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This is one of the few Super Nintendo games featuring free roaming in full 3D, and managing to have a smooth frame rate at the same time. The biplane may be my favorite vehicle — the engine sound revs up and down with the throttle, and the plane vibrates — creating a very immersive experience. Sometimes I feel as though I am the plane, rather than merely controlling it. The wind pushes against me as I approach the icy runway, trying to level off for landing. As I touch down, my wheels slide on the ice, and I struggle to not drift off the strip...
The wind is felt more with unpowered flight, such as when parachuting and hang-gliding. In these modes, you can hear the wind and air resistance, using this feedback to help gauge your speed. In both vehicles, the wind and air feel like a presence that can either aid or hinder your landing. The hang-glider is perhaps more forgiving, as you can gain altitude via thermal currents and make multiple passes over the landing zone in order to get a feel for your approach.
In addition to landing, you'll often need to fly through rings in order to get a good score. Each training mission has 100 points available, divided up into things like time, rings, landing accuracy, angle, and impact force.
The campaign consists of 4 training areas, each run by a different instructor. Each instructor has some personality, and it's a blast seeing their faces when I get a perfect score. You'll start out your training under Tony, trying your hand at the biplane and skydiving. Pass and you move on to Penny, who'll introduce you to the Rocket Pack, as well as more challenging skydiving and biplane missions. Pass her tests, and she'll move you on to Lance, who'll introduce you to the hang-glider. Master it and the other tests and you'll get to see Al, who runs a giant platform out at sea. His tests are much harder, and the wind presents a challenge. Succeed and you'll get a silver Pilotwings license.
Now things get really difficult. You must fly a helicopter to rescue Tony, Penny, and Lance from the Syndicate. This is unlike anything you have trained for. The camera is above, looking down. You take off from a warship — a scenario reminiscent of Desert Strike. Gaining altitude, you travel toward the Syndicate's island base. Suddenly anti-air fire rises to greet your arrival. You try to dodge, and lock onto the installations with your rockets. Hit! Hit! Hit! One by one you destroy the enemy's air defenses and make your way to the base. That's a lot of AA positions! The air is filled with tracers, and suddenly you are taking fire from the forest in hidden emplacements. You're hit! Your mighty attack helicopter loses control — burning, smoking, falling like a rock. It hits the ground, a smoldering wreck. The game over screen plays, and you're asked if you'd like to continue. You try again, and again, finally giving up in frustration.
Some time later, you start up the game and enter your Pilotwings license number, which is also your password. To your amazement you get through the mission, rescuing your instructors while heroic music plays. You think you won the game, but what's this? The title screen returns, but this time it's night, and the game says "expert" under the title. In truth, you are but halfway done.
Attribution
Screenshots in this article were captured from Nintendo Complete's Pilotwings (SNES) Playthrough on Youtube.
