Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron: Fly Boy Edition Review
Summary: Dakka Squadron on Switch is as rough as a dodgy batch of fungus beer.
2.4
WAAAAHHH!
Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron: Fly Boy Edition is a game that I should absolutely adore. On paper, it is a Rogue Squadron-style arcade flying sim set in the 40k universe, where you play as a rag-tag band of dastardly Orks Krumpin their way across the galaxy in their marvelous flying machines,
After joining an Ork Klan and receiving a quick tutorial on how to get the most dakka from your jet and the best time to engage ramming speed, you are unleashed on an unsuspecting universe in a campaign about simple creatures who simply love blowing things up.
It’s clear that developer Phosphor Game Studios knows their Squigs from their Stompas, as the game absolutely excels at capturing the anarchic spirit of the galaxy’s biggest hooligans. Hearing your boss and fellow flyboyz over the radio during missions is fun. Aside from an obnoxious grot that tells you when you’re out of bounds or take something out, the voice acting and script are fitting and work for the simple orky story being told, as well as the dangerous battles the Squadron engages in, from destroying rival warbands hangers and production facilities to protectin battle wagons. Though it’s fairly bog standard arcadey action, it’s all been tailored perfectly to the setting.
Sure, it’s not the first 40K game where you have ventured forth into the unknown as a protagonist whose only interests are Shootas, Blood, and Teef. But any game set in the Grim Darkness of the 41st Millenum where you’re not another Space Marine armed with their trusty Boltgun trying to close a Chaos Gate is a game I will happily sign up for. (though, admittedly, I’ll happily play those too)
However, the Switch version of Dakka Squadron is so poorly put together that it’s guaranteed to make you go WAAAGH! But not in the way any ork should.
Yes, I know it’s cliche to say a game looks like something on the N64, but it isn’t when that is actually the case. The Textures are muddy, the resolution may as well be 320×240, and it has more mist and pop-in than Turok.
On top of all that, flying does not feel like you’re hanging on by the seat of your orky britches flying a jet constructed entirely out of scrap, with a speedometer scrawled in crayon, that is literally hanging in the sky because of the pilot’s sheer force of will.
No, instead, it feels more like rowing, thanks to constant hitching and odd frame pacing issues that kick in every time you attempt to turn.
It’s a shame because the controls themselves are really well implemented and responsive, allowing you to quick-turn, barrel roll, and keep track of enemy fighters and objectives with relative ease. At least you could if the plane wasn’t constantly lurching about and ending up in the side of a cliff again, thanks to some unfortunate chugging.
The music is also either broken, or they decided to rip the cracking rock and metal soundtrack out of the game during play for, uh, reasons.; I’m coming down on the side of broken because why would they remove it? At least that means they could maybe fix it.
What confuses me most is that it apparently has a decent PC version, and even the original mobile game is well-regarded. So why was this sub-par port allowed to leave the hangar?
Final Thoughts
Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron: Fly Boy Edition on Switch is a lot like the Dakka Jets that the Orks pilot; a shabby contraption comprised mostly of scrap and spare parts that should be avoided in case it spontaneously combusts.
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