Windjammers is a solid game that is dumb arcade fun from the 90s. While it certainly has some arcade charm to it through its intense gameplay, it isn’t meant for long periods of play, which might be a turn-off for some gamers.
Call me a big softy when it comes to nostalgia. Classic games that are pretty much untouched in function are just the best when they make it to current generation hardware. Well, barely touched that is, as is the case with Windjammers, which has been brought back to life on the PlayStation 4 by developer DotEmu.While this might be the shortest review I’ve written in some time, mainly due to the fact that nothing has really changed from the original arcade classic, it still will cover all aspects of this title.
Born on the NeoGeo arcade machine back in 1994, and adored for years by gamers, Windjammers is a Disc of Tron clone, though top-down instead of 3D, with the concept of throwing a disc (frisbee) off the sides of the level in hopes of landing it in a point-labeled net of your opponent. Of course, if your opponent catches the frisbee, then they can throw it back at you adding speed or throwing you off by slowing it down. The concept of the game is incredibly easy, think air hockey with people, but entertaining in its simplicity.
The gameplay is driven by a few things. First, if you can score 12+ points in a match, in a two round match, then you win that round. Scoring is generally divided into three and five point nets, where you can throw your frisbee into. The scoring system is simple and it is highly competitive when your back is against the wall.
The second gameplay driven element of the game is the special move that your player can pull off during a match. Should your opponent throw the frisbee towards you, usually in a slower manner, then you can pop it into the air and start charging a special move to catch and throw the frisbee back with a devastating move behind it. For example, Gary Scott’s (USA) move is a fiery frisbee in a circular fashion, which can move an opponent back into the net. Physically move them into the net. Each character (there are six) has a special move, as well as some scaled attributes to make them unique. For Gary, he’s a slow mover, but a high powered opponent (meaning he can throw hard).
The last gameplay element that makes the game what it is happens to be the environments. Each court is unique in point layout (sometimes the five point nets are in the middle, sometimes on the side) and sometimes physical style of the court. An example of the latter is a court with two barriers in the middle. The barriers can speed up the throw of the frisbee if it hits the barriers. It’s like having two tiny walls in the middle of the court. It’s brilliant and it can throw an opponent off easily with fast multiple bounces. The bounces off the mini-walls are quick and deadly.
Anyway, this is pretty much the game in a nutshell in terms of gameplay design. The game is broken into different modes as well.
The are several modes of play in the game. The first is the regular arcade experience (straight from the 90s). This is your player versus CPU mode that made this game popular. The difficulty of the game intensifies as you progress through rounds, which is true arcade style, and can get incredibly frustrating at times because the CPU is a cheating bastard by the third CPU. Again, this is straight from the original 90s game. Anytime an arcade owner wanted to keep you in their arcade, they would make this game enticing and purposely difficult, which is an option in all arcade games, because you could lose quickly, but still be motivated to keep going, thus spending quarters. Anyway, if you get tired of CPU cheating, then you can also do a versus mode with a second player, which means you can punch the other person in the arm when they cheat as well.
Beyond the arcade version of the game, this version also includes an online component. You can play other gamers across the country and potentially get your ass kicked, as I have gotten my ass kicked. It’s a neat addition to the original game and one that fits right in without a hitch.
At the end of the day is this 90s game still worth your time and money? I think so, but I love old games. I think that this isn’t quite up to par with say a Bomberman or a Disc of Tron, but it’s still good fun and a firm reminder of how good NeoGeo games could be back in the day. It would certainly be a cheap break from bigger AAA titles, especially if it was $9.99, though it is $14.99, but it isn’t something that would have longevity to it besides playing your friends at parties. Didn’t everyone do that? Heck, yeah. Okay, heck yeah if you were a 90s kid.
Anyway, Windjammers is a solid game that is arcade fun, which means it last for short periods of time and it isn’t meant for long periods of play. It will be a hard sell for those who don’t appreciate 90s arcade titles or the NeoGeo (not many people did, but would you if games were $299 a piece).
