1945 Air Forces is one of the best new games we’ve played on Android, now available to download as an apk. In the style of a retro shooter or Bullet Hell game, 1945 Air Forces has great depth for a free game. The graphics are pixelated yet have an aesthetic style better than most other games. The main goals is to progress through each level, destroying as much as possible and collecting loot.
This game is developed by Onesoft Studios, a small yet successful development team from Vietnam. They started out in 2010 with just a four person development team but have now created some of the best arcade shooters on the market.
As you start off, 1945 Air Forces will come across as a little complicated. There are lots of different features that the tutorial fails to cover, but you don’t always need your hand held in these types of games. With a historical accuracy that allows you to play as 10 unique WW2 fighter planes and a difficulty level that goes from “walk in the park” to “death by flames” within a few levels, this is a game targeted at a more serious gamer.
The Reward System in 1945 Air Forces is Fantastic
Although not the most important part of a game you might play for a couple of hours at most, the reward system really is great and we feel we should mention it first in this mini review!
1945 Air Forces is a Freemium game but offers one of the best reward systems we’ve seen in an Android game for a long time. With a sophisticated daily reward system, various different in-game currencies that unlock as you play, and dozens of levels that will reward you if you DO WELL, we honestly think this should set a trend across the market.
Different currencies and reward systems
There are lots of different types of currencies and rewards that help you to play the game. Here’s our rundown.
- Dog Tags. These are the tags that let you go on a new mission. You’ll start the game with over 200 which is plenty to get you started. You won’t need to worry about these tags for a while, but as you progress through the levels you will start to die a lot more…and may need to acquire new tags.
- Next up are the gold coins. These are earned as you beat levels. The easiest to acquire of all the currencies or rewards, these coins can be used to upgrade your plane. These come in the form of different Plane Modules or specific upgrades to your chosen plane. W e will get to these upgrades later.
- Containers – these are your loot chests, basically. You get free containers by watching ads. Or, you can purchase bigger and better chests using gems.
- Lastly, Gems are the premium currency in the game and can be used to boost all sorts of things and also purchase the two other currencies in the game. So far we’ve played for a solid hour or two and haven’t felt pressured/the need to purchase these gems. However, once you see how fair the game is (and how good/addictive it is) we won’t blame you for putting a little money back into this product.
As a side note, might we add that the premium packs – at the moment of writing these include the Starter Pack, Premium Pack and the Holi Pack (an event specific pack) are extremely reasonably priced. For around a dollar you can unlock the Starter Pack! If you’re totally against these types of Freemium games that cover the Android Google Play Store, give 1945 Air Forces a chance.
General Gameplay Mechanics
1945 Air Forces is a BULLET HELL game. Command a small fleet of airplanes as you delve into a historically-accurate yet Steampunk-esque setting of unique airplanes and bosses. The game begins at an easy pace. It really gives you a chance to experience the mechanics before getting shredded by powerful enemies.
Controls
Move your finger across the screen to control your plane and dodge bullets. Your constantly fire – in true Arcade Shooter/Bullet Hell Fashion – so you don’t need to worry about that aspect.
There are some power-ups you can use by tapping on the left side of the screen. Not complicated, but could be crucial in a sticky situation.
General Enemies
So far, in our pretty short look into the game, you will encounter other planes and helicopters. Sometimes ships. These won’t all fire at you but if you crash into them you will take damage. Destroy them before they hit you!
Other enemies will fire red projectiles at you which you will have to dodge. In the top left of the screen you’ll see your planes health – get too low and you will have to restart the level, costing you Dog Tags unless you choose to watch an advertisement.
Bosses
The bosses are truly challenging, as they should be in this type of game. They’ll spam shots and have an impressive health pool. However, like all good games, there are consistent ways to combat them. 1945 Air Forces does a great job making the bosses feel challenging without you want to through your phone through the window.
Different Game Modes
The main storyline carries you through a series of regions. You begin in Central and South America. You move from location to location, building your way towards a chest and defeating as many enemies as possible. Each level has 3 rankings of difficulty.
From Easy, Medium and Hard, there is a SUBSTANTIAL increase in difficulty as you blast your way through each level.
Beyond the main campaign, there are also four other modes.
- Bombarding – destroy as many buildings as you can to complete a rota, or quest. The better you do, the more rewards you earn. Significantly harder than the main quest, mostly due to the fact the enemy planes feel more bulky and difficult to kill.
- Protect – you must protect your base from intruding planes. The longer you last, the more rewards you earn. Simple.
- The other two modes we haven’t had the chance to play through yet, but they’re called ‘Special’ and ‘Stealth‘. We’ll leave discovering these modes to you guys.
The Plane Upgrade System Is Detailed
There are 3 base ways to upgrade your plane.
First, you have the stock Aircraft. For free you get access to two planes. First is the Grumman F3F Bi-Plane and next up is the Boeing P-26 Peashooter. Each plane has four stats. Strength, Single Fire Bullet Capacity, Special Fire, and Fuel. You can also unlock more power-ups as you progress, each plane has a unique special ability, and you can upgrade cheaply with coins.
Beyond the stock plane you can also unlock different Wingmans. These are planes that fly alongside your main plane. They do not affect your hitbox (i.e, if they get hit you won’t get damage to your main plane) but do improve your firepower.
Last up, the Device. This is the special ability you get to use every now and then during the level. You start off with a missile, but can unlock more cool stuff like a B-52, Flamethrower, Emergency Restoration and more.
