Stunt Flyer quietly made its debut on the Nintendo Switch in February 2025, and it’s not hard to see why it flew under many people’s radars. At first glance, it seems like a budget-friendly take on Pilotwings, skewed towards a younger audience. And honestly, that general impression isn’t entirely off. Still, if you’re looking for a laid-back adventure, this game steps up a notch when you dive into its two-player co-op mode.
In this game, you and a buddy can take on the roles of Jimmy and Sophie, among a few other characters, as you soar through a world trying hard to be the next Wuhu Island. Unfortunately, its lack of originality makes it fall short of expectations, despite featuring unlockable islands. Once I accepted it for what it is—a game that’s not quite as polished or original as the one it seeks to imitate—I found myself enjoying it in short bursts.
However, there’s a noticeable lack of direction. While I did enjoy the freedom of exploring, I eventually wanted more structured gameplay. Stunt Flyer includes familiar missions like shooting, photography, and races, but their entertainment value is all over the place, and they seem scattered carelessly. Flying through rings to gather experience was enjoyable at first, but collecting over 100 didn’t serve much purpose other than aimless busy work. The game struggles to find a balance between mission-based structure and the liberty to roam freely.
In terms of aesthetics, there’s not much to write home about. The game’s single main music track, while initially pleasant, quickly becomes tiresome during long stretches of gameplay. Visually, it resembles an upgraded Wii game, which makes sense since it was originally released on that console over 13 years ago, complete with a longer title and a plastic peripheral. Age hasn’t done it many favors.
What truly gives Stunt Flyer some lift is playing with a friend. Split-screen mode allows you to explore and tackle missions together, or go your own way. That said, its replay value is debatable. My partner and I found ourselves content within an hour, and I soldiered on solo just for the sake of this review.
When playing alone, Stunt Flyer tends to run out of steam fairly quickly, although cooperative play does add a slight boost to the experience. Whether it holds your interest may depend on your enthusiasm for achieving high scores, improving mission times, or just kicking back. Even at its budget price point, you might want to hold off for a sale, or perhaps revisit the classic Pilotwings 64 on Switch Online instead.
