I didn’t expect that much from this game. It looks like a mobile game ported to Switch. The trailer doesn’t do the game justice. This game surprised me a lot and is quite enjoyable.
Time/Micro-Management
The genre that Fly Together falls into is best described as a time/micro-management game. It reminds me of Airport Mania, a game released in 2008 on PC which I played with my sister a lot. But unlike Airport Mania, this game is focused on multiplayer although it can also be played single-player as well.
The goal of the game is to pick up passengers with your planes and bring them to the next airport. Each airport has a specific color and a specific color of passengers. Your job is to bring the correct color of passengers to the appropriate colored airport. Control their flight pad to get them to land safely at the next airport. This all while dodging obstacles like tornados, other planes, mountains etc. This seems pretty straightforward at first but becomes more complex when more elements come in like multiple colored passengers at the airport, new planes arriving etc. It can become quite hectic especially with more players.
Classic and Motion Controls
The planes are controlled by selecting a plane from the airport. Hold and drag/guide them to the next airport by either point the Joy-Con or by using the stick controls with the standard controllers. The controls of the standard controller work fine. Of course, you are moving a cursor on the screen, but this is one of the better ones I have seen. The other option is to use a Joy-Con. In my experience, the Joy-Con got off center a couple of times, so you have to press the recenter button from time to time. It all depends on what you prefer. The controls are a better fit for a touch screen, like in a mobile game. The art style and basic textures add to this fact as well.
Campaign and Battle Mode
There are 2 different modes you can play, campaign and battle. The campaign can be played both single as multiplayer, in the battle mode, only multiplayer can be played.
In the campaign, you need to reach the target score set within the time limit of the mission to complete the level. Depending on how well you did you will earn stars. Try to get 3 stars on every level, to show off your skill and pride but also to earn more money as well. But don’t worry you also get some money for each passenger you drop off. This money can be used at the airport to buy new planes. The planes have 3 stats and differ from plane to plane. You have the capacity, aka how many passengers you can carry at once, speed; how fast your plane flies and boarding; the time it takes to board the passengers. Complete objectives to gain XP to level up. This unlocks new planes for you to buy. New planes can also be obtained by collecting blueprints within the levels.
Then you have battle mode. The main mechanic of the game stayed the same. Deliver the most passengers from point A to B and compete for the best score against friends. As said before you should watch out for obstacles that mess you up and cost you time. These obstacles however also include the planes of your friends. This makes it a game where you can definitely intentionally mess up your friends to try to win.
Conclusion
The game is nice to pick up and play because the levels are short and the gameplay is easy to get back into. The price point of €15 is understandable since there is definitely effort put into designing the game, but has to be your cup of tea. I feel like this game would definitely put a smile on a child’s face. The gameplay is easy to understand and play but also challenging when aiming for 3 stars because of the micro and time management.
