Empyrean: a free-flight aerial dogfight over hand-painted skies

Empyrean is a free browser action game that puts you in the cockpit of a lone fighter plane, flying freely over vivid, hand-painted worlds. This isn't a rail shooter — you steer your own heading, climb, dive and loop through open skies, hunting down enemy aircraft and pounding ground targets until the skies are clear. Across a short campaign you'll defend a besieged city, break an ocean blockade, and raid a chain of camouflaged desert outposts, each with its own look and its own threats. Pick your aircraft, arm your bombs, and fly the sortie.

How to play

Your plane always flies forward in the direction its nose is pointing, so flying well is all about managing your heading and your speed. Rotate the nose to turn, open the throttle to accelerate, fire your guns at enemy planes, and drop bombs on the tanks, ships, turrets and bunkers below. Clear every target on the map to complete the mission and move on to the next.

• On desktop: use the arrow keys to rotate and adjust throttle, Space to fire, and B to drop a bomb.
• On mobile: touch controls let you steer, fire and bomb; the game plays in landscape, so turn your phone sideways.

Aircraft, bombs and missions

Before each sortie you choose from a fleet of planes that trade off shield (how much damage you can take), speed, and bomb load — from heavy, well-armoured bombers to fragile glass-cannon interceptors that are lightning fast but can't take a hit. You also pick a bomb type, ranging from fast piercing darts for pinpoint hits to wide airburst payloads that clear a whole cluster of ground targets at once. The campaign runs across three distinct theatres — a city, an ocean and a desert — each with different enemies and terrain.

Tips

• Keep your speed up in a turning fight — a plane that bleeds off all its energy is an easy target.
• Line up ground targets on a shallow diving run so your bombs land where you want them.
• Pick a tougher aircraft while you're learning a mission, then switch to a faster one once you know the threats.
• Don't fly in a straight line near enemy guns — a little jinking goes a long way.

Frequently asked questions

Is Empyrean free? Yes — free to play with no account or download, in any modern browser.

Does it work on phones? Yes, it plays in landscape — turn your phone sideways for the full view.

How do I finish a mission? Destroy every enemy plane and ground target on the map; clearing them all completes the mission.

Prefer something calmer? Try Untangle or Tessera, or browse all Zamborin games.