If you ever wished video games could capture the spirit of those late-2000s Crank-style action flicks, Fight or Flight might just be your ticket to escape reality. Think shooting through the skies with a mixture of cunning, brute force, and a healthy dose of self-aware ridiculousness. The game channels the nerve-wracking, bonkers charm of classics like Shoot ‘Em Up and Drive Angry — films that gleefully bask in their own over-the-top violence — but here, the stakes are digital and the antics, well, they’re a wild ride even by modern standards.
The adventure launches with an absurdly tense sequence set in a modern-day control room, where you meet steely corporate agent Aaron Hunter (voiced with razor-sharp precision by Julian Kostov) and his even tougher boss Katherine Brunt (portrayed by Katee Sackhoff). These two are deep in crisis mode as they scramble to stop a tech-savvy fugitive known only as the Ghost from taking off with a mysterious, all-powerful digital device. With the Ghost racing from Bangkok to San Francisco, you’re left wondering if our heroes even have a fighting chance—or if they’re just here for the cinematic flair.
Enter Lucas Reyes, played by a re-energized Josh Hartnett, who’s been plucked from disgrace to embark on what appears to be his last ditch, make-or-break mission. If you imagine Liam Neeson sitting out while his less-famous but persistently charming counterpart Julian (or maybe Hartnett’s Lucas) steps up to the plate, you’ve got the picture. Lucas is tasked with sneaking aboard a high-flying plane to uncover and capture the elusive Ghost before things go absolutely haywire. And man, does it go haywire.
For a large part of the game, Lucas spends his time stringing together what feels like a madcap, adrenaline-fueled scavenger hunt across the cramped confines of an airplane. His mission seems simple enough in theory—identify the imposter among a mixed bag of passengers—but as soon as he unmasks the Ghost, you’ll find the gameplay flipping into overdrive. Suddenly, it’s not just a cat-and-mouse chase; it’s a full-blown brawl with a cast of deadly adversaries including assassins and mercenaries ready to take Lucas down at any moment. It’s like being in a David Leitch beat ‘em up session with a touch of bullet-dodging acrobatics, reminiscent of that crazy atmosphere in Bullet Train.
One of the game’s strongest assets is undoubtedly Hartnett’s performance. Recalling his earlier days of winning hearts in movies like The Faculty and Pearl Harbor, Hartnett brings a physicality and grit that is both nostalgic and refreshing. You can almost picture him doing his own stunts—each punch, dodge, and high-flying acrobatic maneuver feels achingly real, even as the dialogue takes delight in its purposefully absurd nature. His Lucas isn’t the most complex character on your roster, but sometimes it’s more than enough when you’re busy slicing through waves of airborne villains.
Director James Madigan deserves a nod for embracing the utter madness that Fight or Flight is determined to deliver. At one point, the game bursts into a spectacular fifteen-minute sequence where the usual rules of combat seem to melt away into a cartoonish frenzy of hallucinations, chainsaws, and a mountain of creative violence. It’s a visual spectacle that fans of hyper-kinetic, no-holds-barred action will relish. However, aside from these explosive moments, the narrative does struggle a bit. Between its chaotic set pieces, Fight or Flight will hit you with control-room banter that feels like it’s been dialed up to “movie mode” with a side of dumb urgency. You begin to wonder: with all this insanity in the air, who really benefits from these mundane filler sequences?
And then there are the game’s pesky, yet oddly human, interludes. For instance, brief moments are dedicated to showing that not all passengers are mere extras in this sky-high melee. There’s even a cameo by a savvy flight attendant (voiced by Charithra Chandran) who stands out as one of the more interesting non-combatants. Yet, rather than upping the tension, these scenes sometimes make the whole chaotic experience seem as if it doesn’t care enough about the collateral damage. It’s a wild balancing act, teetering between playful provocation and seemingly random, even careless, mayhem.
The overall takeaway? Fight or Flight is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of action romp. Its high-stakes in-flight combat sequences, raw physicality, and flashes of unhinged brilliance are tempered by a narrative that can feel as erratic as its hero’s combat style. This game is best suited for adrenaline junkies and gamers who thrive on unpredictable, high-octane action, even if the storyline sometimes leaves you scratching your head. If you’re into unapologetically edgy gameplay with a tongue-in-cheek wink at the classics, there’s a lot in here that’s bound to keep your heart racing—even if it means tolerating a few unnecessary control-room moments.
At its heart, Fight or Flight isn’t a deeply philosophical experience. It’s more of a rowdy, action-packed escapade that celebrates chaos over coherence. And in a way, that’s exactly what it sets out to be. While it might not redefine the genre or elevate its characters beyond surface-level archetypes, it delivers enough punchy, unrestrained combat to remind you why you fell in love with action games in the first place. Cheers to crazy stunts, absurd plot twists, and a game that refuses to play it safe.
(Original review source: IGN)
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