‘Vector Thrust’ Makes Aerial Combat a Bit Easier
Welcome to Indie Spotlight!
Today we take to the skies in some good old dogfighting – with Vector Thrust!
My personal background in aerial combat mostly consists of classics like StarFox and bullet hell games like Ikaruga, but I generally moved away from anything simulator-esque or realistic. Visually, Vector Thrust feels like a happy medium for me (cel shaded art is a big plus)!
This game is comprised of several modes (campaign, deathmatch, challenges), all of which involve taking your ship out and taking down some baddies. You can play with keyboard/mouse or with joystick (which I imagine can be quite fun if not very challenging).
The flight physics are fairly accurate; rolling the plane will divert you to the side/downwards, pitch and yaw get their own buttons, and so on. Going too slow or maneuvering in too extreme a fashion can cause you to stall out or lose control. At the same time, it’s not a full-blown simulator. You’re still more than capable of doing barrel rolls, corkscrews and somersaults with ease. You don’t have wind turbulence or G-forces affecting you.
By default, you’re equipped with a machine gun and missiles. After picking a potential target, an automated targeting system will lock onto the enemy before it’s bombs away! Gunning them down can be trickier – you’ve got to maintain your flight pattern, lead the target, react to their maneuvers… It’s not easy! At least not for me, what with my lack of experience.
Without a constructed tutorial in the main menu or campaign start, you’re left with having to look up the control mapping to figure it out on your own. At the very least, the first campaign mission begins with a bunch of comms dialogue, introducing you to your wingmates, with open skies and no objectives. So you get some time to get the hang of things before the first enemies are thrown at you.
I do have to say, Vector Thrust feels like a hard game. A few well-placed shots or a single missile can take you out in a flash. Still, simplified physics and quick-to-learn controls make it feel a decent title for someone like myself who has little experience in aerial combat games that wants to get a hang of it. With hundreds of ships and even an editor that lets you build your own missions, one could find a lot to do here.
Vector Thrust is available on Steam.
