Now if you search for 'Airplane Battle' in the app store, the front pages are basically all the same: clicking in first pops up the first recharge, 6 yuan for a golden fighter, 30 yuan for the supreme missile, VIP levels more numerous than the enemy aircraft types. You have to draw fragments to get fighters, upgrade stars with same-name cards, once your stamina is gone you can only wait, rankings and guild tasks chase you around, and if you don't spend money, your bullets later are like water guns. Playing a plane shooting game feels like going to work, it's really annoying.
But for this 'Airplane Battle: Everyone's Thunder', I was originally put off by the name, which is as outdated as my grandfather's radio. When I saw that the developer was Beijing Kuai Bo Kos and the payment model was marked as 0, I decided to try it with the mindset of 'let's see how bad this can be.' After taking a look around, I didn't see things like first charge bonuses, VIP perks, or ten-pull draws. No stamina, no card draws, no guilds, no forced social interaction, it even runs on an old Android phone. Just for that, I have to say a few words in its favor.
The gameplay is just like the classic arcade Raiden: drag your fighter with one finger, automatic firing, waves of enemy planes, collect P to increase firepower, collect B to get bombs, and when the Boss appears, it's a barrage waiting for you. It's almost cost-free to get started: you start with a small water gun, and after collecting a few Ps, your bullets widen, giving a satisfying screen-clearing feeling. The difficulty isn't low, with full-screen bullet patterns later on, but the hitbox isn't that terrible; after dying a few times, you can memorize the patterns. When you die, you can restart with one click, without spending stamina or keys, which makes it feel more playable compared to many 'free' airplane games.
Let's be straightforward about the drawbacks: the visuals are retro, the sound effects are average, the modes are rather simple, playing for a long time can become repetitive, and occasionally there may be ads. But at its core, it's pure shooting, not a pay-to-win system. There are only a few tips: prioritize picking up firepower items, don't rush into bullets just for a coin; don't use bombs randomly, save them for bosses or when you're surrounded; try to stay near the edges to dodge, don't stay in the middle of the screen all the time; one finger is enough for mobile play, and don't use high vibration settings, as it can make your hand numb.
If you're also fed up with the whole package of drawing fighter jets, upgrading stars, VIP, first recharge, and guild hijacking, and just want to find a free-to-play airplane battle to kill time during your commute, you can download this game. Don't expect AAA standards from it, it's just a small arcade game, but at least it doesn't treat you like a wallet. 😎