A Glider's Journey

The one thing I've learned from reviewing titles like Feather and Ultrawings is that it's hard to find the balance between being a relaxing flight simulator and being a fun game. It often feels like there's either not enough to do or way too much, with both scenarios leaving me underwhelmed. But the upcoming game A Glider's Journey somehow manages to get the balance right. It's a simple yet challenging flight sim from a two-person developer that is confident about what it wants to be and nails the execution. But don't call this game relaxing, because it's going to send you into a blinding rage.

A Glider's Journey is a simple game about flying through hoops. You control an already-airborne glider with no throttle or rudder. The only thing you can do is glide through the air and hit each hoop, which will give the lightweight craft just enough power to get to the next checkpoint. But don't think you can glide around the weirdly-shaped islands and just have fun, because if you don't fly through those hoops, your little glider will stall out and have to start over from the very beginning.

Like I said, this is a simple concept, but A Glider's Journey manages to do a lot with it. The real star here are the various landmasses we fly over. It helps that this game isn't set in the real world, so the developer can create levels that defy the laws of gravity. We get islands that are floating in the sky, wood bridges that lead to nowhere and platforms that move around. One of my favorite levels spirals down like a corkscrew before shooting us through a loop de loop. All this comes to life thanks to the stylish low-res environments that help sell this unique yet familiar world.

I also like that the game isn't afraid to mix things up halfway through. We spend the first batch of levels navigating a linear path, only to then run into stages that will let you choose where to go. Suddenly there will be multiple hoops spinning around, making the right path harder to find. These types of challenges help shake things up and will keep you on your toes. But even when the path is linear, the levels are long and full of variety.

A Glider's Journey is an easy game to pick up and play, but some of the stages are punishingly difficult. I found that I had an especially hard time flying through narrow passage ways for an extended amount of time. A few of these levels will have large rings you need to fly through in order to collect the checkpoints, and those left me absolutely fuming. This is one of those games where you'll keep playing and replaying the stages over and over until you get it right. That feeling of finally beating the stage is definitely satisfying, but it often comes after a couple dozen failed attempts.

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The developers seem aware that some might find their game to be frustrating at times, so they've added a number of different difficulty options. There's even a "very easy" mode that simplifies the physics and gives you more of a chance. I managed to get through the game on the default normal difficulty, but I like that you can dial in the challenge to your liking. That said, I do wish that you could choose any of the fifteen stages from the start. As it is, you have to beat one stage to unlock the next, which doesn't make a lot of sense for this type of game.

Although it's not especially deep and most of the levels can be completed in a single sitting, I like A Glider's Journey. I dig the way it looks and all of the peaceful locations. At less than five dollars, this is an inexpensive game that doesn't try to be too ambitious. It gives us a solid concept with great gameplay and builds on the theme with cool level designs and challenging obstacles. It can be a little tough at times, but the success is just so satisfying.

Simple in both look and approach, A Glider's Journey is a fun and inexpensive flight simulator that is easy to recommend. What it lacks in length it more than makes up for with some truly inventive level designs and a varied mix of locations. This is a game that finds the balance between flying and fun, giving us a fifteen-stage adventure that is hard to put down. Future flight simulators can learn a lot from A Glider's Journey.