Retro Corner: 'Pilotwings'

First released: SNES (1992)
Now available for: Wii Virtual Console

The Wii U launch line-up has once again proved that Nintendo likes to stick to the tried and tested, opting for a side-scrolling Mario release and Nintendo Land, a mini-game collection that leans heavily on its various established franchises.

The firm wasn't always so conservative, however, especially around system launches. One of its more successful stints of creating new properties was the release of the NES successor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and with it, two new franchises that would spiral off to create multiple sequels.

One was F-Zero, a futuristic, high-speed racing game, and the other arcade flight title Pilotwings. What both of these games have in common is that they both make heavy use of Mode 7, a key selling point for the system, which offered a spot of impressive graphical one-upmanship over its competitor the Sega Mega Drive (fellow launch title Super Mario World also dabbled with it, notably for its final boss encounter with Bowser and his flying clown car).

You could argue Pilotwings made more interesting use of Mode 7 than F-Zero; while the latter transformed a flat plane to wizz underneath your ship at dazzling speed, Pilotwings used it to create a ground surface that rotated and tilted underneath you from different perspectives, providing an impressive 3D effect and a sense of flight that few other games had achieved previously.

That's not to say the slower-paced gameplay didn't offer a challenge; its four dominant modes of travel by light plane, skydiving, rocket belt and hang gliding all required a different approach both in their controls and the objectives that you faced.

After successfully passing licences for all four disciplines, a more action-packed finale saw an enemy force kidnap your instructors, forcing you to guide a helicopter through on-coming fire to rescue them. Doing this earns you a final licence, before presenting you with even more challenges in harsher conditions.

Its launch title status and impressive visuals ensured healthy sales, adding Pilotwings to the roster of franchises Nintendo could rely on. That said, it's been rarely used since, with a less impressive sequel on the Nintendo 64's launch (the ground-breaking Super Mario 64 stole the show) and a GameCube version was reported to be in development before being scrapped for apparent quality reasons.

It has, however, seen a revival on Nintendo 3DS last year, with Pilotwings Resort making use of Nintendo's newest 'character', Wuhu Island, showcasing the company's innovative approach to creating 3D visuals all over again.

Do you have fond memories of Pilotwings? Add a comment to the space below!