Review: Kamikaze Lassplanes (Nintendo Switch)

Kamikaze Lassplanes is set in a world where certain people—specifically lasses (but not kamikazes)—can morph into warplanes. We don’t actually see the transformation in​ the game, and that’s probably for the best; I imagine it’s disturbing.

What I can’t imagine is a world with the technology to turn women into sentient warbirds while still requiring them to have a separate pilot. Surely that’s going to lead to romantic complications, right? Shouldn’t there at least be an employee dating policy?

Of course, if that was in place in the world of Velstia, we’d just have a shoot ’em up, and Kamikaze Lassplanes leans more heavily into the romantic visual novel genre. The mashup may seem an odd pairing, but the developers at Inky Dreams make it work.

You play as Walter, a highly skilled but humble pilot, who’s paired off with Alba Trossé, one of the most powerful lassplanes in the fleet. The two hit it off quickly in the air and on the ground, earning a quick respect for and trust in one another. A lassplane and her pilot must be compatible—much like the jaeger pilots in Pacific Rim—to bring out the best in one another.

This trust is tested early when the enemy breaks through the kingdom’s protective veil. Alba’s family is located at what appears to be the front lines, and she wants to warn them. Her and Walter’s orders, however, are sending them in the opposite direction. Do you accept Alba’s plea to defy orders and fly north? Do you wonder why you live in a world with the technology to turn women into airplanes but not to make a phone call? You’ll face many decisions like this during the game, leading you to one of multiple endings.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a visual novel without some complicated romantic twists. Enter Hannah Brandenburg. Like Abla, she’s a lassplane, but she’s much more of a loose cannon. Brash. Cockey. Aggressive. She’s seemingly the polar opposite of Alba, and whether that’s good or bad will be up to the player. Again, multiple endings.

The romantic triangle between these three is at the forefront of the game. Practically all of the dialogue is between the three of them, and Alba and Hannah are the only characters we see on screen. This keeps the narrative personal and small despite the large implications. Velstia is on the verge of war, yes, but our focus remains on the lassplanes and their pilot. Easier to relate with romance and wanting to do your best than with trying to save a kingdom, I’d say.

It helps that the writing is snappy and believable. Sure, we get the typical anime tropes—an awkward public bath scene, a character who eats more than humanly possible, etc.—but they’re handled with a knowing sense of humor and a friendly attitude. And when we shift to heavier subjects such as the fear of personal failure or troubled family histories, the writing feels believable without being heavy-handed. Nothing insults your intelligence here. Some of the ecchi artwork may insult your sense of decency, but it never comes close to busting out of its T for Teen rating. (And yes, the artwork can be unlocked.)

What really elevates Kamikaze Lassplanes, however, are the action segments. It often takes too long to get to them, sure, but they’re plenty of fun when they do arrive. The side-scrolling combat will be familiar to shmup fans, with the frantic segments augmented by very simple controls. Those, in turn, are augmented by an impressive array of enemy ships and weapons to navigate. You’ll need plenty of skill and proper strategies to push through, especially when facing the enemy bosses.

One of my favorite levels required me to not only take down the enemy planes but also to prevent falling bombs from reaching the bottom of the screen. You may be tempted to use the special attack to get out of trouble, but you never know when you’ll absolutely need it to clear the screen at the right time.

The real keys to victory, however, are the power-ups dropped by the enemies. These aren’t just enhancements; they’re requirements to push through. Getting to them before they disappear, however, is often extremely tricky. Of course, the difficulty options can ease the burden. You can even select an indestructible mode if you’re in it purely for the visual novel aspects. Shmup fans are accounted for, too, via arcade mode.

All of this is presented with bright, colorful visuals that set the overall tone. It’s quickly apparent that more attention was paid to Alba and Hannah than the environments or combat sequences, but the game looks good and plays smoothly throughout.

And when our trio’s story gets dark, the visuals give in to that, too. These tonal shifts do a nice job of keeping things interesting.

I therefore enjoyed my time with Kamikaze Lassplanes more than expected when I took on the review. The action is challenging and fun, with enough difficulty options to keep you engaged in multiple playthroughs. The story was compelling enough to push me through the dialogue segments that were often too long, and I liked that the decisions I faced were often more about character than plot movement. The narrative provides plenty of circumstances to challenge your convictions, with choices ranging from whether you betray your military orders to impress a girl to whether you take a sip of a mysterious drink…to impress a girl. Right or wrong, good ending or bad, that’s up for you to decide. Whatever you choose, just be sure to do your best.