Classic Review - Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Link For Image

When I first played a flight simulator, most of those games were pretty simple for the kid that I was. Because I was playing it on easy control mode, no other game made me want to go for the more authentic experience. I even got around later to play ones like H.A.W.X. 1 and 2, and it was an embarrassing time for me.

The first Ace Combat game I did play was the 6th one for the Xbox 360, one nobody talks about, and I wondered why, it played amazingly as an aerial combat experience. In fact, the first mainstream title I played that put so much depth as an arcade simulator and was easy to learn too.

Turns out, to truly enjoy Ace Combat, I have to treat the story as if it was the main dish, not the entrée. Kind of ironic, considering I play as an ace pilot, taking down a ridiculous amount of fighter planes, as always the case with every release. But the story acts like a cautionary tale about war, using its fictional world to show the grim side of fighting someone else's fight. I had fun playing this, and I want to really talk about it.

---

Fighting The Good Fight

It had been 12 years since the last mainline Ace Combat game, so it sets itself up with a big mise en scène where the character is perpendicular to the horizon. It's a beautiful set-up to where the story follows next.

In the midst of war betweens countries, factions, regimes, and so on, the pilots are the narrating the story. Starting with Avril, who got locked up in a military prison run by the Osean government. Meanwhile, Erusia declared war on Osea, where Osea also loses their stranglehold of the Usean region.

A bunch of countries that mimic real world conflicts, but a game that does a lot of creative exercise, making it sound like all a giant WarGames board game lore about countries fighting each other for whatsoever obnoxious reasons.

Such wars are prolonged, but also ended by ace pilots in each and every game. And in this game, I play as Trigger. He has no actual name or face, just his call name, sealing his legacy as the ace pilot for the Osean military.

And shortly after playing a few missions, just one in particular where he goes to rescue a former president, went wry. The helicopter transporting him from the Space Elevator got shot down and Trigger is suspected to be the one who had done the deed. Considering his aptitude, and his untouchable record.

There's a good reason why it was important for me to follow the story itself, even if I have a hard time catching up on the who, what, and how. It has a lot to do with the importance of being a pilot and the ability to make decisive changes on these wars.

War, death, conspiracies, systematic persecution, all are recurring themes. An asteroid hitting Usean created a refugee crisis that forces the Erusians to act. The Oseans don't see eye to eye with the Erusians, so both engages in espionage. Even if peace is a stop-gap, there's always a way war happens.

With what happened to Trigger, even if he doesn't say it(he's the silent type), the narrative paints this large question about pledging allegiance to righteous causes, only to learn a hard lesson about believing in propaganda and helping those benefiting from the ills of war.

---

Real Danger Zone

When I first booted up the game, seeing the two options, I thought I want to have this change of pace by trying out expert. I was intimidated since I had no idea knowing if this meant that I had to do a lot of extra labor on the controller for steering the plane.

Thankfully, it wasn't that difficult, despite taking 5–8 missions for me to adjust to it. If I wanted to turn, I had to tilt my plane from 45 to 90 degree angle, and then lift the plane up to move directionally. This would look difficult with any analog controller, yet the controls felt precise and smooth here.

Turning the plan is fine and all, till the campaign started progressing, and I faced the real ace pilots instead of drones. That's where my embarrassing moments started coming around. Enemies would be good at hiding in the sky, which has a risk of freezing the plane if stayed too long, or outmaneuver my chase, basically barrel roll flanking behind the least I see it.

Other missions had dangerous climate environments with either large thunderclouds striking lightning, or sandstorm areas where land targets are hard to spot till I got to low altitudes and took off my targets.

Introducing the myriads of challenges like saving a cargo plane from hit squads or taking out ground units to rake up scores against friendly A.I. were these myriads of challenges that compounded me to be the better pilot. That and fact that I had limited munition of missiles too, the turret gun wasn't always helpful.

It also helped that being the better pilot garnered me currency to buy new planes, unlocking new missiles, and equipping upgraded parts. These new planes have legit difference in presence based on their stats. Which is why grinding for more powerful planes made it more fun.

But due to their different characteristics, they fly differently. Like, too much thrust or weight made it difficult to slow down or the small size of the planes makes it difficult to control since it moves around too fast. Heavier planes are also difficult to level the plane from downfall pitch, otherwise I'd be crashing easier. For an arcade simulator, it can be forgiving, though not in the higher difficulty options.

Through several missions, even with the hints given to me, I've pretty much got the laydown of how to handle myself both near the ground, the skies, and in-between. I was shockingly coming close to death, either from getting almost hit by missiles or hit by terrain.

Being the better pilot is sort of something that also has artistic merit. Dominating the skies, also meant improving one's self in everything else and the way they express themselves.

---

Making A Difference

At the end of the day, the real aces are the men/women who got out in the skies and prove their worth. The dog fighting is more than just for show, because real mavericks control the tides of the battle, and changes the war as well.

Ace Combat is a game series entirely built around that. Being the best pilot is also about being the better pilot while helping your friends in battle to return home and enjoy life. Same message that the new Top Gun also had.

The game isn't as morally ambiguous as it sets out to be, it always ends on a pretty note, much like others before it. But through the journey, I pushed my limits, I've touched the sky, I've bested my foes, and in the end, I rode the highway to the danger zone. I hope the sequel isn't far off, high time they started riding that movie's hype by now, come on Bandai Namco.

---