Red Plane Ii

Red Plane II was one of those games you'd find tucked away on a Flash portal in the late 2000s. It didn't have a big studio name attached, but it was a straightforward sequel to a simple shooter. You loaded it up in your browser, and it just worked, no fuss. That was the appeal of a lot of Flash games; they were there to fill a few minutes, and this one did its job.

You control a red fighter plane, moving it with the WASD keys. Your main job is to survive waves of enemy aircraft and ground targets, clearing each stage to progress. You fire your main gun with J, and a separate key, K, drops a powerful bomb for clearing tight spots. The pacing is quick. Enemy formations come at you from all sides, and the screen can get crowded with bullets and targets. It's not an easy game; you have to keep moving and pick your shots. The feel is direct and uncomplicated, a basic test of reflexes and pattern recognition.