This is an aerial combat game but instead of real jets you pilot toy planes inside a house.  It kind of reminds me of an old Dreamcast game called Toy Commander.  That game has a bit of history here because the founder of the GamerDad.com site, Andrew S. Bub, wrote a strategy guide for that game back in the day. And since House Fighters just focuses on the dogfights and is fairly family friendly, it also reminds me of another game I played more back then called Snoopy vs. The Red Baron.  Anyway, House Fighters: Total Mess is available on all current consoles but reviewed on Switch here.

The game is mission based, and as you complete them, you’ll unlock better planes.  You control the action like how you would any other dogfight simulator.  Use the control stick to move your plane, and the buttons to go forward and brake.  You can pick up weapons to shoot the other toy planes, like bullets for your machine gun, missiles, and bombs.  When you get bombs you can press a button to make it easier to aim for the ground targets.  You can also pick up bottles of glue that’ll repair your plane.  Complete all the objectives to finish the mission, but if you get shot down you’ll have to start over at the last checkpoint.

I love the toy setting and how each mission shows the house in different stages, from moving in surrounded by boxes to unpacked rooms later on.  I did have some problems with this game, though.  I felt the controls were a bit too touchy and they didn’t level off your plane very quickly as you turned, so it could be hard to tell which way was up sometimes.  It’s also one of the few games that made me a little dizzy!  I also felt the difficulty spiked way too quickly, and I think they should’ve made it easier for kids.  But I’m also not very good at these kinds of games anyway.  But if you enjoyed classic games like Toy Command and Army Men, you might want to check this one out.

Kid Factor:

House Fighters: Total Mess is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence and Mild Blood.  I didn’t notice any blood, and toy planes just explode when defeated.  Reading skill is a must, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews