That’s a bird you moron
Welcome to this week’s…wait for it…wait for it… Weekly Time Waster!!! Yeah I know it’s a Saturday and it says Time Waster and all that jazz but I felt like giving an introduction, so sue me.
This week I’m going to introduce you to one of my favorite types of time wasting game there is: flight games (Don’t ask why. I haven’t quite figured it out yet myself). Way back when the Time Waster was just a small article on our Facebook page I did one for Burrito Bison. I realized recently that I haven’t actually sat down and given one of this style of games a proper review yet so I figured, why not?
So this time around we are going to be playing as a penguin and he has some kind of beef with icebergs. Don’t quite get it but then again I’ve never played the first Learn to Fly, but whatever, this isn’t one of the times where the story really matters, it’s like a plot in a porno (Drew Carey anyone?).
With that being said let us move right on into the gameplay. In case you’ve never played a flight styled game before here is the basic rundown. For some reason you need to make it a far distance, so you’re going to launch yourself from whatever you can which is in this case an ice ramp. After watching yourself faceplant into the ground you’ll go back to the shop and buy some upgrades like boosters, gliders and other such things.
Now you’ll try again and after seeing how much farther you’ve come you’ll get a sense of accomplishment and realize that with better upgrades you can make it even farther (Oh my!). This is the basic formula for all of these types of games and yet somehow I always keep coming back for more. I guess the ability to actually watch my distance flown grow just really hits that "good job" nerve. I imagine that this is true for everyone who plays these types of game.
It also helps out that Learn to Fly 2 has a boatload of medals ready to be unlocked. Which, yes, is just this game’s equivalent of achievements from our green X friend. Scratch that, medals are actually worth something. Every time you unlock a medal you get a certain amount of Bonus Points (BP).
Yes it still sounds like Gamerscore, I know, but the big difference is the ability to trade in you BP for extra upgrades in the Bonus Shop (go figure).
There are a wide variety of things that can help you. Such as Phoenix Feathers that reduce the wind resistance or Super Chargers to add that extra kick to your boosters. Sure it isn’t exactly something we haven’t seen before but it at least gives you a reason to collect the medals besides the overused "just because."
Along with all of this we also have three different modes that we can choose to play as well. These modes are Story Mode, Classic Mode, and Arcade Mode. Each mode has a unique difference to it. Story mode as you might have guessed is where the story takes place. Besides that it is also the mode that adds walls and other obstacles for you to destroy. Just fill your penguin up with some TNT and shove him off. Trust me, he’ll be just fine. Classic mode is meant to play like Learn to Fly 1, I assume. There are no walls, no explosives, and you are actually a penguin instead of a sack of potatoes with eyes. Then we have Arcade mode, which is easily meant for those who like a challenge. In arcade mode you can choose from three different budgets. Using these limited funds you’ll have to see how many points you can get. The main advantage of playing Arcade Mode is that based on how many points you earn you’ll also earn a small amount of BP. So it’s good to stop and play this mode if you’re trying to beat Story Mode in as few days as possible.
So we have ourselves a pretty legit little flight game here. Sure the formula has been way overused and the story is…well you get the point. Yet somehow it still remains fun. I guess this goes with that whole entire "if it ain’t broke don’t fix it" saying then, doesn’t it?
Learn to Fly 2 earns itself a respectable 3.5 GiN Gems out of 5!