Air combat simulation and arcade set in World War I
There are 3 games in the Ancient Art of War series - The Ancient Art of War, which is more of a general based type of game, The Ancient Art of War at Sea which dwells on maritime combat and strategy and this game here, In the Skies, which deals with the air force maneuvers of the British and the Germans in the First World War. The game splits the tactical and the close encounters of aired assault in two portions of the game, each with its distinct mechanics. The portion where you give commands and plot routes towards targets is done in a turn based environment, while the later stage, after your aircrafts have met their destination plays like an arcade, offering you an action like puzzle set of interactions. This arcade portion, on one hand takes away the serious strategy and simulation pretentions that the game might have had, but is also very fun. In the arcade portion you will be either fighting in a 2D side scroller like environment or will be tasked with hitting the marks with your bombs. Overall, the combination of the 2 sections of the game takes away the serious edge of the game but instead make it fun and colorful. So, if you are not necessarily the most avid fan of strategies, this game can provide a cool combination of tactical command plus fun arcade play, all set in WWI scenarios.
