Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron

143 votes

We just love adding aliens to all sorts of situations, especially to the past and that's how we get games like Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron. In 1946, the year after WWII ended, aliens arrived on the planets and though the world was still in recovery following a massive conflict, everyone had to come together. In a battle with flying technology, those on the frontlines of this new battle were the air forces around the world, with the Americans and the Germans being the first ones to show up to the fight. Though their planes may not be as advanced, their technique is strong.

About Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron

There are plenty of WWII flying games with varying levels of realism and authenticity, but they're not always the most fun. This game tries to go the exaggerated route by having WWII air forces fighting against aliens. The difficulty is that you have your work cut out for you since the aliens are far more advanced, but humans aren't just going to roll over and take it. They're going to fight and fly and you've got to take control the best you can. You can try to turn the aliens' technology against them and help take humankind into the future a bit earlier than they expected.

How to Play

Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron is a 2D arcade shooter about old-school planes flying against alien ships using the mouse, keyboard, or gamepad.

Mouse Controls

Cursor - Move
Left Mouse Button - Shoot
Right Mouse Button - Dash
Middle Mouse Button - Use Current Skill
Mousewheel - Select Skill

Keyboard Controls

W/Up Arrow - Move Forward
S/Down Arrow - Move Down
A/Left Arrow - Move Left
D/Right Arrow - Move Right
Spacebar - Shoot
Shift/Backspace - Dash
Ctrl/End - Use Current Skill
Q/E or Def/Page - Select Skill

Gamepad Controls

Left Analog/Directional Pad - Move
A - Shoot
B - Dash
X - Use Current Skill
LB/RB - Select Skill

The goal is to complete missions and to defeat the alien menace. You can choose to fly as the Americans or the Germans. Your plane's health will be a ring that appears around its body. The power-ups will appear in the corners of the screen with the level progress meter in the top left corner and your lives at the bottom. If you lose all your health, you'll lose a life, and if you lose all your lives, it's game over.

Before you begin a mission, you can spend any medals and upgrade points to improve the skills, equipment, and planes of your pilots. You can also choose to control just one pilot or a whole squadron. After that, you can choose any of the available missions with more unlocking as you complete them. When you begin, your planes will start flying from the bottom of the screen towards the top. You can move them freely around the screen as enemies spawn from different sides to shoot at you. As you destroy enemies, you can collect medals and crates which will provide temporary power-ups to your active and passive weapons. If you complete the level, you'll receive more rewards and return to the hub area.

Each of the pilots on the American and German sides has their strengths and weaknesses, the latter can lead to in-game effects that can inhibit your abilities. However, they also have unique powers that they can use during missions to give you an edge. As you improve your skills, you can try to take on more difficult missions for a chance at better rewards and new planes for your pilots.

Tips and Tricks

The aliens won't hold back and even on the easiest difficulty, will try to overwhelm you with sheer numbers. You'll want to keep moving so that you can avoid getting surrounded by enemy fire and enemies themselves. Collectibles are enticing, but don't them draw you into dangerous spots, so prioritize survival.