Developed by Hudson Soft, the same people who brought us the very first Bomberman, comes a cartoon-esque flight-sim just for the Nintendo Wii. Already released in Japan – and now being localized for the west by Konami – comes Wing Island. Being the first flight-sim for the Wii, the game consists of a story mode where you play Junior, a pilot bird left in charge of the family aviation business. It’s your duty to fly around Shell Island and help those in need, using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to fly gracefully through the skies.
Now almost everyone makes the comparison of Wing Island to the much loved Pilotwings – which is still vastly overdue for a come back. But Wing Island contains more than 20 missions requiring players to fight fires, drop bombs, pop balloons and deliver cargo. On one especially dangerous mission, players will have to navigate the island in search of an elusive and mysterious Cow. Completing such missions gives the player a rating, which is based on time taken, accuracy and damage to the plane(s). The rankings, in turn, gives the player varying amounts of money that allows players the opportunity to tune-up and perform repairs on their plane. As of course, this means faster flying, better aerobatics and the ability to carry more types of cargo – or the player can buy any of seven completely different planes. In addition to all the single player missions the game also features a two-player mode that includes mini-games.
Hudson has claimed that as players progress through the game the difficulty curve comes into action as missions become increasingly difficult. Thankfully though, players don't have to fly alone while flying in the colorful sky. During each mission the player can either fly solo or in formation with up to four other planes. The formation flying aspect is an important one in the game and there are several formations in total, which each affect the planes flight abilities. Players begin flying in a V formation, which features average acceleration and average turning ability. By holding the A button on the Wii-mote and thrusting it forward, players can switch the formation into a line formation – which is faster but provides less maneuverability. However, with the cross formation, it has much better turning and maneuverability but slows your plane down considerably.
For players who want a break from the task-oriented missions, gamers can always enter free mode which allows players to fly about freely over the island. Of course, some gamers might be asking how the game is controlled using the Wii-mote, aside from formations. With a vibrant and beautiful landscape, the controls are a perfect accompaniment to Wing Island’s atmosphere.
Basically, the controls are generally simple. Players holding the Wii-mote pointed to the screen, and tilting it forward and backward, allow the plane to fly up or down, and tilting the remote side-to-side makes the plane yaw in the chosen direction. Thrusting the remote forward or pulling it back in a sharp thrust will cause the plane to either boost in speed or slow down. The camera is controlled by the analog stick on the Nunchuk attachment and more drastic movements with the Wii-mote – such as wider swinging gestures – make the plane perform a U-turn, and allows players to fly in the opposite direction. The D-pad is left to achieve basic propulsion with the up and down buttons.
Wing Island will be dated for release for the US soon and its coming to Europe on the 23rd March 2007. Stay tuned as it nears its release.
