What it's about a real flight simulator, with a lot of ways to fly it
Aerofly FS is a flight simulator, made by IPACS, and it does the job very well. You pick a plane and an airport, and you fly. The eShop page lists more than 30 aircraft, from a Cessna 172 to Airbus and Boeing airliners like the A320 and the A380 I flew in these screenshots, plus the Concorde and an F-15. There are choices everywhere: a tutorial to get started, scheduled flights, which are planned flights from airport to airport, and freestyle flying, where you take off and go wherever you like.
You can also plan your own route by setting the parameters like a real pilot and let the copilot take you there while you enjoy the view. Or you can start a career and chase the achievements (the menu shows 81 challenges available). In the menu you also choose the plane, the starting location, a navigation route and the conditions.
How I got into it a long search for a good flight simulator on Switch
I was specifically looking for a good flight simulator for the Switch, and it took me a while, but I found it. If you've read my Air Traffic Controller Haneda review, you know I'm an avgeek, so this was always going to be a game I wanted to try.
All things considered, it is a really, really good simulator. I'm at 20 hours and counting.
How it looks real airports, good planes and cockpits that are really well done
Airports are well reproduced, and the plane textures are good, so you can choose between different planes without any of them feeling like an afterthought. The flight decks inside each type of plane are really well done too. You can even interact with the controls in the cockpit through the touch screen if you want.
The map is pretty flat, since they basically put a flat Google Maps image on it. But I have to give props to the airports, the main cities and their monuments and points of interest, which are textured as well, so a flight over a big city is more interesting than it could have been. You also get other planes flying at the same time as you, and there's an option to regulate how much traffic you want.
How it sounds no music, only the real sounds of flying
There is no music. All you get are the sounds of the actual flight, which is what a simulator should give you. It suits the game, but it also means there's no soundtrack to settle into, and no voices on the radio, which I'll come back to in the next section.
The story and the people no ATC, and the career fills in
The part that would be filled by air traffic control is the one thing the Nintendo Switch version doesn't have: no ATC interactions and no voices. It's a bit sad, but the port is amazing either way. There's no story and there are no characters to meet. The career mode fills that role, with different missions and achievements to chase.
After work: effort and challenge simple, realistic and genuinely chill
Does it give you space to chill? Yes, it's actually a really chill game, because it's a simple flight simulator, one that's very well done and realistic. There's a tiny learning curve at the beginning, but you get over it really fast, and you take off and fly in no time. The physics are surprisingly accurate, and the game is fairly easy to understand how to use.
You decide how involved to be. Plan a flight and let the copilot take you there, or take off and fly yourself. You can choose the conditions, with day or night, wind and time of day, but unfortunately no rain or snow or that kind of weather. And in general there are a lot of options and a lot of settings, and almost everything is customizable.
To be honest, the lack of ATC, more varied weather and a more realistic map would add to the chill vibe, but it's acceptable without them. For after work, it's really good and does the job.
Docked vs handheld it works both ways
It works in handheld and docked. In handheld you can use the touch screen to interact with the controls in the cockpit, if you want to. The on-screen prompts at the bottom of the screen tell you what each button does, which helps at the start.
What gets in the way no ATC, a flat map and no rain or snow
- There's no ATC. The Switch version has no ATC interactions or voices.
- The map is pretty flat, a flat Google Maps image under the planes, and not all the textures are there.
- There's no rain or snow, or those kinds of weather conditions.
- It's not as advanced as Microsoft Flight Simulator, so if that's what you're used to, expect less.
- Flying anywhere in the world needs an internet connection, according to the eShop page. Offline, you only get a base area on the US West Coast.
On Switch 2 no special edition, and a fair price
I'm not aware of a Switch 2 Edition, and the eShop lists it as a Switch game, so it plays through backward compatibility. It costs €24.99, and it goes on sale from time to time, so check the price in your own eShop. Knowing how much serious flight simulators cost, this one really is worth its price.
Verdict the best flight simulator on Switch, and I recommend it
It's a really good game and I recommend it. Some things are missing to make it perfect, like all the textures and ATC, but for a Switch game it's pretty amazing. It's a really good find and, to be honest, the best flight simulator on the Switch. There is no other one better than this on this console.
If you're used to Microsoft Flight Simulator, it's not as advanced. But if you're an avgeek or you're into pilot-type stuff, it will scratch that itch and do the job really well. After work it's a genuinely chill one: you're flying in no time, and you decide how involved you want to be.
