Video Game Review: Red Wings: American Aces

Developer/Publisher: All In Games

Genre: Arcade Shooter

Reviewed For: Nintendo Switch

Also Available On: PC

Back in the early 2010’s, I was captivated by a small arcade called Snoopy Flying Ace. The dogfighting arcade game based on the iconic dog from the Peanuts franchise was a delightful couch multiplayer game for years in my home. While there are more in depth flight games available like the Ace Combat series, Snoopy Flying Ace always held a special place in my heart. 

It’s unlikely that the Switch will ever get a proper Ace Combat entry, so the only way that players will get entertaining dogfighting arcade experiences will be through a game like Snoopy Flight Ace or a new Star Fox entry. The latter likely isn’t coming any time soon, so fans of the genre will need a light arcade experience from another series. Fortunately, there is Red Wings: American Aces which is exactly what someone would expect from a warplane arcade shooter.

Red Wings: American Aces is a remarkably simple shooter that is accessible to both beginners and veterans. The controls are light, and there aren’t too many inputs for the planes. Players can fly there plane in any direction, do some simple rolls, and shoot. It’s one of those experiences that is easy to pick up but could potentially have a high skill ceiling.

Up to 10 players can compete online in team or solo dogfights, giving the opportunity for some intense games. When matchmaking actually fills, there is a lot of fun to be had. Unfortunately, the player base in Red Wings isn’t that big, so it takes awhile to get matches started. Fortunately, there are offline modes, allowing for a living room of players to compete in split screen multiplayer.

The game’s story mode can be taken on solo or cooperatively, though there isn’t much of a change between the two. The coop mode feels tacked on, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There simply isn’t much reason to take on the story twice, whether you are alone or with a friend.

There are a few modes to add some variety throughout Red Wings. For multiplayer, there is score battle, time battle, and a hide and seek mode. The single player missions have some mission variety too, including mobility challenges and just shooting down a lot of planes.

There isn’t much content, but considering the price and that it’s intended to be a multiplayer game, Red Wings has the potential to give players many hours of fun.