Learn to Fly 3

Just as fun as when I played it as a kid!

Learn to Fly 3 takes the simple idea of launching a penguin and turns it into a surprisingly addictive little rocket building game. I start with a basic setup and my main goal is to get further and eventually reach space, but I am not just pressing a button and hoping for the best. I have to build my own ship, earn money from each flight and then spend that money on better parts. It has the same silly charm I would expect from a Learn to Fly game, but this one gives me a lot more freedom in how I actually build my vehicle. The ship building is easily my favourite part. There are more than 100 different parts to mess around with, including launchers, boosters and bodies, and each one can be upgraded several times. I can make a small lightweight machine that is built around efficiency, or I can put together something completely ridiculous and see whether it can even get off the ground. I like experimenting with different combinations because sometimes a setup that looks worse on paper ends up working better once I actually launch it. The physics are simple enough for me to understand without being completely predictable, which gives me a nice balance between planning and messing around. Story Mode gives me a clear goal, but I also like having the other modes available. Payload Mode changes things because I have to build a much stronger ship capable of carrying heavy loads into space, so a setup that works perfectly well for normal flights might suddenly be useless. Classic Mode goes back to the horizontal flying from the earlier games, which makes me think about the parts in a completely different way. Then there is Sandbox Mode, where I can mess around with things like gravity, fuel and other settings without worrying about normal progression. It is a good selection because each mode gives me a reason to experiment differently. The progression is what makes the repeated launches work so well for me. A typical flight might not go very far, but I still come away with money or new options that can improve the next attempt. There are also research upgrades that carry between sessions, along with achievements and extra unlocks. I like this because even when a flight goes badly, I rarely feel like I completely wasted my time. There is usually something I can change or upgrade before trying again. The main weakness is that the basic loop can definitely become repetitive. I launch, try to get further, earn money, buy something and then launch again. The different parts and modes give me plenty to experiment with, but eventually I can start feeling like I am just optimising numbers rather than discovering anything new. Some of the later progression can also take quite a bit of grinding if I want to unlock and upgrade everything. I do not mind that too much because the game is designed around repetition, but it can become noticeable once I have already found a setup that works. I also think the presentation has aged well in one sense and badly in another. The simple cartoon style still fits the penguins, silly rockets and ridiculous situations perfectly, so I do not need realistic graphics for this kind of game. At the same time, the game is clearly from an older era of browser style games, and some of the menus and overall presentation feel dated now. That does not really bother me because the gameplay is what I am here for, but it is something I notice when comparing it with newer games. Overall, Learn to Fly 3 is one of those games where the simple idea is much more fun than it sounds. I really enjoy building increasingly ridiculous rockets, testing different parts and watching my penguin slowly get closer to space. The repetition and occasional grinding stop it from being perfect, but the different modes, huge selection of parts and satisfying progression give me plenty of reasons to keep experimenting. It is silly, simple and much deeper than I expected, which is exactly why I think it works so well. Rating: 7.4/10