Short and honest review. I wanted to recommend the game but as I was writing the review I realized I like the idea of it and not the game itself.
Tutorialization is a mess. Mechanics are great on paper but their execution in the game is somewhat questionable. Combat and flying mechanics are decent but weird balance swings make the experience frustrating. The economy is broken. Equipment management is borrowed from 1990.

With all that being said I must admit the game is beautiful. There are some breathtaking moments. Imagine flying above a sea and suddenly monumental structure emerges for the clouds. No other game made it better. I kept playing for those moments. Music is outstanding and complements the art and mood perfectly. Those two things are worth at least trying the game.

I’ve really wanted to like it. I came with a mindset it won’t be perfect. I was ready to forgive a lot. The game just threw way more hurdles that I was expecting and could withstand. Falconeer feels like a title from 1999 in a bad way. There’s even a pdf manual explaining basic things that are not taught in the game.
It’s a dream project that the developer built for himself and not for the others to enjoy. If you are brave there is a bit of brilliance in here to be found but it’s a long and harsh path to uncover it.

I like the take of the different chapters and perspectives of the storyline. Aerial combat is fun to master, and the races throughout different parts of the map add a nice touch to break up the main loop. The audio is enjoyable, I thought the voice acting was great! The settlements have a unique design to them, though I found it hard at times, to know where to land (it's obvious once you miss it/get close enough).

Though the aerial combat is fun, it did tend to get a bit stale at times, would have loved to see the missions fleshed out a bit more (more diverse actions than travel here and kill these guys) though I did appreciate the different ammo pots and weaponry to keep it unique. The falcons themselves were really cool, but I didn't understand why you kept having to repurchase them. I would have expected they could be swapped out for free once purchased, if that's not the case, it doesn't make it obvious.

All around, this is an excellent game and I highly recommend anyone who is interested in aerial combat, to give this unique take a try!