History VideoGame / Steambirds

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SteamBirds_9066.png
[[caption-width:350: The plane that won the World Wars... [[RecycledINSPACE OF STEAM!]]]]

* AlternateHistoryWank: Britain walks cleanly out of a WorldWarII [[DarkerAndEdgier far darker]] [[ItGotWorse and]] [[CurbStompBattle more one-sided]] (and not in their favor) than ours while Germany ends with a defeat-in-detail worse than the RealLife WorldWarI. They also consistently defeat German forces substantially larger than their own, and by the end of the game the levels are without-exception two or three British planes versus some ten or fifteen German ones.

** Actually, it's [[FridgeBrilliance almost certainly lacking in Hitler.]] The games never mention one way or another, but a history nut can tell because of one key fact: [[EvenEvilHasStandards Hitler did not approve of and never would have approved the use of poison gas on the battlefield.]] The Germans ingame... [[CompleteMonster are not as principled.]]

* BloodKnight: One of the story memos in ''Survival'' urges the player to be this: "''[[HonorBeforeReason What men would give for this chance at glory!]] Kill them, brave pilot. [[LaughingMad Kill them, and laugh!]]''"

* CoolPlane: Many of the aircraft in the game--a majority of which are inspired by real planes as per WordOfGod--qualify for this trope, but the Looper and the Axe probably take the cake.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Mixed with PaletteSwap. The British and Germans will use the same planes sometimes, the only difference being the color (in the original, the British are always red, while the Germans vary between blue, green, and black). Some planes share the same airframe model but have different names and attributes. This could all be assumed to be GameplayAndStorySegregation, however.

* GhostTown: Britain's major cities are described as becoming this in ''Survival'', and it's played for all the [[DespairEventHorizon depressing]] they can get out of it.

* HeroicSacrifice: The player-character in ''Survival'' is ultimately destined to make this regardless of how good the player is. Also in ''Survival'', a team of scientists is noted to have refused to leave their lab in Britain even under threat of mass gas bombing from Germany. They stayed on grounds of still trying to find a cure to that very poisonous gas and believing that they were very close to a cure.

* InSpiteOfANail: This timeline's world wars start right around the same time as when ours began, and their WorldWarI even ends at about the same time. Their WorldWarII diverges a lot, however.

* ShoutOut: To George Orwell's {{Nineteen Eighty Four}}. In ''Survival'', Japan is mentioned to have "floating fortresses tied up in China." This is also an AllohistoricalAllusion; Japan was embattled in China while Germany was fighting its war in Europe, having invaded the area in 1932 in RealLife.

* TakeThat: One of the story memos in ''Survival'' takes a potshot at British Parliament and [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets politicians in general]]: "''Parliament has been evacuated. Our politicians are saved! Hooray?''"
* TakingYouWithMe: The British air force's attitude in ''Survival'' towards the Germans.

* WeaksauceWeakness: The Chickadee is made as the perfect plane, a textbook example of a FlyingBrick...except for that small problem of having no armor to speak off. Needless to say, fighting in it involves avoiding the enemy firing arc at any cost.

* [[spoiler:PointDefenseless]]: [[spoiler:The previously-mentioned Behemoth airship doesn't have defense gun coverage in the back for 60 degrees of flight area. This is the key to defeating it with a four-star rank--or, for that matter, defeating it at all.]]

* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: The world of Steambirds still uses zeppelin airships, apparently having equipped them with heavy armor and wide-arc anti-aircraft guns. But, [[spoiler: [[PointDefenseless apparently they forgot to cover the last 60 degrees of firing arc in the back...]]]]

* LethalJokeCharacter: The Looper flying wing [[SuperPrototype prototype]] actively encourages the player to use [[IndyPloy ridiculous tactics]]--like [[BeyondTheImpossible full 360 degree spinning on the horizontal plane]]--to offset the aircraft's [[AwesomeButImpractical very narrow firing angle]].

** Actually, it's [[FridgeBrilliance almost certainly lacking in Hitler.]] The games never mention one way or another, but a history nut can tell because of one key fact: [[EvenEvilHasStandards Hitler did not approve of and never would have approved the use of poison gas.]] The Germans ingame... [[CompleteMonster are not as principled.]]

A [[AlienSpaceBats zany]], [[JustOneMoreLevel addicting]] flash game series and iTouch app (The original can be found [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/weasello/steambirds here]] and ''Survival'' can be found [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/spryfox/steambirds-survival here]]). An AlternateHistory version of our timeline where, in 1835, "Sir Albert Pendleton" accidentally discovered [[AppliedPhlebotinum low-temperature fusion]], resulting in nuclear fusion-based [[SteamPunk steam-powered]] jet fighter analogues stylized in decidedly WorldWarII design fashion.

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The German aerial armada that invades Britain during the Gassing of London is said to outnumber the London air force "1000 to 1." [[FridgeLogic How, exactly, did Germany produce such a massively disproportionate force in the time between the world wars?]] ''Especially'' if this WorldWarI ended up like [[DisproportionateRetribution ours]].

* InSpiteOfANail: This timeline's world wars start right around the same time as when ours began, and their WorldWarI even ends at about the same time. Their WorldWarII diverges [[{{Understatement}} a lot]], however.

* StupidJetPackHitler: Although possibly lacking in the [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] and any trace of time travel, this world's version of Axis Germany enters WorldWarII with nuclear and chemical weapons of surprising advancement, as their nuclear firepower is apparently sufficient to vaporize Paris.
** Actually, it's [[FridgeBrilliance almost certainly lacking in Hitler.]] The games never mention one way or another, but a history nut can tell because of one key fact: [[EvenEvilHasStandards Hitler did not approve of and never would have approved the use of poison gas.]] The Germans ingame... [[CompleteMonster are not as principled.]]

* MisguidedMissile: The missiles in the game are apparently heat-tracking and will fly until they hit a target. [[UnfriendlyFire This target does not have to be on the opposite side of the firing aircraft, however]], as it seems that the world of ''Steambirds'' did not develop IFF technology yet.

!! This show provides examples of:

* AwesomeButImpractical: The "Chickadee" fighter deployed by the British. The ace pilots demanded a [[AceCustom plane]] "that wouldn't hold them back." The British responded with [[FlyingBrick a plane with a ''very'' wide firing arc, high speed, impressive damage, and useful special abilities.]] [[WeaksauceWeakness All this came with practically no armor to speak of.]] Most of the pilots refuse to use the plane on these grounds.
* BadassBoast: One of the story memos in ''Survivals'' is this: "''Death will feast on us all, but his appetite will be bated by all these German appetizers!''"
* BloodKnight: One of the story memos in ''Survival'' urges the player to be this: "''[[HonorBeforeReason What men would give for this chance at glory!]] Kill them, brave pilot. [[LaughingMad Kill them, and laugh!]]"

* InSpiteOfANail: This timeline's world wars start right around the same time as when ours began, and their WorldWarI even ends at about the same time. Their WorldWarII diverges [[{{Understatement}} a lot]], however. weapons can miss.

* MisguidedMissile: The missiles in the game are apparently heat-tracking (which is {{Justified}}, because cold fusion would still be outputting large amounts of heat) and will fly until they hit a target. This target does not have to be on the opposite side of the firing aircraft, however.

* CompleteMonster: Axis Germany is played as this, Nazi or not. It opens WorldWarII by [[NukeEm nuking Paris]], and then follows up by using high-powered chemical weapons on London. [[ItGotWorse It only gets worse from there.]]

* CrazyAwesome: The test pilot of the Looper prototype aircraft, who, while under player-control, will execute full 360 spins to offset his aircraft's poor attack angle. [[{{Badass}} He destroys three whole squadrons of German aircraft solo]].
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The first (and to a lesser extent, any) [[BattleshipRaid fight against a Behemoth airship]] certainly qualifies, especially on your first few runs when you have no idea how to fight the thing. Also, in the iTouch/iPad version, any battle involving the [[LethalJokeCharacter Looper]] flying wing aircraft.
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: During ''Survival'', you are informed during one of the randomized memos that comes with each wave that the London orphanages has been evacuated, and that the children will never forget your sacrifice. Another talks about how the city of Liverpool has been evacuated and that it will build a statue of you when they retake the area after the war.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny: The mission "Death to the Clown," the final mission involving the Looper prototype aircraft, involves the German air force being so embarrassed by their defeats at the hands of the prototype enemy aircraft that [[DisproportionateRetribution they send a massive squadron to destroy it while it's alone]]. [[EpicFail The Looper destroys this squadron too in the same ridiculous, acrobatic fashion]].
** Also, this story memo from ''Survival'': "''Most of Clydebank has been evacuated. The town drunk wouldn't leave.''"
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The music for the game is general is surprisingly epic, with a very patriotic, old-timey feel to it, but the mission select music for the iTouch version takes the cake.

* TearJerker: ''Survival'' plays up the hopelessness of the war, from a morale standpoint, to the point of being depressing. Several of the story messages express a sense of utter aimlessness, as if they have no idea what to do after the immediate present and are prepared to give up. Another dimension is added when they reveal Parisian refugees are in the city, and that they are now yet again being forced to run for their lives from the German war machine.

-> "''The Battle of London - October 15th, 1940. The Axis' flying armada is en route to London. The Allies are [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale outnumbered 1000 to 1]]. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption You cannot save the city]], but [[YouShallNotPass you can stall the armada long enough for London's citizens to evacuate]]. Good luck and godspeed, pilot.''"

Despite the [[SlidingScaleOfAlternateHistoryPlausibility less-than-plausible]] timeline , the game is genuinely fun, utilizing a self-contained mission structure. Within the iTunes app and first flash version, each mission provides a number of planes, typically between two and four, and a (usually) substantially larger enemy force to defeat. This is achieved by directing your planes' movement (they fire automatically when an enemy enters their firing arc) and usage of special weapons. Stars are awarded for your performance, ranging from four for not taking a hit, to one for coming out with one HitPoint left.

* AmericaWinsTheWar: {{Subverted}}. It's implied that America ([[AndZoidberg and Canada]]) join neither world wars. In fact, it's implied that America [[HolyShitQuotient doesn't even care that the Germans are taking over Europe]].
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Present in copious amounts. The "low-temperature fusion" which Sir Pendleton somehow discovered in 1835 appears to [[SteamPunk power everything]], as all aircraft emit steam trails and ''Suvival'' mentions fusion plants in London being dismantled to deny the Germans the assets.

* CompleteMonster: Axis Germany is played as this, Nazi or not. It opens WorldWarII by [[NukeEm nuking Paris]], then follows up by using high-powered chemical weapons on London. [[ItGotWorse It only gets worse from there.]]

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Mixed with PaletteSwap. The British and Germans will use the same planes sometimes, the only difference being the color (in the original, the British are always red, and the Germans vary between blue, green, and black). Some planes share the same airframe model but have different names and attributes. This could all be assumed to be GameplayAndStorySegregation, however.

* GhostTown: Britain's major cities are described as becoming this in ''Survival'', and its played for all the [[DespairEventHorizon depressing]] they can get out of it.

* [[spoiler:PointDefenseless]]: [[spoiler:The previously-mentioned Behemoth airship doesn't have defense gun coverage in the back for 60 degrees of flight area. This is key to defeating it with a four-star rank--or, for that matter, defeating it at all.]]

* ShoutOut: To George Orwell's {{Nineteen Eighty Four}}. In ''Suvival'', Japan is mentioned to have "floating fortresses tied up in China." This is also an AllohistoricalAllusion; Japan was embattled in China while Germany was fighting its war in Europe, having invaded the area in 1932 in RealLife.

In ''Steambirds: Survival'', a spin-off game, you play an UnwinnableByDesign reenactment of this world's version of the Battle of Britain (called in-universe the "Gassing of London"), where you're tasked with making a LastStand in order to [[YouShallNotPass buy time]] for escaping Londoners--ranging from [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming orphans]] to Parliament--[[TakingYouWithMe by taking as many Germans down with you as possible]]. You earn "copper," which is used to buy more advanced aircraft until you can buy the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Behemoth]] [[BraggingRightsReward airship]].

* BadassBoast: One of the story memos in ''Survivals'' is this, saying that you will serve as a meal for Death but no before the Germans serve as the appetizers.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: During ''Survival'', you are informed during one of the randomized memos that comes with each wave that the London orphanages has been evacuated, and that the children will never forget your sacrifice. Another talks about an evacuated city that will build a statue of you when they retake the area after the war.

** Also, this: "''The rest of Clydebank has been evacuated. The town drunk wouldn't leave.''"

* OldSchoolDogfighting: {{Justified}}. Although they possess advanced missile technology (by WorldWarII standards), the tech is just as unreliable as its counterpart from TheKoreanWar, and necessitates fighting primarily based on guns.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: The mission "Death to the Clown," the final mission involving the Looper prototype aircraft, involves the German air force being so embarrassed by their defeats at the hands of the prototype enemy aircraft that [[DisproportionateRetribution they send a massive squadron to destroy it while it's alone]]. [[EpicFail The Looper destroys this squadron too in the same ridiculous, acrobatic fashion]].

* HeroicSacrifice: The player-character in ''Survival'' is ultimately destined to make this regardless of how good the player is.

* GunsAreUseless: {{Inverted}}. Nothing ''but'' the gun can be absolutely trusted to reliably kill the enemy in a reasonable amount of time. Missiles can [[NiceJobBreakingItHero back]][[MisguidedMissile fire]] [[OhCrap spectacularly]] and swing around to kill you rather than an opponent (this is removed in ''Steambirds: Survival''). Poison gas ([[MST3KMantra which somehow jams a plane's guns and damages its airframe]]) can be avoided, and your other auxiliary weapon, the bomb ([[BellisariosMaxim once again, it goes unexplained how a bomb is hitting aircraft) depends entirely on the enemy aircraft being behind you at a specific distance to be hit.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: During ''Survival'', you are informed during one of the randomized memos that comes with each wave that a major London orphanage has been evacuated, and that the children will never forget your sacrifice. Another talks about an evacuated city that will build a statue of you when they retake the area after the war.

-> "''The Battle of London - October 15th, 1940. The Axis' flying armada is en route to London. The Allies are [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale outnumbered 1000 to 1]]. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption You cannot save the city]], but [[YouShallNotPass you can stall the armada long enough for London's citizens to evacuate]]. Good luck and godspeed, pilot.''"
-->--'''''Steambirds: Survival'' opening speech'''

A [[AlienSpaceBats zany]], [[JustOneMoreLevel addicting]] flash game series and iTouch app (The original can be found [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/weasello/steambirds here]] and ''Survival'' can be found [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/spryfox/steambirds-survival here]]). An AlternateHistory version of our timeline where, in 1835, "Sir Albert Pendleton" accidentally discovered [[AppliedPhlebotinum low-temperature fusion]], resulting in nuclear fusion-based [[SteamPunk steam-powered]] jet fighter analogues stylized in decidedly WorldWarII design fashion.

The story is vaguely told in the mission descriptions. As can be followed, the timeline moves forward in a very InSpiteOfANail fashion, with WorldWarI occurring in a reasonably similar fashion to our own with similar dates, albeit with heavily increased emphasis on [[DeathFromAbove air superiority]]. However, the timeline begins to diverge more in WorldWarII, which opens with the [[NukeEm nuking of Paris by Axis Germany]]. Continuing in that vein, Britain is subsequently invaded by an overwhelming German air force utilizing advanced bioweapons. Despite this, [[AlternateHistoryWank by]] [[OnlyTheAuthorCanSaveThemNow some]] [[AssPull unknown]] [[AuthorsSavingThrow providence]] [[DeusExMachina of fate]], they are able to push the Germans back and end the war in 1956.

Despite the [[SlidingScaleOfAlternateHistoryPlausibility less-than-plausible]] timeline , the game is genuinely fun, utilizing a self-contained mission structure. Within the iTunes app and first flash version, each mission provides a number of planes, typically between two and four, and a (usually) substantially larger enemy force to defeat. This is achieved by directing your planes' movement (they fire automatically when an enemy enters their firing arc) and usage of special weapons. Stars are awarded for your performance, ranging from four for not taking a hit, to one for coming out with one HitPoint left.

!! This show provides examples of:

* AlienSpaceBats: The true point of divergence for the timeline is this, with a man discovering cold fusion twenty-five years before the AmericanCivilWar (the birthplace of modern warfare) even broke out and long before the nuclear weapon was ever invented in RealLife.

* AlternateHistory: in which SteamPunk jet fighters rule the skies alongside floating fortresses and [[ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld airships]]. The timeline, AppliedPhlebotinum excepted, isn't too different until WorldWarII, where it's implied that America never joined WorldWarI and the SovietUnion never took power in Russia.
* AlternateHistoryWank: Britain walks cleanly out of a WorldWarII [[DarkerAndEdgier far darker]] [[ItGotWorse and]] [[CurbStompBattle more one-sided]] (and not in their favor) than ours while Germany ends with a defeat-in-detail worse than the RealLife WorldWarI. They also consistently defeat German forces substantially larger than their own, and by the end of the game the levels are without-exception two or three British planes versus some ten or fifteen German ones.

* AppliedPhlebotinum: Present in copious amounts. The "low-temperature fusion" which Sir Pendleton somehow discovered in 1835 appears to [[SteamPunk power everything]], as all aircraft emit steam trails and ''Suvival'' mentions fusion plants in London being dismantled to deny the Germans the assets.
* ArbitraryGunPower: Guns have [[PowerLevels arbitrary stats]] which, in conjunction with an armor stat, tell you how much damage your plane will do to the enemy plane's health bar.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The "Chickadee" fighter deployed by the British. The ace pilots demanded a [[AceCustom plane]] "that wouldn't hold them back." The British responded with [[FlyingBrick a plane with a ''very'' wide firing arc, high speed, impressive damage, and useful special abilities.]] [[WeaksauceWeakness All this came with practically no armor to speak of.]] Most of the pilots refuse to use the plane on these grounds.
* BritainIsOnlyLondon: The Germans are implied to be invading all of Britain in ''Survival'', but we only see the Battle of London and that is understood from the text to be the most important part of the battle.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The music for the game is general is surprisingly epic, with a very patriotic, old-timey feel to it, but the mission select music for the iTouch version takes the cake.
* CurbStompBattle: WorldWarII is this in the beginning in favor of Germany, but about midway through the game the British are typically beating large enemy squadrons with only a handful of their own planes.
* DeflectorShields: One of the special abilities, without so much as an accompanying HandWave.
* EasyLogistics: {{Subverted}}. Though your planes have unlimited ammo and fuel, ''Survival'' notes that various facilities are being dismantled so that the Germans can't use them. Also, one mission in the iTouch/iPad version centers around you having run out of ammo in the last mission and therefore forcing you to rely solely on missiles.
* ForWantOfANail: Possibly blended with a {{subversion}} of HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct. It's not unlikely, given the way the game speaks of Germany, that the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]] never took power in Germany.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The number of planes seen don't add up to nearly what would be necessary to fight a world war, even if it's a locally focused on in Europe. It's also mentioned that the British stole their missile tech from the Germans, but the Germans never use this missile tech. This is probably because the game would be [[CompetitiveBalance too hard]] if they did.
* GunsAreUseless: {{Inverted}}. Nothing ''but'' the gun can be absolutely trusted to reliably kill the enemy in a reasonable amount of time. Missiles can [[NiceJobBreakingItHero back]][[MisguidedMissile fire]] [[OhCrap spectacularly]] and swing around to kill you rather than an opponent (this is removed in ''Steambirds: Survival''). Poison gas ([[MST3KMantra which somehow jams a plane's guns and damages its airframe]]) can be avoided, and your other auxiliary weapon, the bomb ([[BellisariosMaxim once again, it goes unexplained how a bomb is hitting aircraft) depends entirely on the enemy aircraft being behind you at a specific distance to be hit.
* HonorBeforeReason: Some of the mission descriptions read as this, with British pilots sent to lure the German air force out on the understanding that they aren't coming back.
* InSpiteOfANail: This timeline's world wars start right around the same time as when ours began, and their WorldWarI even ends at about the same time. Their WorldWarII diverges [[{{Understatement}} a lot]], however. weapons can miss.

* LaResistance: The French Resistance still forms in this timeline to fight Axis Germany.
* LastStand: The British air force has one of these in ''Survival'', fighting on purely to destroy as many enemy planes as possible and distract them from evacuating ground personnel and civilians.
* LethalJokeCharacter: The Looper flying wing [[SuperPrototype prototype]] actively encourages the player to use [[IndyPloy ridiculous tactics]]--like [[BeyondTheImpossible full 360 degree spinning on the horizontal plane]]--to offset the aircraft's [[AwesomeButImpractical very narrow firing angle]].
* MacrossMissileMassacre: The [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Axis leadership's]] final base uses a subdued form of this trope, launching an unlimited supply of missiles which fill the sky and cause incredible tactical issues with attacking the otherwise-defenseless enemy aircraft.

* OhCrap: An appropriate response if you fire a missile and it swings around to kill you instead of hitting an enemy. Also an appropriate response for the "true" final level of the iTouch version, which involves '''''three''''' enemy Behemoths ''with'' an attending squadron.

* OneManArmy: If a mission starts with more than one plane under player control, all of them will likely be needed for that mission. But if you only start with one, you are guaranteed that you'll slaughter with just that plane. The player-character in ''Survival'' is made of this trope, as is the pilot of the prototype Looper flying wing aircraft.
* [[spoiler:PointDefenseless]]: [[spoiler:The previously-mentioned Behemoth airship doesn't have defense gun coverage in the back for 60 degrees of flight area. This is key to defeating it with a four-star rank--or, for that matter, defeating it at all.]]

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The German aerial armada that invades Britain during the Gassing of London is said to outnumber the London air force "1000 to 1." [[FridgeLogic How, exactly, did Germany produce such a massively disproportionate force in the time between the world wars?]] ''Especially'' if this WorldWarI ended up like [[DisproportionateRetribution ours]].

* StupidJetPackHitler: Although possibly lacking in the [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] and any trace of time travel, this world's version of Axis Germany enters WorldWarII with nuclear and chemical weapons of surprising advancement, as their nuclear firepower is apparently sufficient to vaporize Paris.
* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: Neither side in either world war seems to possess nearly enough planes, although this is likely a clear-cut example of GameplayAndStorySegregation.
* TearJerker: ''Survival'' plays up the hopelessness of the war, from a morale standpoint, to the point of being depressing. Several of the story messages express a sense of utter aimlessness, as if they have no idea what to do after the immediate present and are prepared to give up. Another dimension is added when they reveal Parisian refugees are in the city, and that they are now yet again being forced to run for their lives from the German war machine.
* ThemeNaming: Each plane usually has a name that is appropriate. The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Looper]] is designed to use 360 spins as standard tactics. The Spider is highly agile and fast, designed to spin "webs" of poison gas and run the [[TooDumbToLive foolish enemy pilots]] into it. The Duster is designed to fight in mass groups and lay unavoidable paths of poison gas. So on and so forth.
* UnwinnableByDesign: ''Survival'' is this by definition; there is no end to the waves of German air craft attacking you.
* YouShallNotPass: The British air force's mission in the Battle of London.

* GunsAreUseless: {{Inverted}}. Nothing ''but'' the gun can be absolutely trusted to reliably kill the enemy in a reasonable amount of time. Missiles can [[NiceJobBreakingItHero back]][[MisguidedMissile fire]] [[OhCrap spectacularly]] and swing around to kill you rather than an opponent (this is removed in ''Steambirds: Survival''). Poison gas ([[MST3KMantra which somehow jams a plane's guns and damages its airframe]]) can be avoided, and your other axillary

-> "The Battle of London - October 15th, 1940. The Axis' flying armada is en route to London. The Allies are [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale outnumbered 1000 to 1]]. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption You cannot save the city]], but [[YouShallNotPass you can stall the armada long enough for London's citizens to evacuate]]. Good luck and godspeed, pilot."
-->--''Steambirds: Survival'' opening speech

* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: The world of Steambirds still uses zeppelin airships, apparently having equipped them with heavy armor and wide-arc anti-aircraft guns. But, [[spoiler:PointDefenseless apparently they forgot to cover the last 60 degrees in the back...]]

* AirborneAircraftCarrier: {{Subverted}}. Airships are present, but they don't carry aircraft. They do have 300 degree gun coverage and an absurd amount of armor, but not complements of aircraft.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The "Chickadee" fighter deployed by the British. The ace pilots demanded a [[AceCustom plane]] "that wouldn't hold them back." The British responded with [[MarySue a plane with a ''very'' wide firing arc, high speed, impressive damage, and useful special abilities.]] [[WeaksauceWeakness All this came with practically no armor to speak of.]] Most of the pilots refuse to use the plane on these grounds.

* GunsAreUseless: {{Inverted}}. Nothing ''but'' the gun can be absolutely trusted to reliably kill the enemy in a reasonable amount of time. Missiles can [[NiceJobBreakingItHero back]][[MisguidedMissile fire]] [[OhCrap spectacularly]] and swing around to kill you rather than an opponent (this is removed in ''Steambirds: Survival''). Poison gas ([[MST3KMantra which somehow jams a plane's guns and damages its airframe]]) can be avoided, and your other axillary weapons can miss.

* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: The world of Steambirds still uses zeppelin airships, apparently having equipped them with heavy armor and wide-arc anti-aircraft guns. But, [[PointDefenseless apparently they forgot to cover the last 60 degrees in the back...]]

Despite the less-than-accurate timeline, the game is genuinely fun, utilizing a self-contained mission structure. Within the iTunes app and first flash version, each mission provides a number of planes, typically between two and four, and a (usually) substantially larger enemy force to defeat. This is achieved by directing your planes' movement (they fire automatically when an enemy enters their firing arc) and usage of special weapons. Stars are awarded for your performance, ranging from four for not taking a hit, to one for coming out with one HitPoint left.

A [[AlienSpaceBats zany]], [[JustOneMoreLevel addicting]] flash game series and iTouch app. An AlternateHistory version of our timeline where, in 1835, "Sir Albert Pendleton" accidentally discovered [[AppliedPhlebotinum low-temperature fusion]], resulting in nuclear fusion-based [[SteamPunk steam-powered]] jet fighter analogues stylized in decidedly WorldWarII design fashion.

Despite the less-than-accurate timeline, the game is genuinely fun, utilizing a self-contained mission structure. Within the iTunes app and first flash version, each mission, you are provided a number of planes, typically between two and four, and a (usually) substantially larger enemy force to defeat. This is achieved by directing your planes' movement (they fire automatically when an enemy enters their firing arc) and usage of special weapons. Stars are awarded for your performance, ranging from four for not taking a hit, to one for coming out with one HitPoint left.

* GunsAreUseless: {{Inverted}}. Nothing ''but'' the gun can be absolutely trusted to reliably kill the enemy in a reasonable amount of time. Missiles can [[NiceJobBreakingItHero back]][[MisguidedMissile fire]] [[OhCrap spectacularly]] and swing around to kill you rather than an opponent (this is removed in ''Steambirds: Survival''). Poison gas ([[FridgeLogic which somehow jams a plane's guns and damages its airframe]]) can be avoided, and your other axillary weapons can miss.