Only on the show floor for two of the four days of PAX East this year, it would have been easy to miss Above, tucked into its corner of the Indie Megabooth. I’m glad I didn’t do that. This whimsical, top-down story of aviation, adventure, and exploration captured my imagination to become a game I’ll be eagerly awaiting in 2019.
In Above, you play as Mary, a heroic young pilot undertaking a perilous journey across a vast flooded world. Lives revolve around the ancient evil lurking beneath the waves. This adventure will take Mary from her humble beginnings in a fishing village, to daring capers with sky pirates as she uncovers the mystery of murderous cultists and what lies on the other side of the world’s mysterious portals.
There’s plenty of opportunities for fancy flying in Above.
Mary isn’t supposed to have become a pilot. No one from her sleepy fishing village flies, they’re all content to go out fishing, and not awaken the ancient evil that Mary has been warned she will awaken. But those are just legends, aren’t they? Still, Mary has at least one friend at her side, and with his help, she’s able to get her aircraft into the air. Progression through the game requires making upgrades to Mary’s aircraft, and even discovering new aircraft along the way. The planes themselves are based on actual designs from the Golden Age of Aviation, which players then modify to improve various aspects of performance.
Above’s developer Mighty Moth spoke of a desire to create a game that spoke to fighting against overwhelming odds to make your dream come true, but discovering that there’s some truth in the warnings you were given along the way. Soaring above the open ocean of Above with no land in sight, trusting your compass to guide your aircraft to its destination, it’s easy to understand the loneliness they were talking about.
The ocean is filled with all sorts of interesting things to find.
Above is planned for a 2019 release on PC, Mac, Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and Linux. Basically, whatever platform someone has, Above will be on it. The version I played at PAX East was on the Nintendo Switch, with the PC version also being played on the show floor. Game controls worked well, and while not a flight simulator by any means, the aircraft got some nice little maneuvers that look great in the isometric perspective. Players interested in learning more about the game should check out the game’s official website, and keep an eye on its Steam page.
