Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe

Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe is a flight simulation from LucasArts that focuses on experimental and groundbreaking aircraft of the German Luftwaffe from the end of the Second World War, including early jet aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Me 262 or the rocket-powered Me 163 Komet. The player progresses through a campaign of fictional and historically inspired missions, gradually gaining access to more advanced aircraft, and the game also allows choosing among Allied aircraft to compare the performance of both sides and their differing tactics against bombers and escort fighters.

The simulation stood out for its elaborate mission editor, which let players create and modify their own scenarios, weapon loadouts, and combat conditions — uncommon at the time of release and one that considerably extended the game's lifespan even after completing the main campaign. The graphical treatment of the aircraft models and landscape was above average for DOS in the first half of the 1990s, and the game worked well with the difference between classic propeller aircraft and the newly introduced jet-powered machines, which was also reflected in different flight characteristics, speeds, and dogfighting tactics between generations of technology.

Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe is still valued today for its focus on the late phase of aviation development in the Second World War, a theme other simulators covered far less, and for its tools enabling custom content creation and scenario sharing among players via disk copies and later the internet. Within the genre of historical flight simulators, it remains one of the technically and content-wise most ambitious titles of its generation and a reminder of the creative boldness of the studio then known as Lucasfilm Games, later LucasArts. The combination of a historical theme with open tools for custom content makes it a title that draws many players back to explore again even years later.

Why play it: Thanks to its focus on the late phase of wartime aviation and its open tools for creating custom content, players gladly return to it for further exploration even years later.