Airborne Empire
Airborne Empire Review
Airborne Empire is a city-building game set in a floating city, blending resource management with combat against sky pirates. Players appreciate its calming atmosphere, beautiful art style, and immersive sound design, which evoke a steampunk fantasy vibe reminiscent of beloved RPGs and animated classics. The gameplay gradually introduces complexity, maintaining engagement without overwhelming players, and features RPG-style quests that add depth and replayability.
However, some players feel the game lacks the charm of its predecessor, Airborne Kingdom, noting a shift from the original's unique Arabic Steampunk theme and narrative to a more generic presentation with animal characters. Combat mechanics receive mixed feedback, with some finding them smooth and others clunky or frustrating. Additionally, the late game can become repetitive and less challenging, with resource management becoming too easy and pirate encounters feeling like interruptions. Technical issues such as occasional crashes and bugs affecting gameplay have also been reported.
Highlights
Players praise the game's beautiful and calming art style, which captures a magical floating city ambiance with dynamic day/night cycles. The soundtrack and sound design are highlighted for their atmospheric quality, enhancing immersion. The gameplay mechanics balance resource management and combat smoothly, making the experience engaging without micromanagement stress. The gradual pacing and RPG-style quests contribute to sustained player interest and replayability. Fans of fantasy, steampunk, and city-building genres find the game particularly appealing.
Criticisms
Common criticisms include a perceived loss of the original game's unique thematic charm and narrative depth, replaced by a more generic animal character setting. Some players find the combat system clunky, especially the cannon aiming mechanics. The late game can feel repetitive and unchallenging, with resource management becoming trivial and pirate encounters less meaningful. Technical issues such as bugs causing gameplay interruptions and occasional crashes detract from the experience. Additionally, some players dislike the removal of certain mechanics like morale and the inability to freely rearrange the city layout.
Pros
- • Beautiful and calming art style with dynamic day/night cycles enhances immersion.
- • Engaging soundtrack and sound design create a magical atmosphere.
- • Smooth balance between resource management and combat mechanics.
- • Gradual pacing introduces complexity without overwhelming players.
- • RPG-style quests add depth and replayability to the gameplay.
- • Floating city theme offers a unique and satisfying city-building experience.
- • Combat is accessible and integrates well with overall gameplay.
Cons
- • Lacks the unique charm and narrative depth of the original game.
- • Combat aiming system, especially for cannons, can be frustrating.
- • Late game becomes repetitive with trivial resource management.
- • Pirate encounters often feel like interruptions rather than challenges.
- • Bugs and glitches sometimes cause gameplay interruptions and save issues.
- • Removal of morale system and city rearrangement reduces strategic depth.
- • Animal character theme not well received by all players.
Rating Criteria
Build your sky city while exploring a vast landscape in this Open World RPG City Builder. Combining the methodical construction and management of a city builder; the unique lift, balance, and propulsion needed for a flying city; and the compelling characters, dangers, and adventures of an RPG!