It’s April 9, 1940 and the German invasion of Norway is fully underway as the sun glares at me through my iced up windshield. My aircraft, a British Spitfire Mk.II, roars through the air while being rocked around as the deafening airblasts from the anti-aircraft flak cannons explode around my ship and curiously sync up to the brass blasts from the John Williams score titled ‘TIE Fighter Attack”*. The flak is coming from the naval destroyers that I am dangerously edging close to, so I quickly veer away from the oncoming fire towards a teammate who needs assistance. Suddenly, an enemy fighter is cornering me on my six as he closes the distance for his guns to be effective. Before he can line me up in his sights I roll hard to my right and drop my speed so I can circle around him. He anticipates this and also matches my speed. I point my nose down and plummet to the frozen trees while kicking in my afterburners and reach a tremendous amount of speed before sharply pulling up and looping over my pursuer. In his confusion he tries to also perform a loop but doesn’t have the right amount of thrust so I catch him before he can complete the maneuver and with one blast I take out his rudder. The damage is done and he spins out of control into the rock and ice. Welcome to War Thunder, a free-to-play online World War 2-era combat flight simulator that has taken over my free-time and that of thousands everywhere.
*You know the scene, when Han and Luke have to jump in the Falcon’s turrets and fend off the TIEs after escaping the Death Star. There is no Star Wars soundtrack used in the game, but listening to the score while playing is one of the best combinations I have discovered. After all, George Lucas heavily borrowed from WW2 aerial battle stock footage for his films. It’s only fitting to be played with this game during multiplayer.

My first complaint about the game is that I didn’t hear about it early enough, when it’s open beta was launched back in November 2012. I have no idea how this game eluded my radar for so long which is why I wanted to share it with any others who might have missed this gem. I’m also fascinated with WW2-era history, especially when it comes to the engineering marvels that were developed by the various powers that were fighting throughout the world at the time. I don’t believe this game would be as successful were it set in any other time and I think Gaijin Entertainment has perfectly captured the essence of what makes WW2 still one of the most infamous and captivating wars in human history.

The first thing I suggest is to complete the tutorial missions that will guide you and teach you everything you need to know. This is an extremely easy game to jump into and learn in a short time. There is no steep-learning curve but mastering the skies against other players is another thing. However, the challenge of going up against another player and making it out alive in a dog-fight is extremely enjoyable and addictively fun.

The controls are excellently well mapped and mouse users don’t have to worry about the need for a joystick. The controls feel much more realistic and responsive than say, the jets from Battlefield 3. If you prefer to use a joystick then that’s not a problem either. I haven’t tried it with a joystick yet but will update this article later on when I do so. The developers made the game in mind for many different controller types so it’s only a matter of choosing what you’re most comfortable with.

War Thunder is a visual treat. Rays of sunlight will cascade through your cockpit and fog will actually obscure your vision of a mountain that may, or may, not be in front of you. Enemy gunfire will punch holes in your aircraft’s hull or rip it to shreds. Even the aircraft, which number over a hundred, have all been painstakingly recreated from their actual real-life counterparts. The gunners that sit in the turrets and pill boxes don’t look like they were molded in clay by a five-year-old. Detail is everywhere. However, some textures on the ground noticeably stand out. Some buildings on the base are painted “flat” on the surface of the map. Mountain edges sometimes produce a strange pixelated “shimmering” effect. These are small problems in a game that is for the majority a feast for the eyes. I can’t wait to experience this game via Oculus Rift when those become available soon.

A lot of love has also gone into the sound design. Everything sounds like it was recorded from real WW2 battles. From the idle hum of each and every plane to the explosive crack of a torpedo hitting the broadside of a battleship, War Thunder brings the noise when it comes to sound effects. Now, as you can already tell, I don’t think their music choices were great selections. I like music to engage what I may be doing in the game. Bringing on a composer to write some epic dog-fighting battle music to keep me on my toes is well needed for War Thunder.

When you start you have five countries to choose from: U.S., England, Germany, Russia and Japan. Each has over forty ships to choose from with even more on the way. By participating in various missions, either single-player or online, you will accrue experience points and silver lions (game currency) for the various duties you perform in each mission. Whether you choose to solely dog-fight other players or take out the enemies ground forces you will gain experience for both your personal flight career and that of your specific country. For example, I picked England for my country so the more I use British aircraft the more options I will gain access to (purchased with silver lions) while I keep leveling. Each country’s aircraft has different weaknesses and strengths that you will need to keep an eye out for. You can take your time leveling up each country so don’t worry about what you select at the beginning. Players are also able to upgrade their planes with silver lions for better parts that become available with more use. You can also spend points on how accurate your gunners will be or how long it takes before your guns can be reloaded.

In addition to unlocking the many various aircraft, players can also unlock medals and achievements for specific tasks performed in their aircraft or for their military career. Dozens of skins and decals, of which only 4*, can be placed on your aircraft including the usual eyes and shark teeth can be placed and customized in size and angle.
*Decals are for Premium Accounts

Physics play a big role in this game. Just as if I were in a real aircraft, G-Forces brought upon by the sudden turning at such fast speeds can possibly cause your pilot, and even your crew, to black out and lose control of the aircraft. If your crew blacks out then you won’t have a gunner to defend your ass. Specifically firing on certain parts of an enemy fighter might just punch some holes in the fuel tank, meaning they will have to land to enact repairs if they can survive your encounter. Remain too low while you drop your bombs and you too might get caught in the surrounding blast. This realism is a masterful combination with the already rich, life-like graphics.

Multiplayer

Players can team up with 3 other friends in a squad to assist each other in multiplayer or co-op games. Servers can support up to 32 players (16 on each side.)

There are 3 separate modes that players can choose from to change how their match will play.

Arcade Mode: A much more simplified flight control scheme. The location and the aircraft selection are not tied to historical events. Players on either side can choose aircraft from any country.

Historical: Players must only choose aircraft of the corresponding side they are on. If you’re playing The Battle of Britain and are on the British side then you can only select British aircraft. Also, aircraft behave realistically, ex: If you’re flying too fast you risk your wings being ripped off.

Full Real Battles: You must begin the Full Real Battles Tutorial before playing this mode. Missions are very long, no 3rd person, aircraft begin on ground with engines off, flight dynamics are also more extreme and there are no markers or mouse aim. You must use a joystick.

Once you select the mode you can then select the mission type of which there are 3.

Operations: Defeat all ground forces. Can be played in Historical Mode only.

Domination: Capture and hold all airfields.

Ground Strike: Simplified version of Operations for Arcade Mode only.

There are currently 17 maps, including: Attack on Pearl Harbor, Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Peleliu, and the developers intend to include even more locations in future patches. They are well-detailed, sprawling maps that appear to accurately portray the landscape for each corresponding location. The maps will also make you think about what kind of armament you might want to put on your aircraft. Some maps are based on naval battles so you will want to outfit your aircraft to be able to carry torpedoes (if available.)

War Thunder is best played with buddies over a voice chat program. Coordinating with your squad will definitely give you a much needed edge in battle against opposing forces. Having two players fly as bombers while two other players fly in fighters to intercept enemies who go after the bombers is a useful tactic. Experienced teams can decimate opposing enemy bases in a short amount of time. Every multiplayer match feels unique and never feels repetitive.
Gaijin Entertainment is going all in with War Thunder and even has plans to introduce player controlled land and naval units in future releases. War Thunder is available on PC through Steam and will also be released for the Playstation 4 later this year.

We know you’re interested. Head to War Thunder‘s official website, and download the game now! War Thunder scores a worthy 4/5.

— Cameron Shooshtari