If Ace Combat's too pricey, this excellent indie alternative is on sale for just $12.50

If there's an Ace Combat fan in your life, you're likely already aware that it's a very good time for fighter jets dogfighting with arcade intensity. But if you're not already certain that exchanging near-infinite missiles is for you—you should be, but I acknowledge we all find truth at our own pace—Ace Combat 8's $70 price tag might seem a bit too high for a trial run.

Luckily, there's a phenomenal alternative that you can pick up for a fraction of the price: Project Wingman, a celebrated Ace Combat-inspired passion project that's currently available for $12.50 in the Steam Autumn Sale.

Project Wingman began development as a "portfolio piece" for its developers, eventually graduating to a successfully-backed Kickstarter project that nearly tripled its funding goals and ultimately launching on Steam in December 2020. It's an unabashed homage, drawing on the missile-heavy excess of its spiritual predecessors and elevating it to an even greater intensity of near-absurdist air combat.

It's more …