#pilot wings

[ID: An image of a whale from Pilot Wings 64. End ID.]

The subscriber edition cover of Retro Gamer 229 proudly shows off one of the earliest mode 7 SNES games, Pilot Wings

Since that debut the series also had entries on the N64 and 3DS, but that’s it. Until recently I haven’t played any of those. Thankfully after a reasonable £10 eBay transaction I’ve been able to experience the original for myself.

As a kid I was never a big fan of arcade style games that offered stylised short and intense gameplay bursts, instead favouring longer and slower paced games that I felt offered more value for money.

These days however I don’t have as much free time and games are easier to come by, so a quick blast on Pilot Wings for 20 or 30 minutes is just the right length.

The gameplay consists of a attempting methods of flying or falling with style whilst trying to achieve specific goals. The mode 7 background scaling is used to give a sense of scale and height from what’s effectively a ground texture. It’s a simple effect, but works very well.