I’m happy to report then that SkyDrift, the aerial combat racer from Digital Reality, amounts to a more mature and faster modernization of that classic game. Stackable weapons and defensive powerups, alongside a fairly standard boost system, give the lightning quick gameplay that arcade feel without going too far over the top. By hugging the ground or water below the aircraft, players can charge up their boost meter, which allows a brief period of blistering speeds. Additionally, unneeded powerups can be converted to boost, eliminating the need for a turbo pickup and adding a welcome layer of strategy to the otherwise straightforward racer.

These elements add up to an aerial take on ExciteTruck-meets-Wipeout, while somehow finding its own identity in the mix. Each unlockable plane handles differently–and significantly so–to augment the nuts-and-bolts gameplay with a touch of a metagame, as the player must carefully consider which craft suits each track and game mode best. Playing with powerups on a twisty track? Grab the plane with heavy armor and high maneuverability. Playing a barebones race on a more forgiving course? Hop in the light, quick vehicle with the high top speed. There are also four unlockable skins for each plane, which add a bit of color but don’t affect play at all.

With a few exceptions, Digital Reality whipped up a fine set of courses for SkyDrift. There’s visual variety and a unique feel for each level, a quality which should help players get the hang of the tracks in a snap. Courses are also playable in reverse “mirrored” mode to keep things fresh, and the high-quality graphics breathe a AAA production value vibe to the whole thing. Unfortunately, a few of the courses don’t do a good enough job of leading the racers in the right direction–despite flashing arrows slashed across the sky, level flow sometimes tricks the brain into piloting the plane right into a wall or into a dead end. It’s not a huge problem, and it’s overcome pretty quickly as you learn the layouts, but it still feels amateurish at times.

Despite the occasional misstep, the gameplay is nothing short of compelling. Content-wise, there are seven rounds of races on which you’ll achieve gold, silver, or bronze ratings to advance to the next level. There are three different racing modes, but they’re all pretty much just different takes on going really fast and getting to the finish line first. Digital Reality has made some DLC available for early orders of the game, adding in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes, and more DLC is planned to add to the core game. I’d usually complain about a lack of content with DLC to fill in the gaps, but at $10 I feel there’s enough in the package to justify the price point.

On a technical level, there’s not much to complain about really with the PC build. Graphics and sound are well done, and my Logitech Rumblepad 2 worked flawlessly. It may take a few minutes to key-bind the settings you like best, but in the end it plays nicely–just make sure to bring a controller along for this one. There’s 8-player multiplay, but I couldn’t find any opponents online at the time to give it a spin.

It’s easy enough to make a racing game these days, so it’s nice to see a developer forge a path all its own to offer a deep, unique racing experience. SkyDrift does just that, injecting nuanced tactics and strategy into the all-out arcade racing genre while never forgetting the fun factor. There’s a lot to appreciate in the careful design and execution of SkyDrift, but the bottom line is that you’ll find yourself forgetting to breathe throughout the game’s nail-biting races. At $10, it’s an easy recommend.