Does this launch title soar above the rest?
Generations of poisonous decisions and treason swirl in the deep, as factions collide. Become the Falconeer and soar through the skies aboard a devastatingly powerful Warbird. Uncover secrets lost to the sea as you join or oppose different factions and clans scattered throughout The Great Ursee. Take advantage of multiple Falconeer classes with individual stats, weapons and warbirds that can be upgraded through winning battles, completing quests, discovering secrets, or applying Mutagens or Chants. Use ocean thermals and energy to dive, dodge, barrel-roll, and twist to gain an advantage. The Falconeer is an open-world air combat game, featuring fast, brutal aerial dogfights and deep exploration of an incredible fantasy open-world set not only above the clouds, but also amongst the waves and down through the sunken, ocean depths
The Falconeer isn’t your typical launch game for a new console, in fact it’s made by a single person, Tomas Sala. When you just look at how breath-taking the game is and how smoothly it runs and controls, it’s seriously impressive. But is it a true next-gen experience?
This is my second game to review for the Series X and it’s been an absolute pleasure to play. There aren’t many aerial combat games out there now, so The Falconeer is a real treat. I don’t recall any with any RPG elements like levelling up either, so this was a surprise and while there were a few difficulty spikes and a serious lack of checkpoints, they can’t take away what is a huge accomplishment for Tomas Sala.
The combat can be tricky at times and may feel overwhelming at first, but it will become second nature after enough practise in the skies. It’s a slow burner but definitely one of the most imaginative launch games for the new Xbox.
The game looks stunning in 4K at 60 FPS, but it can also support upto 120 FPS if you have the right TV. Sadly I do not possess such a unit, unless someone from LG, Samsung or Sony wants to send one my way? But I do have a 4K QLED that supports 60 FPS and it still looks incredible. Load times are next to none and the soundtrack is also impressive.
The Verdict
While it has its issues with checkpoints and difficulty spikes, The Falconeer stands out as an amazing launch title and its definitely the one I will remember the most with its incredible visuals and challenging combat. Highly recommended.