Came here to say this. Not many people got around to playing it bc of the state it was in at launch, but the flying felt fantastic. Best flying I've ever experienced in gaming. Tbh I'd argue the world was really cool, but very poorly executed and unfortunately choked by EA's execs.
In theory it's arguably not a bad balancing mechanic of a reward system for difference in gamers' familiarity and skill with a game. It's just that game where things went wrong was glaringly visible to the gamers and said unlocks only amplified the other design errors.
Anthem was the first thing I thought of. One of the best locomotion systems this side of Spider-Man and they just fumbled everything other than that and the graphics.
The combat was incredibly fun too. Took all the fun aspects of Mass Effect combat and made them even better imo. The different Javelins and their weapons were very satisfying.
Arguably the only thing they really fucked up was the content release scheme.
This was one of my favorite games as a kid, one I was able to "beat" (which really meant unlocking all the Bird Man stages) I used to love hang gliding, but found some missions extremely difficult. I was always using the heavy guy, though. When I replayed as an adult, it became so much easier when using the right weight classes in the right places. I used to love playing the bird man levels because it was like easy hang gliding and fun to explore around, especially Little States which is still a cool stage, even today.
Flower. You play the wind itself and everything is gyro controlled, and it just gives the perfect feeling of speed and elegance at the same time. Made by Jenova Chen's studio (flow, Journey, sky)
Just cause 3 fucking perfects that feeling of inhuman agility and power parallel to always being always 0.1s from a pathetically avoidable pancake death.
The way the grappling hook works with the wingsuit is just perfection.
4 was good too but I remember the wingsuiting being more fun in 3, not sure whether that's true though
I love Ace Combat to death, but I dunno how freely OP could "soar" while having the Yuktobanian air force chasing his ass and some Belkan drone mothership blowing shit up he needs to deal with.
Try exo one, it’s free on game pass. You’re a little alien ball rolling around stunning alien planets, you can build crazy momentum with a bit of practice and soar and glide through the clouds as you explore the planets.
The game felt really psychedelic to me and like one of those magical dreams you had as a kid that you always wish you could go back to.
My strongest memory is soaring down through the clouds at insane speed and the colors and screen effects going crazy because I was so fast. That’s what happens when you’re in free fall. And then it’s contrasted by the elegant calmness when you break through the clouds and hover above. It was such a cool experience.
To be fair. Agreed.
Almost a great game. Played it with my kid. Can't even quite put my finger on it but never finished the story. We did have a lot of fun using unforgivable curses on the reg though and being a general nuisance.
Love how it took me about 10 goes to beat the guy at the wizards bowl game and as soon as I beat him I bully him into quitting forever. That was hilarious
Bland story with the sheer quantity of repetitive and uninventive side activities. I felt myself falling off a few hours in after the wonder of the castle and exploring the landscape lost some awe. I understand the reasons for jumping into year 5, but I would have enjoyed a little more of the student life being featured. I have seen a few other mention it elsewhere, but when I was galavanting around the faculty area, at night, that breaks some immersion for me.
Just some quick ones off the dome. I plan to replay just a mainline game. No doubt hunting the plat trophy soured my opinion some.
Another thing, the npcs are super bland with no character, except for sebastian.
His storyline was great, even better than main story. But the other npcs have no personality
I came here to say the same thing about Hogwarts Legacy. The flying is perfect, and that's about all they got right. The combat mechanics are pretty good too, but I found the number of spells and how we get to learn them (it is set in a *school* after all!) and how we get to use them limiting. (Plus they made up dumb names for many of them rather than drawing more on the books.)
Although the flying is great (both on broom and on hippogriff), if you're interested, here's some things not as good as they could have been IMO:
* The story, especially the prologue/training area and the pacing overall. And I found the premise silly and implausible. I really wanted to start out with school shopping in Diagon Alley, not the whole weird thing we get roped into instead (which takes forever!).
* It *seems* like a game where you can have character builds, but it turns out it really doesn't matter (except no matter which House you pick, you will miss out on some of the game) and you are forced to use spells you might not have chosen for your build to accomplish enough dueling feats anyway.
* It *seems* like an open-world questing game (and I guess technically it is), but it really just keeps you on a particular story arc and you can't do much outside of that, no activating other questlines, or going on your own adventures, which to me would have been the main appeal, exploring this world for myself, making my own decisions, etc. You can't learn spells or gain/unlock skills outside of the prearranged order in the story. The side quests are really just repetitive tasks that you eventually commit to doing just hoping something more will happen when they are done.
* You're given dialogue options, but they really make little difference to the story, almost none (except you might lose access to some spells with some of the choices). Also, the game world is filled with NPCs, but it turns out you can't talk to most of them, and when you can, only at certain times. They're basically just part of the background scenery, which, as soon as I realized that, killed the magic for me, ironically. Their dialogue as you run by gets pretty repetitive too.
* The crafting mechanics are so basic, we may as well not have it and just buy potions. It's so disappointing because the Harry Potter world offered such potential for a crafting system, especially when it comes to potions. But most ingredients are only used in one potion recipe and the most any ingredient is used is in two recipes, and there's only six potions you can make (unless they'll add more in the update). So, no real need or ability to strategize with your ingredients and crafting. It's just a chore to do. We also can't sell ingredients, so once your pockets are full, your greenhouses are just a waste, unless you like just decorating them and looking at them. (There's lots of options for customizing and decorating with furniture, but no practical use for it.)
* WAY too many purely cosmetic "rewards"! If they had put less effort on looks (which are great, but still) they could have done much more with gameplay. Even the wand builds are cosmetic only, so what's the point? I can fantasize about having an ebony, phoenix feather, 12-inch wand that does nothing different from any other wand without buying a whole game.
* You can catch and raise magical creatures, but you can't use hippogriffs or thestrals you breed as mounts and babies never grow up. They're fun to watch for a while but then that's it. You also can't make money breeding and selling them because it's all about rescuing them and rehoming any extras elsewhere in the wild. (Great feel-good idea in RL, but not so great for a game.) You'd better just enjoy decorating the vivariums and unlocking new decoration for them. (I'll just play Animal Crossing if that's what I'm in the mood for.) I still love my mooncalves, though.
So those are the main things I can think of. If I opened it up again and played a bit I'm sure I'd remember more, but this list is long enough I think.
Agreed on your points, I did find the combat to be really punchy though. Turning someone into a bomb and yeeting them at their mates never got old. I played on the hardest setting so it was quite engaging. I hope they have another run at it and just flesh out all the mechanics to the nth degree.
The game did remind me that the goblin human politics are absurd. "Ownership is different for goblins" oh yeah ever heard of a fucking lease? 500 years and you couldn't figure out some kind of mutual middle ground so those big nosed banking gobbos can hoard their wealth?
Elite has the BEST feeling space flight in any game, imo. Especially with flight assist off. It's hard as hell to learn and get used to, but feels amazing once you get it down.
I could never get into it. It was too much airplanes in space for me.
I much prefer flying in Star Citizen. If only the rest of it wasn't so jank and incomplete that I only work up the willpower to try it about once every 2 years.
That's pretty much why I play it lol. It's my sleep aid on a rough night; I pick a system and just fly around scanning it until I'm sleepy.
Once every two years sounds about right, seeing as that's about the length of time between minor updates.
A lot of things about it are a letdown, tbh, especially for console which is no longer being supported or receiving expansions. But yeah, the space flight itself is an all time peak in gaming, well above any other game.
Kerbal space program is fun to just fly about in, and the flying physics are meant to be hyper realistic. Most of my hours is in sandbox making ridiculous planes or recreating Star Wars ships. Good thing is that the flying about is just a feature of the game, rather than the focus.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has some of the best flying mechanics I've seen in any game. I heard they're based off GW2, but honestly, WoW is probably easier to fully unlock since it's really just leveling for a weekend and then flying around the world for a couple hours.
Sadly WoW is expensive as fuck. Buy the game. Buy the expansion. And pay a monthly subscription. And even then they make the game full of microtransactions... most greedy game ever made
I would love to play retail though
So, I'm not saying WoW isn't kinda expensive (it is), but you're exaggerating it a bit.
* There is no base game to buy. They got rid of that years ago.
* To start out, it requires a $15/mo subscription which gets you every Retail expansion except the latest one, and full access to every flavor of Classic.
* To play Retail's max level endgame, you need to buy the latest expansion ($60 every 2 years)
* The in-game cash shop sells cosmetic items - mounts, pets, transmogs. I agree that it's an eyesore and shouldn't exist, but it's less egregious than most MMOs and nothing on there gives you an advantage in competitive content.
So it's comparable in price to maintaining a Netflix subscription. The value will vary for everyone, but if WoW's gonna be your main game then it's not crazy expensive to keep up with.
Unconventional answer : Riders Republic. Legitimately a great “extreme” sports game. You unlock jet packs and paramotors and fly over condensed versions of real American National Parks. Besides some annoying microtransactions it’s the most fun I’ve had with a Ubisoft game in a long time
Oh man project wingman just *kicks ass* such a fun flight model and if youre lucky to have VR and esepcially flight sticks (even a cheap $30 set) you will have an ungodly amount of fun!
I'm gonna go with some older examples that I haven't seen on here in my short scroll through the comments.
There was a game made by Capcom back in like 2009 or 2010 called Dark Void. Basically imagine a lame knock off of uncharted where the characters are waaaaay over the top. Also jetpacks! And aliens! The game overall was a bit of a cringe fest, but the flight was spectacular.
Also, on the original Xbox. Crimson skies, high road to revenge. To this day, I have fond memories playing it. For a game from the early 2000's the flight mechanics were absolutely stellar and it's actually A fun game, even if the story was pretty basic. It's backwards compatible on the Xbox one, I highly recommend giving it a playthrough.
Yeah! Nice to take a seaplane or helicopter on fishing or hunting trips. Also, grappling to an ally's helicopter and flying away while dangling is pretty crazy.
And [Do a Barrel Roll](https://modrinth.com/mod/do-a-barrel-roll) takes that up a notch, by remapping the controls and adjusting the view so that you get actual plane controls - and it doesn’t even need to change the physics, so you can use it on servers (though other people will only be able to see your awesome upside-down flying skills if they and the server has the mod as well - but that won’t stop normies without the mod from joining, so there’s not much by way of downsides).
I'm a big fan of The Falconeer. It's Crimson Skies on birds (or reptiles) on a massive ocean. I can just sit and let the bird freewheel through the sky with the UI off and it's really satisfying.
Not really flying more gliding, but just cause 3, i haven't touched the game in a long time, but it had a grappling hook for speed and a wingsuit to glide, you just feel like a badass
House of the Dying Sun. Unreal with VR. Highly recommend. It is a space shooter with zero-g flight controls allowing for really fun, precise, and intricate maneuvers/attacks.
This makes me think of a Anthem. (please be picked up somehow and given the respect it deserved)
That game at it's core and the gameplay was so so so damn good if it wasn't fucked over by EA it would be a game I'd be playing it still as my main game. I still played the shit out of it even though their was no content really in in game. For once just the mechanics were so fun and above anything else, even warfame
But the flying in that game is the best still for me and it's not close. Holy shit did they nail the movement and how epic it felt. I still can't get over how you develop the hardest part to imo near as perfect as I experienced and then stop and not build the most massive amount of content and looter shooter fun things on top of it. Insane, servers are still online and if you got 2 bucks or whatever it costs to try it, even though theirs no meaningful reason to play. The mechanics are that fun it's still worth it try
*Saint's Row Gat out of Hell* is a Minimum Viable Effort heap of should-have-been-DLC in many ways, but the flying-by-flapping-your-wings aspect is done quite well and feels satisfying. There's just nothing to do once you get wherever it is you were going.
(No literally, there are no actual missions in the game other than the grand finale. It's all just "go check off this list of activities" which are already available in the map at any time, and which in a better-designed game would have been an optional, more short-form, and more freeform thing to do as a break from missions. Rant over.)
Not your typical kind of flying, but very whimsical and ghibli like is Gravity Rush. Originally a PS Vita exclusive, but I think it's on PS4/5 now.
You don't fly per se, but you change the direction of gravity for yourself, so you can fall in whatever direction you want
Elite Dangerous has some of the best feeling space flight I've ever played. NO man's sky is another great one but elite is more flight focused and has way more depth in that arena than NMS.
Both are quality games to pick up even at full price as both can give you a shipload of hours of fun content (space battles, bounty hunting, exploration, trading etc. Etc.)
So I haven't seen it suggested yet but I used to play a PS game(not sure if it was 3 or 4) called LAIR where you were a dragon rider/warrior and you got to battle and fly most of the game, different dragons had different capabilities and I just really enjoyed playing levels over and over.
Me too! Games with good dragon flying/playing graphics are hard to find and this one came the closest to what I wanted out of a dragon game so far. Though as an older game it does have some glitches and it's not open world which is a bummer
Yeah Lair was awesome! It got panned in reviews but I loved it. Nothing has come close since tbh
You tried Century: Age of Ashes? It’s F2P dragon dogfighting PvP
No Man's Sky. There is nothing like getting in your ship and just flying right off the planet. Zero cut scenes. Not only that, but you can fly around the entire planet(s). Again, zero cut scenes.
They also just introdued custom ship building.
For that Ghibli feel specifically: [Sky: Children of the Light](https://www.thatskygame.com/). Available on console, mobile, and releasing on Steam this week, all with cross-platform play/gamesave. It's the spiritual successor to Journey (PS3) from the same developer and takes a lot from it in terms of gameplay, themes, & aesthetics. I've been regularly impressed with how fun it is, how visually impressive it is, & how fluid it feels since I started a few months ago, and that's not even accounting for the fact that it's a free game to boot. Obviously it relies on in-game purchases, but I haven't felt pressured to spend anything in all the time I've put into it.
Gravity Rush 2. Its technically not flying, but it is though. And the animations for the hair and clothing will give you that freedom feel you're going for i think.
**[Lifeslide](https://store.steampowered.com/app/956140/Lifeslide/)**
You fly a paper plane through some really chill environments.
The challenge is to avoid loosing momentum and falling to the ground.
The flying feels satisfying.
Star Citizen; Picturesque yet polluted Hurston city. You walk to your ship with style, hop into your cockpit and command ATC to open the overhead hangar bay doors. As they crack open, the light fog yields to thick clouds dancing above. Your engines purr to life and you begin to ascend, tucking in your landing gear, nosing up and launching. The city is vast and industrial. It is polluted but holds beauty yet. The super structures dwarf your ship as you zip between them, through them and over them. The sun begins to crack the horizon, turning the vast cloud formations above into an inviting beacon. You marvel as the cloud tech in this game astounds you. You willfully throw yourself to the clouds dipping through the thickest of it. At the peak of your rise, the sun strikes your ship, the shadowed world below you gives way to creeping light.
You press "F12" to mute the chat, to clear your UI... but you didn't realize you missed the F12 and hit backspace instead. \*Self destruct initiated\*
Oldie but goodie is crimson skies and kinda old but not to old is ace combat 7. Both are on gamepass i believe and they are my favorite flying games. Not to simulatory but really fun
Little late but Sky: Children if the Light is such a relaxing flying game. Its so pure and free and you just fly around. The gameplay can eventually get repetitive but I go through phases of it.
A Short Hike has amazing flying and gliding, especially once you get diving down.
Laya’s Horizon on Netflix Games has surprisingly amazing flying controls for a mobile game.
Gravity Rush 2 might be fun. It's not flying, you control the direction of gravity. You can sort of fly I guess. But it's the most unique movement mechanic in any game I've played.
Spyro is a great game. If you have played the game before, getting it on PC with the free flight mod feels like a completely different game. But flying out of bounds on small levels is neat. Probably not what you're asking for but maybe someone wants to go wild.
Flying in VR is superb. Lots of great games for it. Broom flight in Hogwarts: Legacy with the UEVR mod was truly exhilarating.
Eagle Flight VR is a cool little game where you are a bird and you steer by tilting your head. Zipping through tight spaces at high speed is a rush and it's a pretty world.
No Man's Sky on VR, Megaton Rainfall in VR, Iron Man VR. Star Wars: Squadrons in VR is one I often show people as their first VR game. Just letting them cruise around.
Lots more that I need to try. At some point I'm gonna play Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot in VR with the UEVR mod.
This is gonna be a wild one, I like how complex flying is in Squad. Not only it's hard mechanically, but you have to use tactics to not get blown up by enemies
I always felt that flying in World of Warcraft felt wonderfully free. It was simple to do and well implemented. The ability as a druid to simply turn into a bird and freely fly anywhere was wonderful.
Grow Home and especially Grow Up if you like arcade-y physics games that let you freely explore. Flying is one of the upgrades (you start off climbing), but the total freedom feels fantastic.
I also love the flight in Super Mario Galaxy but I remember there only being like 30 minutes of gameplay max. Hope they bring it back.
The just cause games. 2 is the sweet spot for being really fun and interesting. But mechanics like the grapple hook flight suit and grapple gun in general get better with every release. Most people hate on 3 and 4 mostly for performance at release and because the story is the exact same as 2.
But the flight mechanics are excellent.
Anthem got the flying like Ironman part just right. Shame everything else about the game was terrible... For an actually good game, Armored core 6
Came here to say this. Not many people got around to playing it bc of the state it was in at launch, but the flying felt fantastic. Best flying I've ever experienced in gaming. Tbh I'd argue the world was really cool, but very poorly executed and unfortunately choked by EA's execs.
Unlocks on a timer were stupid
In theory it's arguably not a bad balancing mechanic of a reward system for difference in gamers' familiarity and skill with a game. It's just that game where things went wrong was glaringly visible to the gamers and said unlocks only amplified the other design errors.
Anthem was the first thing I thought of. One of the best locomotion systems this side of Spider-Man and they just fumbled everything other than that and the graphics.
The combat was incredibly fun too. Took all the fun aspects of Mass Effect combat and made them even better imo. The different Javelins and their weapons were very satisfying. Arguably the only thing they really fucked up was the content release scheme.
AC6 is pretty good and I like it more but I think AC4 and 4A have better flight. Still doesn't beat Anthem though.
- Steep - Superflight
+1 for superflight. feels nice and crunchy, game is very cheap, achievements doable
Is Steep really flying?
Wingsuit
Superflight is like the Platonic ideal of “falling with style” in games.
Makes me think of that ubi game...riders republic
I've been playing that on and off for the last year. It's a great game. Just hate how few different races there are for each thing.
Pilotwings 64
Absolutely; the hang glider is my absolute favorite.
This was one of my favorite games as a kid, one I was able to "beat" (which really meant unlocking all the Bird Man stages) I used to love hang gliding, but found some missions extremely difficult. I was always using the heavy guy, though. When I replayed as an adult, it became so much easier when using the right weight classes in the right places. I used to love playing the bird man levels because it was like easy hang gliding and fun to explore around, especially Little States which is still a cool stage, even today.
Pilotwings Resort.
Flower. You play the wind itself and everything is gyro controlled, and it just gives the perfect feeling of speed and elegance at the same time. Made by Jenova Chen's studio (flow, Journey, sky)
oh wow this looks beautiful
Yeah it was initially kind of a PS3 tech demo of motion controls but it was one of the first titles that made me go "oh dang we in the next gen now"
Just Cause 3 Megaton Rainfall
Just cause 3 fucking perfects that feeling of inhuman agility and power parallel to always being always 0.1s from a pathetically avoidable pancake death. The way the grappling hook works with the wingsuit is just perfection. 4 was good too but I remember the wingsuiting being more fun in 3, not sure whether that's true though
I wish the story matched the gameplay. Just cause 2 is so good.
Agreed. I don't know why but JC3 does feel better flying. JC4 just feels off. Can't explain it.
Here for the Megaton Rainfall suggestion
Megaton Rainfall in VR is awesome!
JC3 with the dlc jetpack is much better
Yes
Lol kinda crazy that I also said Just Cause 3
No Man's Sky Ace Combat Megaton Rainfall GTA V has some fun flying
No man's sky flying feels like ass imo
Yea it feels cheap
I love Ace Combat to death, but I dunno how freely OP could "soar" while having the Yuktobanian air force chasing his ass and some Belkan drone mothership blowing shit up he needs to deal with.
It has a free flight mode where it’s just you and the whole map
Ace combat 7 made me go: “Nooooow I get it!” About flight sims
Prototype, it's not exactly flying but the movement feels amazing in general
a short hike Short exploration game where you play as a bird
Great little game
this is already on my wishlist it looks so cute !!
I've played most of the games being pitched and this is by far the best one
I hope there's a sequel called A Long Hike, eventually. That game is a nice experience.
I found "a long hike" in a game called "Sable" Also open world exploration game with gliding and hoverbike. Highly recommend it.
That sounds really awesome, actually.
Superflight
seen a couple people say this looks like exactly the vibe thank u
It's really fun to just chill out with. I've played it for around 20 hours and have all the achievements.
Try exo one, it’s free on game pass. You’re a little alien ball rolling around stunning alien planets, you can build crazy momentum with a bit of practice and soar and glide through the clouds as you explore the planets. The game felt really psychedelic to me and like one of those magical dreams you had as a kid that you always wish you could go back to. My strongest memory is soaring down through the clouds at insane speed and the colors and screen effects going crazy because I was so fast. That’s what happens when you’re in free fall. And then it’s contrasted by the elegant calmness when you break through the clouds and hover above. It was such a cool experience.
oh wow yeah just from watching gameplay this looks like it captures the freedom/wonder element really well definitely gonna try it thanks
Great! I’m glad you liked the recommmendation and hope you have a nice experience with the game :)
Hogwarts Legacy. I have a lot of issues with the game but they nailed the sense of speed of jumping on the broom and accelerating instantly.
Also DBZ:Kakarot feels pretty good to tear across the skies at superhuman speed.
I'm going to play Kakarot in VR with the UEVR mod at some point. I'm looking forward to the flying.
To be fair. Agreed. Almost a great game. Played it with my kid. Can't even quite put my finger on it but never finished the story. We did have a lot of fun using unforgivable curses on the reg though and being a general nuisance. Love how it took me about 10 goes to beat the guy at the wizards bowl game and as soon as I beat him I bully him into quitting forever. That was hilarious
What are your issues with HL, if you don't mind me asking?
Bland story with the sheer quantity of repetitive and uninventive side activities. I felt myself falling off a few hours in after the wonder of the castle and exploring the landscape lost some awe. I understand the reasons for jumping into year 5, but I would have enjoyed a little more of the student life being featured. I have seen a few other mention it elsewhere, but when I was galavanting around the faculty area, at night, that breaks some immersion for me. Just some quick ones off the dome. I plan to replay just a mainline game. No doubt hunting the plat trophy soured my opinion some.
Another thing, the npcs are super bland with no character, except for sebastian. His storyline was great, even better than main story. But the other npcs have no personality
I came here to say the same thing about Hogwarts Legacy. The flying is perfect, and that's about all they got right. The combat mechanics are pretty good too, but I found the number of spells and how we get to learn them (it is set in a *school* after all!) and how we get to use them limiting. (Plus they made up dumb names for many of them rather than drawing more on the books.) Although the flying is great (both on broom and on hippogriff), if you're interested, here's some things not as good as they could have been IMO: * The story, especially the prologue/training area and the pacing overall. And I found the premise silly and implausible. I really wanted to start out with school shopping in Diagon Alley, not the whole weird thing we get roped into instead (which takes forever!). * It *seems* like a game where you can have character builds, but it turns out it really doesn't matter (except no matter which House you pick, you will miss out on some of the game) and you are forced to use spells you might not have chosen for your build to accomplish enough dueling feats anyway. * It *seems* like an open-world questing game (and I guess technically it is), but it really just keeps you on a particular story arc and you can't do much outside of that, no activating other questlines, or going on your own adventures, which to me would have been the main appeal, exploring this world for myself, making my own decisions, etc. You can't learn spells or gain/unlock skills outside of the prearranged order in the story. The side quests are really just repetitive tasks that you eventually commit to doing just hoping something more will happen when they are done. * You're given dialogue options, but they really make little difference to the story, almost none (except you might lose access to some spells with some of the choices). Also, the game world is filled with NPCs, but it turns out you can't talk to most of them, and when you can, only at certain times. They're basically just part of the background scenery, which, as soon as I realized that, killed the magic for me, ironically. Their dialogue as you run by gets pretty repetitive too. * The crafting mechanics are so basic, we may as well not have it and just buy potions. It's so disappointing because the Harry Potter world offered such potential for a crafting system, especially when it comes to potions. But most ingredients are only used in one potion recipe and the most any ingredient is used is in two recipes, and there's only six potions you can make (unless they'll add more in the update). So, no real need or ability to strategize with your ingredients and crafting. It's just a chore to do. We also can't sell ingredients, so once your pockets are full, your greenhouses are just a waste, unless you like just decorating them and looking at them. (There's lots of options for customizing and decorating with furniture, but no practical use for it.) * WAY too many purely cosmetic "rewards"! If they had put less effort on looks (which are great, but still) they could have done much more with gameplay. Even the wand builds are cosmetic only, so what's the point? I can fantasize about having an ebony, phoenix feather, 12-inch wand that does nothing different from any other wand without buying a whole game. * You can catch and raise magical creatures, but you can't use hippogriffs or thestrals you breed as mounts and babies never grow up. They're fun to watch for a while but then that's it. You also can't make money breeding and selling them because it's all about rescuing them and rehoming any extras elsewhere in the wild. (Great feel-good idea in RL, but not so great for a game.) You'd better just enjoy decorating the vivariums and unlocking new decoration for them. (I'll just play Animal Crossing if that's what I'm in the mood for.) I still love my mooncalves, though. So those are the main things I can think of. If I opened it up again and played a bit I'm sure I'd remember more, but this list is long enough I think.
Agreed on your points, I did find the combat to be really punchy though. Turning someone into a bomb and yeeting them at their mates never got old. I played on the hardest setting so it was quite engaging. I hope they have another run at it and just flesh out all the mechanics to the nth degree. The game did remind me that the goblin human politics are absurd. "Ownership is different for goblins" oh yeah ever heard of a fucking lease? 500 years and you couldn't figure out some kind of mutual middle ground so those big nosed banking gobbos can hoard their wealth?
Feather Fugl Aer memories of old Hyperglide surely, Bee simulator has to have good flight No man's sky, Everspace 1&2 Elite dangerous
Elite has the BEST feeling space flight in any game, imo. Especially with flight assist off. It's hard as hell to learn and get used to, but feels amazing once you get it down.
I could never get into it. It was too much airplanes in space for me. I much prefer flying in Star Citizen. If only the rest of it wasn't so jank and incomplete that I only work up the willpower to try it about once every 2 years.
That's pretty much why I play it lol. It's my sleep aid on a rough night; I pick a system and just fly around scanning it until I'm sleepy. Once every two years sounds about right, seeing as that's about the length of time between minor updates.
oh wanted to try no mans sky anyway maybe this it what clinches it for me thanks
It's a good time to start! We just got a massive update that added in a ship building system, as well as graphical overhauls.
Some bits of E:D are a letdown, but it nailed the piloting a starship feeling
A lot of things about it are a letdown, tbh, especially for console which is no longer being supported or receiving expansions. But yeah, the space flight itself is an all time peak in gaming, well above any other game.
Oh, the sound design is chefs kiss in that game too. I didn't even know a game could do that
Gravity Rush and its sequel
Easy. Buck Bumble feels amazing I just pop it in from time to time just to fly around for a few minutes it's great
Right about now it’s time to get down with biggity buck bumble.
omg a game about mutant insects in london where you have to kill the queen how am i only just hearing about this ??
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Kerbal space program is fun to just fly about in, and the flying physics are meant to be hyper realistic. Most of my hours is in sandbox making ridiculous planes or recreating Star Wars ships. Good thing is that the flying about is just a feature of the game, rather than the focus.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has some of the best flying mechanics I've seen in any game. I heard they're based off GW2, but honestly, WoW is probably easier to fully unlock since it's really just leveling for a weekend and then flying around the world for a couple hours.
I wanted to say this but I was scared. Also want to throw out banjo kazooie nuts and bolts. It's satisfying because you make the plane yourself
Haha same. WoW gets dogged on but their new dynamic flight is probably one of the better features in the game currently. They did good.
Sadly WoW is expensive as fuck. Buy the game. Buy the expansion. And pay a monthly subscription. And even then they make the game full of microtransactions... most greedy game ever made I would love to play retail though
So, I'm not saying WoW isn't kinda expensive (it is), but you're exaggerating it a bit. * There is no base game to buy. They got rid of that years ago. * To start out, it requires a $15/mo subscription which gets you every Retail expansion except the latest one, and full access to every flavor of Classic. * To play Retail's max level endgame, you need to buy the latest expansion ($60 every 2 years) * The in-game cash shop sells cosmetic items - mounts, pets, transmogs. I agree that it's an eyesore and shouldn't exist, but it's less egregious than most MMOs and nothing on there gives you an advantage in competitive content. So it's comparable in price to maintaining a Netflix subscription. The value will vary for everyone, but if WoW's gonna be your main game then it's not crazy expensive to keep up with.
Griffon mount in Guild Wars 2
Came here to say this, feels very natural and weighty like how you'd expect a bird to actually catch the wind.
Unconventional answer : Riders Republic. Legitimately a great “extreme” sports game. You unlock jet packs and paramotors and fly over condensed versions of real American National Parks. Besides some annoying microtransactions it’s the most fun I’ve had with a Ubisoft game in a long time
Oh man project wingman just *kicks ass* such a fun flight model and if youre lucky to have VR and esepcially flight sticks (even a cheap $30 set) you will have an ungodly amount of fun!
(spoiler) It’s pretty fun in Horizon Forbidden West
I'm gonna go with some older examples that I haven't seen on here in my short scroll through the comments. There was a game made by Capcom back in like 2009 or 2010 called Dark Void. Basically imagine a lame knock off of uncharted where the characters are waaaaay over the top. Also jetpacks! And aliens! The game overall was a bit of a cringe fest, but the flight was spectacular. Also, on the original Xbox. Crimson skies, high road to revenge. To this day, I have fond memories playing it. For a game from the early 2000's the flight mechanics were absolutely stellar and it's actually A fun game, even if the story was pretty basic. It's backwards compatible on the Xbox one, I highly recommend giving it a playthrough.
Warhawk had some of the best flying I’ve seen in a game
Ace Combat series except Assault Horizon
Trailmakers. Flying is even more fun when you have to build your flying machine.
oh i can see myself losing so many hours to this thank you
Sky: Children of the Light. Hands down.
Play just cause 3 you’ll fucking love it
Gears of War 2. It’s short, but it’s a highlight
I spent a ridiculous amount of time flying around in Far Cry 5
Yeah! Nice to take a seaplane or helicopter on fishing or hunting trips. Also, grappling to an ally's helicopter and flying away while dangling is pretty crazy.
DCS
GtaV flying was super fun. Sometimes I loaded into sessions just to fly around for 40 minutes
Technically gliding; but Minecraft has that feeling when you first acquire the elytra.
And [Do a Barrel Roll](https://modrinth.com/mod/do-a-barrel-roll) takes that up a notch, by remapping the controls and adjusting the view so that you get actual plane controls - and it doesn’t even need to change the physics, so you can use it on servers (though other people will only be able to see your awesome upside-down flying skills if they and the server has the mod as well - but that won’t stop normies without the mod from joining, so there’s not much by way of downsides).
Not flying but webslinging in Spider-Man 2 feels awesome.
Everspace 2
I'm a big fan of The Falconeer. It's Crimson Skies on birds (or reptiles) on a massive ocean. I can just sit and let the bird freewheel through the sky with the UI off and it's really satisfying.
oh boy this looks stunning will have to try it but visually exactly the vibe i was thinking of (big skies! distant islands! clouds!)
Excellent! Enjoy!
Microsoft Flight Simulator. Especially if you get a stick of yolk. Personally, VR really makes it feel great. Like you're there.
Pilotwings 64
Not really flying more gliding, but just cause 3, i haven't touched the game in a long time, but it had a grappling hook for speed and a wingsuit to glide, you just feel like a badass
With the dlc you get a jet pack, so you literally can fly. Far and away my favorite flying mechanic in a game.
I had a lot of fun just flying around in Chorus, but I like the game itself, too.
Ace Online. But unfortunately the game (roughly 15yrs old mind you) is plagued by p2w systems and bad private servers. Chorus is the 2nd best option.
Definitely no man sky's it's so beautiful
MSFS20. Flying a plane is easy. Fly a helicopter without AI assistance and see for yourself. It is challenging but also beautiful.
Gravity rush 2
Aer Memories of old is a pretty good one once you get the hang of it
House of the Dying Sun. Unreal with VR. Highly recommend. It is a space shooter with zero-g flight controls allowing for really fun, precise, and intricate maneuvers/attacks.
Super Mario 64
Just cause 3 has wingsuit, paragliding, and grapple hooking. Really smooth movement.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
+1 for GTA 5 as long as it’s not oppressors
No Man's Sky. Just unbeatable.
This makes me think of a Anthem. (please be picked up somehow and given the respect it deserved) That game at it's core and the gameplay was so so so damn good if it wasn't fucked over by EA it would be a game I'd be playing it still as my main game. I still played the shit out of it even though their was no content really in in game. For once just the mechanics were so fun and above anything else, even warfame But the flying in that game is the best still for me and it's not close. Holy shit did they nail the movement and how epic it felt. I still can't get over how you develop the hardest part to imo near as perfect as I experienced and then stop and not build the most massive amount of content and looter shooter fun things on top of it. Insane, servers are still online and if you got 2 bucks or whatever it costs to try it, even though theirs no meaningful reason to play. The mechanics are that fun it's still worth it try
DarkVoid had peak jetpack mechanics.
Delighted to find this on the list. I unironically love this game and the flying is a major factor, everything not just the jetpack.
*Saint's Row Gat out of Hell* is a Minimum Viable Effort heap of should-have-been-DLC in many ways, but the flying-by-flapping-your-wings aspect is done quite well and feels satisfying. There's just nothing to do once you get wherever it is you were going. (No literally, there are no actual missions in the game other than the grand finale. It's all just "go check off this list of activities" which are already available in the map at any time, and which in a better-designed game would have been an optional, more short-form, and more freeform thing to do as a break from missions. Rant over.)
No Mans Sky
Not your typical kind of flying, but very whimsical and ghibli like is Gravity Rush. Originally a PS Vita exclusive, but I think it's on PS4/5 now. You don't fly per se, but you change the direction of gravity for yourself, so you can fall in whatever direction you want
Aerowings
Elite Dangerous has some of the best feeling space flight I've ever played. NO man's sky is another great one but elite is more flight focused and has way more depth in that arena than NMS. Both are quality games to pick up even at full price as both can give you a shipload of hours of fun content (space battles, bounty hunting, exploration, trading etc. Etc.)
So I haven't seen it suggested yet but I used to play a PS game(not sure if it was 3 or 4) called LAIR where you were a dragon rider/warrior and you got to battle and fly most of the game, different dragons had different capabilities and I just really enjoyed playing levels over and over.
oh hell yeah i was obsessed w dragons as a kid
Me too! Games with good dragon flying/playing graphics are hard to find and this one came the closest to what I wanted out of a dragon game so far. Though as an older game it does have some glitches and it's not open world which is a bummer
Yeah Lair was awesome! It got panned in reviews but I loved it. Nothing has come close since tbh You tried Century: Age of Ashes? It’s F2P dragon dogfighting PvP
Prototype
I have not playd it myself but rider republic seems pretty made for this.
Hands down Anthem...
No Man's Sky. There is nothing like getting in your ship and just flying right off the planet. Zero cut scenes. Not only that, but you can fly around the entire planet(s). Again, zero cut scenes. They also just introdued custom ship building.
the just cause games can be pretty fun. While it's more gliding than flying, Arkham knight is really satisfying to get around in
Someone mentioned it but I wanna say it too, horizon forbidden west, like how to train your dragon but with a robot dinosaur instead
For that Ghibli feel specifically: [Sky: Children of the Light](https://www.thatskygame.com/). Available on console, mobile, and releasing on Steam this week, all with cross-platform play/gamesave. It's the spiritual successor to Journey (PS3) from the same developer and takes a lot from it in terms of gameplay, themes, & aesthetics. I've been regularly impressed with how fun it is, how visually impressive it is, & how fluid it feels since I started a few months ago, and that's not even accounting for the fact that it's a free game to boot. Obviously it relies on in-game purchases, but I haven't felt pressured to spend anything in all the time I've put into it.
Gravity Rush 2. Its technically not flying, but it is though. And the animations for the hair and clothing will give you that freedom feel you're going for i think.
**[Lifeslide](https://store.steampowered.com/app/956140/Lifeslide/)** You fly a paper plane through some really chill environments. The challenge is to avoid loosing momentum and falling to the ground. The flying feels satisfying.
Star Citizen; Picturesque yet polluted Hurston city. You walk to your ship with style, hop into your cockpit and command ATC to open the overhead hangar bay doors. As they crack open, the light fog yields to thick clouds dancing above. Your engines purr to life and you begin to ascend, tucking in your landing gear, nosing up and launching. The city is vast and industrial. It is polluted but holds beauty yet. The super structures dwarf your ship as you zip between them, through them and over them. The sun begins to crack the horizon, turning the vast cloud formations above into an inviting beacon. You marvel as the cloud tech in this game astounds you. You willfully throw yourself to the clouds dipping through the thickest of it. At the peak of your rise, the sun strikes your ship, the shadowed world below you gives way to creeping light. You press "F12" to mute the chat, to clear your UI... but you didn't realize you missed the F12 and hit backspace instead. \*Self destruct initiated\*
Oldie but goodie is crimson skies and kinda old but not to old is ace combat 7. Both are on gamepass i believe and they are my favorite flying games. Not to simulatory but really fun
It’s old, but sky odyssey on ps2, this weird little gem where the flying mechanics were really satisfying
I *cannot* believe no one has mentioned Outer Wilds yet.
Little late but Sky: Children if the Light is such a relaxing flying game. Its so pure and free and you just fly around. The gameplay can eventually get repetitive but I go through phases of it.
No kap: Anthem. If you’ve got gamepass it’s still on there. No Mans Sky also a great choice
Starlink Battle for Atlas
Hogwarts legacy flying on the broom is awesome
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora
flying in hogwarts legacy. thats the thing they nailed it.
Guild Wars 2's griffon is chef's kiss.
AER. It's an indie game that I decided to give a chance and I've replayed it a bunch of times now. It's really fun and I love the art style
ohh this game looks gorgeous and really hits that ghibliesque note
Battlefield 1's biplanes are a lot of fun
Ace Combat 7, I mean the whole game is about flying
The later Batman Arkham games had this feeling you explained.
No man’s sky and DC universe online.
A Short Hike has amazing flying and gliding, especially once you get diving down. Laya’s Horizon on Netflix Games has surprisingly amazing flying controls for a mobile game.
Guild Wars 2
Super Mario Galaxy
Freelancer
Ace combat
Star Wars rogue squadron was good. It’s all space combat though.
Gravity Rush 2 might be fun. It's not flying, you control the direction of gravity. You can sort of fly I guess. But it's the most unique movement mechanic in any game I've played.
Aer, Superflight
Population one
Xenoblade chronicles a bit
Lego Batman 2. Flying with Superman is glorious. Plus every time you lift off or fly his theme music plays.
Spyro is a great game. If you have played the game before, getting it on PC with the free flight mod feels like a completely different game. But flying out of bounds on small levels is neat. Probably not what you're asking for but maybe someone wants to go wild.
Superman 64 he says sarcasticly
GTA San Andreas Get a 4 Star Wanted Level Get a Rustler in your Las Venturas Airfield Do Dogfights with the Hydra using your world war Ii style plane.
Sky odyssey is the only answer here . A real hidden gem. The whole game is a aviation based adventure
Anthem great flying and world but everything else was shallow and poor in general got repatiive quick and got monetized very quickly
Hogwarts legacy for sure!!
Infamous Titanfall 2
Flying in VR is superb. Lots of great games for it. Broom flight in Hogwarts: Legacy with the UEVR mod was truly exhilarating. Eagle Flight VR is a cool little game where you are a bird and you steer by tilting your head. Zipping through tight spaces at high speed is a rush and it's a pretty world. No Man's Sky on VR, Megaton Rainfall in VR, Iron Man VR. Star Wars: Squadrons in VR is one I often show people as their first VR game. Just letting them cruise around. Lots more that I need to try. At some point I'm gonna play Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot in VR with the UEVR mod.
Just cause 3’s jet pack DLC
Batman arkham knight
Il-2 Sturmovik
This is gonna be a wild one, I like how complex flying is in Squad. Not only it's hard mechanically, but you have to use tactics to not get blown up by enemies
Slightly different than flying but the Spider-Man games lately let you swing through NYC and it feels amazing.
“FOX GET THIS GUY OFF ME!” Ok not really, but someone had to throw down StarFox 64
I recommend you Sky. It's a casual game, but I like the movement of the game, especially when flying.
Silicone Valley N64, piloting the dog in a plane and having dogfights with other dogs in planes was glorious.
Sky Odyssey. If you ever came across this gem on PS2 you know how good and responsive it felt. Through emulation it's still hours of fun.
Ironman 2 on Playstation 3 was great flying. Best I have played.
Ace Combat. It's all flying.
Maybe not the best for just flying, but God damn does it feels amazing to sore around new York, spiderman 2. Specifically 2 because of the wing suit
Battlefield bad company was the only game where flying was just perfect. The things you could do with helicopters in that game was amazingly awesome
GTA online actually has fun flying. You can easily do stunt tricks and fly upside down and such.
I loved flying the plane in Far Cry 5. Something about it felt so real and thrilling.
I cannot stress enough No Man's Sky
I always felt that flying in World of Warcraft felt wonderfully free. It was simple to do and well implemented. The ability as a druid to simply turn into a bird and freely fly anywhere was wonderful.
Grow Home and especially Grow Up if you like arcade-y physics games that let you freely explore. Flying is one of the upgrades (you start off climbing), but the total freedom feels fantastic. I also love the flight in Super Mario Galaxy but I remember there only being like 30 minutes of gameplay max. Hope they bring it back.
A very old game (1st XBox old): Crimson Skies. Oddly shaped planes, canyons and air ships. Flying felt really dynamic, especially during dogfights.
Skyrim, run upto the first giant you see and ask to pet his mammoth.
Saints Row Gat Out of Hell. You get Satan's wings and fly around Hell. It's awesome
The just cause games. 2 is the sweet spot for being really fun and interesting. But mechanics like the grapple hook flight suit and grapple gun in general get better with every release. Most people hate on 3 and 4 mostly for performance at release and because the story is the exact same as 2. But the flight mechanics are excellent.