Having your expectations exceeded is one of the last remaining joys in this world. It is easy to become jaded by licensed titles; we have been abused by them for decades now. Snoopy Flying Ace is different. Not only does it license a beloved property, but it builds on a foundation of solid game mechanics. The resulting game is enjoyable, and one of the standout titles on XBLA.

Fans of Peanuts will appreciate what Smart Bomb Interactive has done with this game. Everything feels as if Shultz was part of the development team. The game is inspired by World War 2, but actually plays as if you were flying through one of Snoopy’s own dog fighting fantasies. The story is minimalistic, almost to a fault, but it is functional. You play through several missions set in World War 2, with the Red Baron a challenging antagonist. The characters are all mute with the exception of little quick soundbytes. The character animations are also minimalistic with about as much articulation as an Avatar, maybe less. The soundtrack has a jazzy piano era quality that always seems to accompany Peanuts productions, while the sound effects are toonish. The biggest issue is the complete lack of voiceovers, which in turn requires players to do far too much reading. This game has definite signs of being a budget download title, but the overall package is true to its source and enjoyable.

The graphics, on the other hand, are particularly impressive for a downloadable game. The colour palette is bright, as is appropriate for a cartoon game, with detailed modeling. The most important technical aspect in all flying or dogfighting games is the draw distance. These games are demanding. You want stages that are expansive with a far distanced horizon, and with enough altitude to never limit your flying. You also want to be able to see and accurately shoot at targets at variable distances. Snoopy Flying Ace has a draw distance that does not disappoint. It satisfies all the requirements needed for a flying game with hardly any failures in anti-aliasing and framerate.

Snoopy Flying Ace is predominantly a dogfighting game. The single player mode sets you on an adventure and has you complete various missions with different objectives. The two most common mission types are taking out waves of enemy squadrons, and escorting allies while taking out waves of enemy squadrons. It’s a good thing that these are the most common types because they are also the most enjoyable. Another mission type involves manning a stationary turret and protecting strategic structures from hordes of bogies or targets. It’s not a shining moment, but the aerial versions are fairly fun. The worst missions include following the leader and collecting Woodstock and friends. They almost seem like filler, and they interrupt the game flow.

The multiplayer game is the showpiece. The whole campaign can be played split screen co-op. Since the campaign takes approximately three hours to complete, it makes for a perfect co-op experience. The competitive multiplayer borrows a lot of modes from first person shooters. There is a capture the flag game, frag fest, and even a game that plays like Oddball from Halo. These modes alone can chew up hours of time and will quickly become the number one reason you own this game. The multiplayer highlight: aerial football. Yes, you can dogfight and be a quarterback (there’s a Michael Vick joke here, but I can’t find it). This mode is unique and with lots of players (bots and real) can become really addictive. For ten dollars, the multiplayer features alone are worth the price of entry.

Snoopy Flying Ace has some other value additions, including unlockables and different difficulty levels. But really, it’s the single player campaign and multiplayer that will keep you coming back. This title shows that with the proper care even a licensed game can be good. Snoopy Flying Ace is the best aerial fighting game released in recent years, and at ten dollars on XBLA it’s well worth it.