Bomber Crew

Short Version

Bit repetitive, but excellent stressful fun for a low price!

Long Version

I’m not sure why Wing Commander Biggins put me in charge of the crew of a Lancaster bomber – I’d never flown one before, had no military experience, and displayed zero aptitude for it – but put me in charge he did, by jove. Nothing for it but to crack on and learn in the sky, wot? My sincerest apologies to my first five crews – fine men and women all – for whatever role my lack of experience may have played in their untimely deaths. But, stiff upper lip and all that. We must soldier on. Their digital lives were given in service to a greater cause: stopping the Blitz and ending the war. Besides, if anyone’s to blame, it’s Wing Commander Biggins.

I came across this game in the PS Store Spring Sale, and when I saw the cutaway of the bomber with all the little people inside I about lost it. Is this FTL in a WWII plane?? Could there be a more perfect union of time period and gameplay? Plus the sale brought the already low price of $14.99 down to like, $5.40.

There is definitely a bit of a learning curve – Bomber Crew throws you in landing gear first – and my first several missions went pear shaped in a hurry. When it gets hairy, there are usually at least 3 things that need to be done at the same time and only enough crew for one. The good news is the replacement bombers and airmen they give you are leveled up so you don’t lose that much progress when you inevitably get shot down. The crew are all fully customizable and you’re responsible for outfitting them, balancing things like armor with movement speed and warmth – it gets cold at high altitude! Similarly, decisions must be made about the Lanc in terms of weight, firepower, and armor value. I loved obsessing over whether the tail gun needed to be a .303×4 mk. 3 or a .50×2 mk. 2. The bomber also has systems that can and will spontaneously break down which your engineer, usually your quickest and least armoured airperson, will have to repair. Extra fun when you have to send them out onto the wing to patch up a busted prop.

You can’t pause the game, but you can slow time. There’s a dedicated slow time button and the game automatically slows it down when you’re selecting a crew member or assigning them a task. You’re awarded a small monetary and experience bonus for using as little slow time as possible, but don’t let that deter you. You’re going to need it.

Bomber Crew is no FTL, a bomber’s just not as complex as a spaceship, but there’s lots to love here. The graphics are basic but Runner Duck made the most of them. There are plenty of cool details, like the propellers and the look of the clouds/smoke, that I really enjoyed. I like the progression system on both the plane and crew, good amount of choices to be made. The missions get a little stale – fly out, tangle with the Luftwaffe, drop a bomb on something, leg it for home – but they mix in a couple of variations, and the game isn’t really the mission, it’s managing your crew during the mission. I loved my own personal development as I went from dropping my controller in futility as Flak Magnet went down in flames, to snapping off commands to restock ammunition, apply bandages, and put out fires like a proper captain.

At the end, you don’t get much, but we don’t need much, do we? Just a celebratory pint and a pat on the back from Wing Commander Biggins. Good show, boys and girls. Jolly good show.

Advice to the Player

How to play – There are instructions in the menu which are helpful, as you might expect.

Med kits over parachutes and fire extinguishers – Especially in the beginning

When all else fails, crash the plane – If most of your crew is bleeding out and you’ve still got your pilot, execute an emergency landing. If your pilot is knocked down, have whoever’s left bail out. As long as the plane gets to the ground in one piece, everyone who was still alive will get to roll their survival check. And to that end…

Get yourself a life raft and a homing pigeon – They’re expensive but worth it.

Beware the schräge musik