The history of paper planes dates back to the mid-19th century, surprisingly predating powered flight by several decades. But here and now, in the world we live in today, paper plane designs have been refined, world records have been set, and these simple creations continue to fascinate; there’s even a plan to launch one from space.
It’s that humble plane which is the focus of the Paper Plane Arena series, developed by the creators of the Aery franchise, with today’s offering, Paper Plane Arena – The Haunted House marketed as a relaxing and easygoing game. Let’s see if it lives up to that promise.
In Paper Plane Arena – The Haunted House, you pilot a paper plane through ten spooky levels, each running a haunted house theme. To help you along you can choose between normal and inverted controls, but there’s no overarching story or introductory cutscene, just a brief message from the developers instructing you to pop demon balloons in waves.
Initially, I struggled to find a control scheme to suit, struggling with a lack of control mapping, resulting in some trial and error. However, once I figured out the controls, the gameplay proved to be quite simple.
Each level features colourful balloons with glowing halos. Flying through these balloons grants you a boost, filling a meter at the bottom of the screen. Your primary targets are the demon balloons, adorned with menacing faces and scattered throughout the levels. These can only be destroyed using your boost, making it crucial to maintain a full boost as much as possible.
Each level consists of three waves. The first wave requires you to burst three demon balloons, the second wave adds five more, and the final wave chucks in another five, bringing the total to thirteen. Successfully popping all the demon balloons completes the level.
And those levels, which can be tackled in any order, offer some variety. In some stages, the demon balloons are harder to spot due to their lack of a glowing halo. In others, the paper plane’s flight speed is increased, which some players might find enjoyable while others might find frustrating. A couple of levels require significant backtracking too, which can be tedious. However, the core gameplay loop remains addictive, motivating you to collect all the demon balloons.
Paper Plane Arena – The Haunted House features a variety of locations to explore, from haunted houses and eerie villages to a hellish dungeon. Visually, it doesn’t quite match the polish of the Aery series, and some textures and colours appear muddy. But that said, the haunted house theme is effectively conveyed, with occasional spooky details adding to the atmosphere.
However, the soundtrack, while pleasant enough, doesn’t evoke a strong Halloween or horror vibe, aside from one particularly jarring element – the scream emitted when you burst a demon balloon. It sounds disturbingly like a trapped animal.
Overall, Paper Plane Arena – The Haunted House is a relaxing, easy-to-play, and addictive game. If you have played any of the games from EpiXR Games previously, then you’ll know what to expect – a straightforward experience with an easy 1000 Gamerscore at the end. That might just appeal to achievement hunters.
Buy Paper Plane Arena – The Haunted House on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/paper-plane-arena-the-haunted-house/9nrwrtktp3n4
