This aerial dog fighting is based on the story and designs of the original Sky Crawler series of Japanese novels as well as the upcoming anime film.
Much like Ace Combat, Sky Crawlers will be a flight-shooter game in which players control fighter planes in aerial dogfights. However, whereas the Ace Combat series is known for using modern fighter planes and settings, Sky Crawlers features planes that come from an alternate reality of fantastic WWII era propeller design and dog fighting.
Additionally, the game's creators hope to defeat the perplexity of most flight games, focusing on controls that are easy to use so that even people who aren't normally fans of flight games can enjoy Sky Crawlers. Already, the feeling of controlling the game is described as exhilarating, and the sense of flight very satisfying. Although the game was just recently unveiled, a video interview on Famitsu's website shows a snippet of gameplay footage with both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
Like the upcoming anime film of similar name, (The Sky Crawlers, directed by Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell fame) the game is actually is based on a recent series of hit Japanese novels. The setting is an alternate world where aerial warfare is staged as entertainment and the pilots, youth known as "Kildren", never grow into adults. Despite the fact that their lives may end suddenly and abruptly, or because of it, they live every day like it could be their last. However, the game will feature its own original storyline.
As the film is due for an August 2nd release, and the Wii game is also expected to be available this summer in Japan.
James Charlton also contributed to this article.