Today, developer Slitherine announced that their dogfighting game Scramble: Battle of Britain will fly into Steam early access on October 29, 2024. Set in 1940, players will hop into the cockpit of their very own Luftwaffe or RAF fighters to do battle.
Unlike most dogfighting airspace games, the unique twist of Scramble: Battle of Britain is that it is actually a turn-based strategy simulation. The gameplay focuses on the intricacies and strategies that come into play when in aerial battles, requiring you to take into account physics and other subcomponents to take down your opponent.
The combat is broken down into three phases: Planning, Simulation, and Review. The first lets you plan out your strategy, taking into account everything from enemy engine locations to incoming or outgoing bullet trajectories. The other two phases let you put your plan into action, running a simulation of what will go down and then asking you to review before submitting.
Alongside the minute-to-minute action, in Scramble: Battle of Britain, players are responsible for managing the fighters and their planes in the build-up to the action. Recruit and train pilots while also accounting for several real-life variables, like managing their physical and emotional levels in and following each mission.
Choosing the right plane will also be vital. Upon release into early access, there will be nine different aircraft to choose from:
Royal Air Force Fighters:
- Supermarine Spitfire
- Hawker Hurricane
Luftwaffe Fighters
- Messerschmitt 109
- Messerschmitt 110
AI RAF Bombers
- Bristol Blenheim
AI Luftwaffe Bombers
- Junkers 87 “Stuka”
- Dornier 17
- Junkers 88
- Heinkel 111
A Skirmish mode is also available, allowing players to join quick matches online as either the RAF or the Luftwaffe. Slitherine stated that they’ll be monitoring players extensively throughout the early access period, letting them refine and upgrade the game in accordance with feedback so that they can ensure an “engaging and polished experience.”