Aerial_Knight’s DropShot Review – The Weirdest Skydiving FPS You’ll Play This Year

Introduction

I went into Aerial_Knight’s DropShot completely blind. No trailers. No gameplay previews. Just vibes.

What I did not expect was one of the most unhinged indie concepts I’ve played this year.

You play as Smoke Wallace — a purple-skinned man bitten by a radioactive dragon, cursed with the ability to shoot bullets from his fingertips (yes, like Spirit Gun from Yu Yu Hakusho). The dragon kills his family. He vows revenge. Along the way, he allies himself with an anthropomorphic demonic cow.

That’s the setup.

And somehow… it works.

Narrative

Does the story make sense?

Not really.

Does it matter?

Also not really.

The plot feels like someone threw anime revenge tropes, Saturday morning cartoon energy, and absurdist indie humor into a blender and hit puree. Smoke Wallace is a ridiculous protagonist with an equally ridiculous backstory — and the game fully commits to that tone.

There’s no deep emotional storytelling here. The narrative exists to justify the chaos and give Smoke a reason to keep falling from the sky while shooting dragons and soldiers mid-air.

It’s nonsensical.

It’s over-the-top.

And that’s exactly the point.

Gameplay

Here’s the core concept:

You and a swarm of enemies are dropped into freefall. You must eliminate as many of them as possible before hitting the ground. Only one survives.

That’s it.

And it’s way more fun than it sounds.

The Core Loop

Each level has you skydiving in first-person, using Smoke’s “finger guns” to shoot enemies mid-air. You have limited bullets and must reload by shooting floating barrels that are also falling from the sky. You can punch enemies at close range and maneuver left, right, forward, and backward within the level boundaries.

Obstacles include floating islands, laser traps, and enemy return fire. You only have two lives per run, which raises the stakes quickly.

It’s simple. Clean. Easy to understand.

And surprisingly addictive.

Grading & Replayability

Like score-attack titles such as I Am Your Beast, levels are designed to be replayed for higher grades — from D ranks all the way up to S.

There are two main modes:

• Standard Mode – Freefall alongside waves of enemies. Rack up kills, dodge fire, survive.
  
• Boss Battles – Over-the-top midair encounters against massive enemies, where you deal as much damage as possible before hitting the ground or dying.
  

Each level is structured as a short dopamine hit. Quick burst. High intensity. Reset.

The idea is that you’ll replay them repeatedly to perfect your runs.

The problem? I didn’t feel much motivation to go back.

Despite the bonkers premise and flashy presentation, the gameplay itself is fairly straightforward. Once I cleared a level, I was content moving on rather than chasing S-ranks.

Where It Shines

There’s something inherently satisfying about the chaos.

The soundtrack hits hard. The pace is relentless. The sensation of falling while dodging lasers and squeezing off finger-gun shots feels unique. The game’s absurdity actually becomes part of its charm.

Even though I expected to bounce off it quickly, I played through every level. That surprised me.

It’s the kind of game that doesn’t look like it should hold your attention — and then suddenly you realize you’ve finished the whole ride.

Where It Frustrates

One issue is visibility.

Enemies can appear as tiny dots in the distance — which is realistic for freefall combat — but that realism sometimes comes at the cost of clarity. Missing enemies because you literally couldn’t see them clearly can be frustrating, especially when you’re chasing higher grades.

At $19.99, the short playtime may also give some players pause. If you’re not interested in replaying levels for perfect runs or chasing secret modes, the experience can feel brief.

The concept is wild.

The gameplay is fun.

But mechanically, it doesn’t evolve much beyond its core idea.

Pros

Aerial_Knight’s DropShot thrives on originality. The freefall FPS concept is unlike anything else in the indie space right now, and the sheer absurdity of Smoke Wallace’s backstory gives the game personality from the jump. The controls are intuitive, the pacing is fast, and the score-chasing system makes each level feel like a quick, satisfying adrenaline burst. It’s easy to pick up, easy to run on most systems, and delivers a tight, arcade-style experience that doesn’t overcomplicate itself.

Even more impressive, despite its nonsensical surface-level premise, the game kept me engaged long enough to finish every level — something I genuinely didn’t expect when I first booted it up.

Cons

The novelty wears off faster than the concept suggests it should. While replayability exists in theory through ranking systems and score chasing, the core mechanics don’t evolve significantly across the campaign. Once you’ve seen what the game has to offer, there isn’t much mechanical depth to uncover.

Visibility issues during freefall can also make combat feel unfair at times, especially when enemies are reduced to small, hard-to-track silhouettes. Combined with the relatively short runtime at a $19.99 price point, some players may struggle to justify the value unless they’re committed to perfecting runs.

Overall / Should You Play It?

Does the story make sense? No.

Is the concept ridiculous? Absolutely.

Did I play every level anyway? Yes.

Aerial_Knight’s DropShot is one of those games that feels like a quick adrenaline ride at an amusement park. You strap in, experience the chaos, laugh at how insane it all is, and then step off satisfied.

I’m not going back to S-rank every level. But I’m glad I took the ride.

If you’re looking for a short, fast, weird-as-hell FPS with arcade sensibilities and a unique hook, this is worth checking out.