Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Airfix: Dogfighter delivers fast-paced, arcade-style aerial combat that’s easy to pick up yet challenging to master. From the moment you taxi down the tabletop runway, you’ll find yourself darting between lamp legs and shattering fine china as you dogfight rival model planes. The controls feel intuitive, with responsive throttle adjustments and a smooth roll used to evade incoming fire or line up a perfect strafing run.

The mission variety keeps you on your toes: one moment you’re escorting bomb payloads past enemy patrols, the next you’re hunting down artillery pieces hidden among sofa cushions. Power-ups scattered around the environment—ranging from additional rockets to a cheeky atomic bomb—encourage exploration of every nook and cranny, whether it’s under the coffee table or through a skylight. You’ll balance fuel gauges, health bars, and ammo counters to ensure you’re always combat-ready.

Progression feels rewarding: as you accrue points, you can permanently upgrade your armaments, swapping standard machine guns for heat-seeking rockets or even experimental ordnance. The dual campaigns—Axis and Allied—add replay value, offering mirrored mission objectives with unique twists. By the time you’ve flown all 20 missions, you’ll have a strong sense of how different planes handle, and you’ll be strategizing your loadout before takeoff.

Graphics

Though Airfix: Dogfighter isn’t aiming for photorealism, its stylized presentation perfectly captures the charm of a child’s playroom battlefield. Model planes sport crisp textures, and the tabletop environment feels lived-in—Scotch tape holding down blueprints, a stray sock serving as cover, and a cluster of building blocks doubling as anti-aircraft emplacements.

Lighting does a superb job of highlighting scale: shafts of sunlight streaming through curtains cast long shadows across dusty floorboards, while flickering overhead lamps transform everyday objects into dramatic horizon backdrops. Explosions and tracer rounds are bright and satisfying without becoming gaudy, ensuring that the action remains visually clear even during the most heated dogfights.

Performance is rock solid on modern hardware, with frame rates holding steady even when dozens of bullets and debris particles fill the screen. Occasional pop-in of small objects is rare, and load times between missions remain minimal. Overall, the graphics strike a fine balance between playful miniaturization and enough detail to keep you immersed in wartime thrills.

Story

Rather than weaving a deep historical narrative, Airfix: Dogfighter leans into its playful premise: World War II reenacted on the kitchen countertop. Mission briefings are voiced by maternal figures concerned about broken teacups or the lawn’s state after your many sorties. This lighthearted framing gives the game a distinctive tone and keeps the focus on fun.

The Axis and Allied campaigns each offer brief but witty cutscenes, setting up objectives—whether it’s preventing your sister’s doll from being destroyed or ensuring peace in the front garden. These snippets of humor give context to your aerial skirmishes and motivate you to complete tasks beyond mere score-chasing.

While purists seeking a historically grounded tale might find the narrative thin, the charm of battling toy Stukas and Spitfires in a suburban home more than compensates. Every mission feels like a fresh vignette in a child’s imaginative play, giving you just enough story to care about each objective without bogging down the exhilarating pace.

Overall Experience

Airfix: Dogfighter succeeds as a breezy, action-packed romp through a familiar domestic setting turned warzone. It’s ideal for players who enjoy quick missions, colorful arenas, and the satisfaction of upgrading weapons on the fly. Whether you’re short on time or craving a relaxed yet engaging aerial shooter, this title delivers.

The two distinct campaigns and 20 varied missions ensure you get solid playtime, and the mouse-and-keyboard or gamepad controls remain accessible for newcomers and flight-sim veterans alike. Collecting power-ups—fuel, health, ammo—is more than a chore; it’s woven seamlessly into each level’s design, rewarding curiosity and tactical positioning.

Minor drawbacks include a lack of deep narrative arcs and only moderate difficulty scaling in later missions. However, these are easily overshadowed by the game’s whimsical setting, diverse mission roster, and the pure joy of blasting through porcelain teacups or making a daring escape through an open window. For anyone seeking a lighthearted take on WWII dogfighting, Airfix: Dogfighter is a delightful choice.

Retro Replay Score

7.3/10