The high-flying first-person shooter action of the Tribes games had returned in a roundabout way with the full launch of Midair, a game oh so very heavily inspired by the classics. Strap on a jetpack, skim across big rolling levels, raid the enemy base while defending your own, shoot baddies, and generally Tribes it right up. Sure, it doesn’t have the Tribes name but mate come on. Crowdfunded in 2016 and launched into early access in 2017, as of yesterday it’s properly super really out. Midair cost money during early access but, as was always the plan, it’s now free-to-play.



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See? Jetpacking, that Tribes-y ‘skiing’ movement, grabbing flags, busting up turrets, shooting people out of mid-air while mid-air yourself… Tribes stuff. But developers Archetype Studios have never pretended they’re not massively riffing on it. They want to make a classic-style “z-shooter”, which this seems broadly to be.

The latest official Tribes game is the free-to-play Tribes: Ascend, which stopped updating years ago. This, here, is shiny and new and still updating.

Monetisation-wise, Archetype sell cosmetic skins for players and weapons, voice packs, as you’d expect. The biggest–and most desirable–purchase on offer is the Manaborn Game Pass, which for £15 permanently unlocks all present and future weapons, vehicles, armour types, perks, and all that – skipping the progression grind. I’d half-see the free version as a demo for a £15 game.

Midair is out for Windows through Steam.