Boogie Wings is the kind of game where it exudes so much charm and fun, its shortcomings are rarely felt throughout it all.
The first minute may give an impression that it's just your typical horizontal shmup with only the wacky early 1900s ragtime theming setting itself apart from other shooters. But then soon enough you'll come to notice that the plane you pilot has a hook that can grab anything to be freely swung and tossed around. Once you get shot down the first time too, you'll also realize it's not a life loss yet, as your pilot is now on-foot comically running with his pistol, being able to pilot new vehicles as they come along.
These surprises keep coming along, as you get to ride on-ground vehicles from typical ones such as tanks and motorcycles to more outlandish things such as robots and animals.
This variety extends to the levels themselves, each with its own theme built around them. From a Christmas-filled city, a spooky Halloween town to a large theme park and museum. You're never really doing the same thing twice too since each level will force you onto a gimmick with its own set of vehicles and enemies. A particular highlight comes in the form of raiding an airship, where the game feels more akin to a 2D action sidescroller.
Boogie Wings is far from perfect, suffering from a lack of polish with its mechanics and the length of the levels themselves feeling a tad bit too long. But the sheer variety of stuff and charming presentation makes it hard to dislike.
This is also one of the few shmups I feel like where it actually is more fun to play without autofire. It's nicely balanced for tapping gameplay, with rapid tapping enabling a more powerful version of your shot that captures a wide area and kills enemies quickly. You can elect for autofire as you wish especially if you're trying to be efficient with clearing the game, but it's definitely balanced without it especially since part of the fun is having your vehicle destroyed and hijacking another.
Boogie Wings is rough around the edges, but it also offers a highly enjoyable time where it's easy to just smile and laugh throughout its whimsical presentation. I highly recommend it especially if you can get a friend to tag along with you. Something like Fightcade actually supports this game quite nicely from personal experience.
The first minute may give an impression that it's just your typical horizontal shmup with only the wacky early 1900s ragtime theming setting itself apart from other shooters. But then soon enough you'll come to notice that the plane you pilot has a hook that can grab anything to be freely swung and tossed around. Once you get shot down the first time too, you'll also realize it's not a life loss yet, as your pilot is now on-foot comically running with his pistol, being able to pilot new vehicles as they come along.
These surprises keep coming along, as you get to ride on-ground vehicles from typical ones such as tanks and motorcycles to more outlandish things such as robots and animals.
This variety extends to the levels themselves, each with its own theme built around them. From a Christmas-filled city, a spooky Halloween town to a large theme park and museum. You're never really doing the same thing twice too since each level will force you onto a gimmick with its own set of vehicles and enemies. A particular highlight comes in the form of raiding an airship, where the game feels more akin to a 2D action sidescroller.
Boogie Wings is far from perfect, suffering from a lack of polish with its mechanics and the length of the levels themselves feeling a tad bit too long. But the sheer variety of stuff and charming presentation makes it hard to dislike.
This is also one of the few shmups I feel like where it actually is more fun to play without autofire. It's nicely balanced for tapping gameplay, with rapid tapping enabling a more powerful version of your shot that captures a wide area and kills enemies quickly. You can elect for autofire as you wish especially if you're trying to be efficient with clearing the game, but it's definitely balanced without it especially since part of the fun is having your vehicle destroyed and hijacking another.
Boogie Wings is rough around the edges, but it also offers a highly enjoyable time where it's easy to just smile and laugh throughout its whimsical presentation. I highly recommend it especially if you can get a friend to tag along with you. Something like Fightcade actually supports this game quite nicely from personal experience.