Project Wingman may well be the most frustrating game I’ve ever unabashedly loved by making me feel like the hotshot pilot I’ve never been, and the only price I have to pay is a little bit of my sanity every time I die and remember that there aren’t any checkpoints.

With a variety of missions to choose from at each stage and in-depth customization options, Project Wingman also tests the player’s intelligence in creating synergistic builds and risk-reward assessments. Aside from a multiplayer mode, which this game sadly lacks, this is one of the best infinitely replayable jet-fighter game modes I’ve ever seen.

I think I’ve sunk about 250 hours into Ace Combat 7. Most of that was spent just endlessly replaying the campaign with as many different aircraft as were available. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to play Project Wingman for quite as long, but given how I’ve lost sleep all week just so I could play one more mission, I suspect I might come close.

The mission design as well as some mechanical weaknesses sometimes kill the mood. But presentation and the dogfights are top-notch – especially in VR.

Project Wingman is an indie aerial combat game that could easily be mistaken for a AAA title. If playing a flight shooter in VR on PC is your dream, look no further. However, with repetitive gameplay and a story that’s difficult to understand, Project Wingman just doesn’t feel exhilarating enough to make it enjoyable for the casual player.

Project Wingman is not scared of being the indie Ace Combat copy, and it is that brave approach by the developers to replicate something they enjoy that makes it a recommendation for anyone who loves taking to the skies.

Outside of VR, Project Wingman really is the Ace Combat spinoff fans have always dreamed of. If you just have a gamepad and want to feel like you’re in Top Gun without needing to learn aerodynamics, you’ll have a lot of fun. In VR it’s still playable with a gamepad, but that ruins the immersion for the most part. Project Wingman is still a good game, but the shaky VR support drags everything down significantly.