Background | Year of Release | Media | Mini-Reivew | The Result

System: SNES Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 Save: Password Genre: Simulation

A first-generation SNES game, Pilotwings utilizes the Mode 7 graphical capabilities of the SNES to create a pseudo-3D flight sim. This game was developed and published by Nintendo.

North America: 12/20/1990
Japan: 12/21/1990
Europe: Unknown

Screeshots: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5

In Pilotwings you are a flight student in training. You must follow the rules of several instructors to complete many lessons in various crafts, including: biplanes, rocket belts, gliders and parachutes. During each lesson, you are required by your instructors to complete various tasks and make a smooth landing. Points are rewarded based on your performance and are tallied to determine if you have passed a lesson.

This game has two particularly impressive aspects.

The first is the impressive sense of being in a 3-D world that this game conveys. During the 16-bit era, 3-D games were nearly impossible to design and therefore were rarely developed. Pilotwings was one of the first 3-D games of the 16-bit era and no game would come close to delivering a 3-D world such as this until Star Fox was released.

Second, is the challenge arc that this presents in the game. This game is truly challenging, it makes you better if you play it. Each lesson seems very challenging when you first attempt it, but as you progress through the game, previous missions feel downright easy. That's a sign of a well-designed game.

Pilotwings is a very memorable title.

Score - 8.7

It's a classic!

Page by Player Guy Forever

09/12/2004