easy to access thermal script for gliders along with a glider that can be easily purchased from BOOTH, there is a potential for other world creators to start experimenting with including gliders in their future projects. ドラード砂漠海岸 -Dourado Desert coast-  by Yakisaba Dayo occupies an unusual space in terms of VRChat glider operations. Unlike all other current worlds which rely on different methods to self-launch the gliders, this world relies on having at least two people in an instance to get a glider airborne. On one hand this requires players to either bring friends or be social with others to get airborne. On the other hand, this experience of multiple people working together to get an aircraft airborne is yet again another sort of "only in VRChat" experience. With the process of aligning aircraft and tow vehicles, coordinating the flight path to gain altitude and decoupling the aircraft mid-flight is all done by humans with no in-game assists. While it is highly unlikely that gliders will suddenly take up the "airspace" in VRChat, there does seem to be potential for them to appear in freely accessible worlds and further airshows in 2026. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile ]

Thoughts on the limited time demo I can finally say that after flying and sliding through the sprawling city of Daevos, from its tightest roads to its open skies, I feel optimistic about G-Rebels  by Reakktor Studios .  Timeline Reakktor announced the start of development of G-Rebels on October 8th, 2024, on social media with an announcement teaser posted on YouTube. On June 24th, 2025, access keys for closed playtests of the work in progress game were distributed. While the demo is set to appear at in Indie Area, Hall 10.2 at Gamescom 2025 in August, the demo appeared briefly on Steam from July 24th to July 31st, 2025. This limited time demo using the still in development alpha build of the game came as a part of the Games Forged in Germany  Steam sale and showcase event. Since 2022, this event organized by Games Germany  promotes developers, publishers and studios headquartered in Germany. The development team has stated that the main point of the demo besides an introduction to the world is presenting what they have for art style, controls, gunplay, UI/UX and flight physics. They are ready and waiting for direct feedback in their Discord server. The World G-Rebels takes place on Earth in the year 2684 after it was almost completely flooded by catastrophic events. Floating megacities were created by survivors with these city-states competing for remaining natural resources. In this dystopian world the player flies a prototype X-Type Skyblade as a part of an elite unit in Daevos, the capital city of the Okktane Empire. The player's job is to ensure law and order while the events of the story unfold. G-Rebels is being advertised as an open world game with a 12,000 square kilometer map. With this in mind players could fly from city to city in real time. There are a few far off buildings in places outside of the sector players can explore in the demo. Not all of them look like the amazing mega cities, so it does make you wonder what else is out there. According to the ending video of the July 2025 demo besides Daevos there are at least three other cities that will be seen. Preview video at the end of demo. I have longed for more open world flight games since I first played one back in 2011, so this is a feature of the game I am especially excited for. When trying a demo, it is always good to approach it levelheaded with a bit of a critical eye to see what exactly the product is providing thus far. The gameplay mechanics and the finer details of the player's experience are the most important part of any demo, but, man, it was hard not to be dazzled by the visuals. The city sprawling out in front of you after taxiing out of a hangar was impactful. The sped-up day and night cycle with occasional thunderstorm looks amazing in the visual feast of the city. Even the emptier parts of the city still buzz with enough land traffic, air traffic and ambient lights and noise to drive home the packed mega-city atmosphere. Acknowledging Kindred Before I bring this up, I want to state that G-Rebels is presented as a standalone title not directly tied to any other games. It should stand on its own identity and its own merits. That being said, for those that do remember it, there was a was a pair of games on the Sony PlayStation 1 back in the late 1990s with a similar name. Known as G-Police , that two-part series also had themes of futuristic corporations and nations wielding great political and military power as they competed for resources and influences across different planets. In those games, players were members of a type of colonial police force while events of that story unfolded. The comparison to the PlayStation 1 games has been made time and time again in comments, so I wanted to state that for the record. However, as someone that played the aforementioned games and G-Rebels, I feel like there is not a heavy reliance on the identity of the old IP to help this new game define itself. Demo Overview There are two mandatory multi-part missions where they meet characters and get a better understanding of how this world works. The basics of flying their Skyblade is taught as a test flight before players get taken on patrol with an Okktane agent. They search for and destroy deviant synthetic individuals who are hostile towards humanity for reasons yet unknown. More capabilities of the Skyblade are unlocked as the story proceeds as a way to not overwhelm players with an extensive tutorial from the moment the demo starts. After those planned missions, players can wander Daevos taking on a few optional tasks. Like getting equipment upgrades, air racing and visiting organizations across the city. Some locations are unavailable in the demo but will be important in the full game. Flight Model My main goal of interacting with the G-Rebels demo is to get answers about its flight model. It is definitely not a game where you should expect common flight physics similar to your favorite combat aircraft games. The Skyblade players use have a reaction control system (RCS) similar to that on a spacecraft and an anti-gravity system that lets them hover effortlessly. These two factors made me consider the flight model more akin to six degrees of freedom model found in space flight game or sim. However, the Skyblade is operating in an atmosphere so you would think momentum and energy that would come with a large craft moving at high speed through the air is still a factor somehow. I was intrigued in the mix of flight mechanics that could be at play in G-Rebels. After a decent amount of time flying in combat and zooming recklessly through the buildings and streets of Daevos, I was satisfied with the decision of the developer. Most notable was how the RCS is best used. The Skyblade can be flown without relying on the RCS at all if desired, but using it in a way more akin to a rudder on a traditional aircraft yielded some interesting results. While a traditional aircraft would use rudder inputs to coordinate their turns for more efficient horizontal maneuvers, the Skyblades seem to fly most efficiently in every flight regime by coordinating RCS controls. Flying without consciously coordinating can cause situations where the nose of the craft is pointed in the desired direction of flight while a majority of its momentum is continuing forward, gradually changing direction as the main thruster follows the nose of the craft. Instead, using RCS to counter the momentum can greatly lessen the somewhat uncontrolled drift. At low speeds or near hover, the RCS is helpful for maneuvering in a small space while engaged in combat or to make minute adjustment while in forward flight. A small amount of speed can be lost by having the craft move a bit vertically or horizontally to evade an obstruction while continuing at full thrust in one direction, rather than losing a large amount of speed maneuvering the entire Skyblade off of its axis of travel. Combat near Daevos city. Initially I tried to engage in combat relying mostly on hovering with rapid movements, but I quickly learned this would lead to the energy shields and armor of the craft to be diminished. The enemies players fight against are decently mobile and the areas that combat happened in are much larger than players probably expect. Engaging in brief close-range combat, then powering away to engage from a distance or evade to recover shield power is a valid tactic. Also, moving at higher speeds does effectively reduce the accuracy of enemy attacks and reduce the chance of being swarmed while taking full advantage of the battle space. I think I was expecting a flight model where the craft in G-Rebels seemingly weighed nothing and would effortlessly change direction with just the flick of a single stick. I expected that type of deeply arcade style combat to be something more akin to a fast paced first person shooter. Where fast, twitchy movements in a relatively small area would define combat. Instead, there were a few more layers to it. I appreciate that. Suggestions As far as hardware support goes, the demo includes a somewhat rough ability to support head trackers via TrackIR. The current head position with the in-game pilot model causes a few more problems than its worth, so maybe just disabling the pilot model for easy headtracker use would be advisable. Ironically, while G-Rebels has been shown as a virtual reality capable game via some non-developer supported modifications, the demo is not VR compatible. Though it seems like the developers are now taking this steady interest in VR to heart. The demo can support HOTAS and HOSAS flight gear, though this was added on what could be considered an experimental basis. For the demo we did not try and flight sticks or throttle quadrants since it was not completely prepared for those controllers. While the game is a cockpit focused experience, the external design of the Skyblade X-Type seen in the video cutscenes does seem like it would be a shame to not be seen more often. There is also a set of players that prefer to play flight games like this only in third person view, so the addition of this point of view could be beneficial. I have seen a few suggestions in the official Discord and other places about tweaking the flight model to be more subdued in a few ways, but I hesitate to suggest any major changes to the default version of the flight model. While it feels fine for now, there is an upgrade system in place to encourage players to progress save credits and invest in certain aspects of them. I question if increasing the overall sensitivity of the flight model would be detrimental in the early game in terms of making engine related upgrades unimportant. For now, the flight model seems serviceable. I'd say my overall experience with the demo in this past week was positive. The few complaints I did have were related to the default colors of the heads up display during certain times of day and size of text within the cockpit and in the user interface being slightly too small to read depending on where the text is in the UI, but there were no real low moments in the experience. I'm eager for more! I wonder if Reakktor Studios will have an updated demo for Gamescom 2025... Connect with 'G-Rebels' Discord Facebook Steam Website X.com YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [Read Staff Profile ]

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

In the current state of VRChat Aviation, it has become increasingly rare for me to find new and exciting experiences that hook me to it like the old worlds used to. With certain authors stopping work on their projects, or others just taking ages with their creative endeavors, finding that one gemstone that outshines the classic worlds is now harder than ever. That was my opinion, at least until I finally found a world worth visiting. Pictures in this article courtesy of VTail64, thank you for your support as always! Straying away from the jets and most conventional flight world themes, White Cliffs; Battle of Britain by Mia is a world that brought back some of those feelings I used to have. Feelings of excitement and the thrill of flight that I missed from a VRChat world. Let's talk about this experience for a bit and how it helped me see the great side of VRC Aviation again. The one clear aspect that defines this world is its time period, which is set during the Battle of Britain in the early stages of World War II. It takes place in what seems to be a miniaturized version of the Straight of Dover, which is part of the English Channel; this miniaturization was done so that the map could fit within the bounds of a regular VRChat world. Plane selection in the world is very much on point for the era. There are two main fighters, the classic Spitfire Mk.1a and the Bf-109E-3, a British twin engine in the form of the Westland Whirlwind, a German bomber in the He-111 and a unique plane in the form of the Fairey Swordfish. Most of the action is usually between the Spitfires and Messerschmitts, but the added variety is very welcome. There is also an additional vehicle, the R-41 Gunboat and an emplaced 40mm Bofors cannon, which is usually in range of most dogfights as long as they are near the harbor area. While these two vehicles could seem to be odd choices, it is hard to not justify their addition. Vehicles like the patrol boat are usually simpler to make in VRC, since the prefabs are not as complicated and a lot of stuff can be carried over from the samples without major modifications. As for the Bofors, the addition of flak rounds was very nice. The aircraft handle wonderfully, with the two highlights being the Spitfire and the BF-109. Both felt extremely responsive, with noticeable torque on takeoff, making piloting them a much more engaging experience. The Spitfire's maneuverability is on point, performing in the way I would from an early-war, elliptical-wing version of the aircraft. It turns beautifully, its engine responds quickly and doesn't leave the pilot wanting for more, aside from its lack of cannons. You have a full set of .303 machine guns, 8 of them in total, that are nothing but peashooters. The BF-109E-3, being an early-war version of the famous Messerschmitt, handles like a dream. Its engine is capable, with a lot of torque, just like the Spitfire's, and its maneuverability is on point. Speaking of maneuverability, I have found that the aircraft might be over-performing just a little when considering that you are fighting an early-war Spitfire with its full elliptical wing. Historically the Bf-109E-3 was able to outclimb both Spitfires and Hurricanes, it lacked just a bit in maneuverability when compared to its contemporary adversaries. You can keep up with Spitfires in almost every turn, and you do much more damage to your adversary thanks to the addition of the wing-mounted 20mm cannons that this version historically carried. Its loadout of two 20mm and two 7.92mm guns leaves you with an advantage in firepower compared to every aircraft in the world, except for the Whirlwind's quad-20mm mounts. All the aircraft are excellent, with their own unique quirks. The 111 has multicrew slots and can unleash its bombs on the British open-air hangars, the Whirlwind feels heavy but packs a punch and the Swordfish is just fun to fly off of the deck of the carrier. Overall, this world is one worth visiting either in public instances or, preferably, with a group of friends. To test this world more thoroughly, I decided to invite some friends to test it together, but I kept the instance open for anyone to join. By the end of the night we had more than a dozen people in the world, and all the aircraft were taken and flying, except for one of the 111s. We all had a blast flying and fighting one another. Give this world a try, you will not regret it. About the writer 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 the co-founder and writer ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy