Airships: Conquer the Skies Review Summary

Fun gameplay and rewarding ship building are let down by a bad UI and shallow conquest mode, though modding helps.

Game is fun and enjoyable: Many players find the game fun, addictive, and enjoyable across various modes. The gameplay is praised for being engaging, satisfying, and not overly complicated.

Ship building is fun: Players consistently enjoy the ship building mechanic, which allows for crazy customization and creativity. Building custom ships and seeing them perform in battle is highlighted as rewarding and addictive.

Conquest mode is fun: Conquest mode is described as well thought out, immersive, and exciting. It offers a fun government simulator and creates amazing storylines through gameplay, especially with friends.

Strategic gameplay depth: The game offers unique and engaging strategy gameplay that is both exciting and enjoyable. It is considered one of the most fun strategy games, with solid tactical combat.

Extensive mod support: The game supports Steam Workshop and has a large selection of mods available. Players appreciate the active community and the ability to extend playtime with mods and blueprint sharing.

UI is bad and unpolished: The user interface is criticized as horrific, unpleasant, and not adapted for modifications, with clunky controls and minor polish issues. This hinders the overall user experience.

Conquest mode needs more depth: Players report that Conquest mode lacks depth in diplomacy, internal politics, and overall mechanics, making it feel shallow and reducing replay value after a single playthrough. This is a common and specific criticism.

No tutorial for campaign: The game lacks a tutorial, especially for the campaign, making it confusing and challenging for new players to get used to. This contributes to a steep learning curve.

Multiplayer is dead or broken: Players report that multiplayer is either dead due to low population or broken after recent updates, with servers not working. This affects the game's longevity and replayability.

Game has bugs: Players encounter various bugs, including minor ones and some that affect gameplay. While not always severe, the presence of bugs is a recurring issue.

Deep shipbuilding and design system: The core gameplay revolves around designing and building ships, airships, landships, and other vehicles from scratch, with extensive customization and trial-and-error.

Vehicle building and combat: Players construct a variety of war machines, including airships, tanks, and fortresses, then deploy them in real-time battles against AI or other players.

Diverse buildable units: Players can build not only ships but also tanks, fortresses, and defensive structures, allowing for varied strategies in land, sea, and air warfare.

Airships as central theme: Airships are a prominent feature, with design mechanics and aerial combat taking center stage, often set in a steampunk fantasy world.

Multiplayer and cooperative modes: Players can engage in online, LAN, and local multiplayer battles, including cooperative campaigns and one-off duels, enhancing replayability and social play.

Mixed performance reports overall: Players report both smooth performance and significant optimization issues. Some experience flawless gameplay while others face stuttering and crashes.

Large battles cause lag: Large-scale battles with many ships or units frequently cause severe lag and FPS drops, especially on lower-end hardware. This is a common complaint.

Crashes during massive battles: Players report crashes or freezes during large battles, especially when fast-forwarding or with many ships. This disrupts gameplay and is a major issue.

Game fails to start: Some players cannot launch the game at all. This is a critical issue that prevents any gameplay.

Linux mouse input problems: The native Linux version has mouse input issues, making the game less playable on that platform. This is a technical bug.

Strongly recommended overall: Many reviewers explicitly recommend the game, with phrases like 'strongly recommended' and 'can't recommend enough.' This indicates high overall satisfaction and a willingness to endorse the game to others.

Worth full price: Reviewers consistently state the game is worth its full price tag, often using emphatic language like 'worth every copper' and 'definitely worth full price.' This suggests the game provides good value for its cost.

Great for airship fans: The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy steampunk airships, building them, and using them in combat. This is a recurring theme across multiple clusters, indicating a strong niche appeal.

Appeals to builders: Players who love building ships, vehicles, and fortresses will find the game enjoyable. It's often compared to other building-centric games like From the Depths and Space Engineers, but with a simpler approach.

Good for strategy enthusiasts: Fans of strategy games, including RTS and 4X genres, are likely to enjoy this title. It combines strategic planning with creative ship design, offering a unique blend of gameplay.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 10.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

Airships: Conquer the Skies has a steep learning curve that frustrates new players, but after a few games of being 'steamrolled' the game 'clicks' and becomes a highly addictive blend of ship design and empire management.

Friction: steep learning curve; inadequate tutorial explanation; intimidating complexity for new players; unbalanced early game economy; RNG-dependent starting position can ruin campaigns; initial frustration from being steamrolled.

Unlock drivers: learning through early losses; completing the tutorial; gaining understanding of ship design; persisting through early game failures; exploring different game modes.

Creative Builder: Spends most time in the vehicle designer, building airships or land vehicles for aesthetic appeal, roleplay, or maximum combat performance. Often tests creations in combat mode but derives primary satisfaction from the design process. Motivation: Creative expression and engineering optimization. Stance: buy.

Strategic Conqueror: Focuses on the Conquest campaign, managing resources, researching technologies, engaging in diplomacy, and commanding customized fleets in turn-based/real-time battles. Enjoys long-term planning and overcoming AI or human opponents. Motivation: Strategic empire expansion and tactical conquest. Stance: buy.

On Windows with less than 8GB VRAM, the game runs acceptably on lower-end systems but exhibits significant freezing with large constructions, resulting in overall mixed performance.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Reported to run well on low-spec hardware but suffers from freezing when building large ships or bases, leading to a mixed experience.

Steam Deck: The game suffers from frequent crashes and freezes on Steam Deck, compounded by an unreadably small user interface and missing scaling options. Linux native support is also broken, requiring workarounds.

Linux and Proton: Based on a single user review, the native Linux version of the game failed to run for that user. There is no evidence of widespread Linux compatibility problems or Proton usage. The issue appears isolated and likely minor, but the lack of positive Linux feedback prevents a higher confidence rating.

Strong modding community and support: Players consistently praise the game's modding scene, noting a large selection of mods on the Steam Workshop, community balance patches, and extensive mod support. This enhances replayability and player engagement.

Game receives regular updates: Reviewers highlight that the game is still actively updated years after release, with consistent quality-of-life improvements and content additions. The developer's dedication is frequently mentioned as a positive aspect.

DLC adds significant content: Players find the DLC to be worth purchasing, as it adds substantial content and depth to the game. The DLC is often described as cheap and enhancing the overall experience.

Early access with ongoing development: The game is currently in early access, with content gradually improving and a full release expected soon. Some reviewers note that the game is still raw and lacks some planned features, but updates are ongoing.

Pricing and value concerns: Feedback on pricing is mixed: some consider the game too expensive at its current price, while others find it worth the price, especially when on sale. The game's value for money is a recurring topic.