Luftrausers can be described as the result of remaking Time Pilot mashed with a side-scrolling shooter and blended with some modern sensibilities. The close-up point of view, use of thrust for movement, and omnidirectional shooting got mixed in with more roguelike and survival sensibilities made for a shooter that played great in short bursts, but it demonstrated depth as you gradually unlocked more goals to accomplish and enemies to take down. By proxy, Jet Lancer is what would happen if you took Luftrausers and gave it a more traditional structure. We recently checked out a demo of the game and came away mighty excited by the prospect.

From what we could glean, the story is very anime-like. You play the role of Ash, a jet pilot with a knack for shooting down sky pirates. That comes in handy, as sky pirates are all over the place and pulling up ancient artifacts from the sea depths to use as weapons. As expected, your mission is to travel around the globe to destroy the pirates and the artifacts.

The core mechanics are simple enough but require some mastery to pull off crazy moves against an intelligent air pirate squadron. Your regular bullets are unlimited, and you can fire in any direction you face, but you also have a stash of rockets in your arsenal. They're unlimited and can be fired in swarms, but they require some recharge time. It is also recommended to remap this button on a controller, since the default position feels awkward. Movement is momentum-based, so you'll use your thrusters to move forward and boosters to dart away faster, with the latter being limited with a cool-down, just like the rockets. The game isn't cruel enough to kill you if your plane reaches the ground, and you can use that as a valid maneuver, but control is about knowing when to boost and when you can let momentum take over while you concentrate on shooting.

There are a few things to note here. For starters, the camera is pulled back far enough to give you a better sense of the environment without letting you lose track of your surroundings. The game also marks off where enemies are, so you aren't flying blind and hoping to run into someone. Also, the game sports a health system where three hits will take you out, but there's no way to get that health back, so more often than not, liberal use of barrel rolls and boosts will get you out of a jam.

The big differentiator here is that Jet Lancer features boss fights. In the demo, that means fighting a giant robotic snake that dives in and out of the water while occasionally firing off a volley of plasma balls. It also has an attack that shoots a steady stream of laser fire and darkens the environment, producing a cool effect where everything goes gray for a short while before color seeps back into the world. Compared to the dogfights against regular foes, this is a real challenge; expect to do constant restarts before getting it right. Unfortunately, the enemy health bar can feel too long to chip away at, especially since your rockets and regular bullet fire seem to chip away at the bosses quite slowly.

While the demo shows off the strong gameplay mechanics, the title does promise something more when it fully releases. Aside from the promise of upgrades to your plane, players will also enjoy the structure. The game features a world map with different missions, different backgrounds to fight in, and more big bosses to kill. Compared to its inspiration, that's a big enough differentiator as it becomes less of an arcade game and one where New Game+ is a thing.

The presentation stands out because it feels so anime-inspired and is in full color. That doesn't seem like a big deal unless you're coming directly from the sepia tones of Vlambeer's hit game, in which case the splashes of color make this a bold-looking title. The background really follows through with the anime inspiration, and there are lots of on-screen enemies, explosions and projectiles at any time. As for audio, the rock music does a great job of getting you ready for some shooting, while the sound effects are also excellent, a feat that's welcome in a shooter since you'll likely be holding down the fire button throughout each run.

Right now, Jet Lancer is impressive. The waves of enemy fighters make for some good sorties due to their craftiness, while the boss fights are engaging even if they can feel like they run a tad long. The presence of a world map and well thought-out missions is a boon for those who want more structure in their games, and the promise of the usual stuff like upgrades makes this a title that Luftrausers fans can easily slip into. Look for more about Jet Lancer as summer 2020 approaches.