Soar like an eagle on giant warbirds in The Falconeer: Warrior Edition, an open-world air combat game that’s arriving October 5 for purchase in the Stadia store. Dive into a spiraling saga of warring factions, unique side quests and narratives, and adrenaline-fueled mounts & powerful weapons as you take to the skies.
Mounting giant birds for war isn’t our strong suit, so we brought Tomas Sala, solo developer of The Falconeer, to share more about the game and what players can expect.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there Tomas, can you introduce yourself and The Falconeer?
Over the last few years I've worked to create The Falconeer which is launching on Stadia on October 5! This is a BAFTA nominated open-world air combat game set in a fantasy/steampunk-esque universe where people get to ride giant warbirds (the titular Falconeers) and other fantasy creatures. The game features a vast world, open for calm and atmospheric exploration — but it can quickly be interrupted by high-intensity air combat against a multitude of enemies and vehicles.
What are we going to discover while playing The Falconeer?
The Ursee is a giant, endless ocean that defines the world of The Falconeer, dominating the lives of the people that live upon its sparse rocky outcrops. But this isn't just an ocean, it also contains a history of countless generations from the various factions of the world. In The Falconeer, players can experience four major campaigns from a different faction, all advancing the same story and major conflict to a dramatic conclusion.
Explore the open world to discover its ancient history, partake in the sins of piracy and other freebooters, and dive for wrecks or escort traders — but you'll always return to your faction home to continue and take part in their epic struggle.
How does combat between giant birds of prey work in The Falconeer?
Combat is not unlike WW1 era dogfighting; you need to maneuver your warbird behind your targets to take them down. The warbird is more agile than a plane, though — they can roll and dash their way out of your crosshairs. There are also plenty of weapon types available in the game, including those focused on dealing splash damage, armor-piercing, those with high rate of fire or damage, and so forth. Work to unlock more advanced warbirds, or upgrade your existing bird with mutagens to up its speed, agility, self-healing and other stats. Those same stats also improve as you level up from combat.
You’ve released multiple expansions for the game to date, all of which are included in the ‘Warrior Edition’ launching on Stadia – what do these expansions bring to the story and gameplay in The Falconeer?
The biggest addition is the variety of new side content to discover and explore in the open world, like supporting wreck dives to find treasure … or sea monsters! There are also new storylines to play that include their own mission chains and epic set pieces - like living the pirate life and flying over the vast Ursee ocean.
What is exciting to you about bringing the game to Stadia?
The Falconeer was built from the ground up to be played at 60 FPS, and with the amazing cloud technology that powers Stadia, I’m excited for players to experience that smooth gameplay on their screens. It's a transformative way of looking at game delivery, especially for a solo developer like myself.
Do you have any tips or advice for players playing The Falconeer for the first time?
First, I’d say that The Falconeer is a game that encompasses an open and complex world of factions & technology, so figuring out everything in the world and our story will take time. Get ready for quite a few reveals and twists in the later chapters!
The second piece of advice I’d offer would be to know that The Falconeer harkens back to arcade air combat games of the past, with a proper inverted-stick style dogfighting experience. To get behind your enemies, you’ll need to roll, dive, and prepare to unleash your weapons to hit them from behind. Luckily, there is aim assist to help you out, but the core tenets of air combat are there to learn and enjoy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We’re looking forward to the launch of The Falconeer: Warrior Edition on the Stadia store on October 5! Stay tuned to the Stadia Community Blog for more details on pricing and the official trailer — and follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more updates.
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.