Kamikaze Lassplanes review

We live in munificent times. KanColle and Azur Lane has given us ship-girls, Girls’ Frontline furnished firearm females, and now, Kamikaze Lassplanes provides us with plane-ladies. Well, two of them. But there’s some fairly solid shoot ‘em sections might compensate for the hampered harem.

She’s No Plane Jane

Before taking to the skies with your lassplane partner, Developer Inky Dreams’ title spends a bit of time setting up the context. It’s explained that the kingdom of Velestia was on the brink of conquest. But discovery of a limitless energy source called Light proved to be a blessing, helping creating technologies like an impermeable defensive barrier and a floating military headquarters.

The latter is where Lassplanes’ lead character Walter works and lives. Pleasingly, he’s not another unexceptional protagonist. Instead, he’s penned as a committed pilot who’s wise to the growing hostilities that are mounting outside of Velestia. When lassplane Alba Trosse (get it?) shows up in housing, he’s quickly smitten by her. But who wouldn’t be enamored by an anthropomorphic aircraft who’s stronger than hundreds of planes?

And Neither is Hannah

Despite Ms. Trosse’s reinforced exterior (inference, since we don’t get to witness the actual transformation), she undoubtedly has a human heart. Persistently thoughtful and jubilantly outgoing, when Alba pairs with Walter the two make an indulging power couple.

But they don’t necessarily have to. Instead, dialog choices paired me with the delightfully introverted Hannah Brandenburg. Perpetually outspoken, you know this fair-haired Lassplane is giving it to you straight. Yes, Hannah, I’d fly right through bullet hell for you.

Requesting a Fleet

Without spoiling anything, that’s not the only big decision you’ll face and Lassplanes will test your conscience. But I do wish that the game had more than just a pair of characters. Although their portraits are animated and each has multiple poses, visual monotony is a definite drawback.

While Lassplanes’ writing occasionally delves into weightier subjects, it’s the horizontally-scrolling sequences that are the star of the show. Here, you’ll punch through a legion of different enemy types who habitually fill the skies with firepower. However, between access to a super attack and the prevalence of power-ups, the game provides you with a formidable counter-attack. And if you’d rather share a bath than a battle, you can always opt for indestructability to bypass these sections. Let’s just hope for a jump in enlistment if there’s a sequel.

Kamikaze Lassplanes was played on Switch with review code provided by the publisher.