Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown review

Reviewed on: Xbox One

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown brings back an acclaimed series, and one from a genre missing in these generations.

Ace Combat 7 brings you the biggest, if not the best-known, combat flight simulator, alongside the also famous “F22 Raptor”, which depending on the control setup used, can go from just an arcade game to an air combat simulator.

STORY

AC7 has a very simple campaign: after a short intro the game goes into action, where the whole reason for the war is explained. The world is divided into two nations: the Federation of Osea and the Kingdom of Erusea. Your pilot called “Trigger”, convicted of a serious crime (which, by the way, he did not commit), has as punishment to fly suicide missions, along with other convicted pilots. The game boils down to escort missions, destroying air and ground targets, with attack team. And of course, evasive maneuvers that will leave you dizzy.

Overall, the plot seems quite superficial, even rushed, just to try to invest, especially with the nonsensical dialogue.

GAMEPLAY

The game’s 20 single-player missions can get a bit repetitive, considering they’re quite linear. The good thing is that there is enough variation, a change of scenery, a change of pace, to keep you excited. Some longer missions may even let you fly back to base to refuel and repair before heading back into the fight. The game can also be challenging, with relentless timers and score requirements, even on normal difficulty.

After each mission, you can customize your aircraft, and your upgrade cannot be undone. Upgrades vary, always offering new technology for your killing machine. You can use skills, paint jobs, weapons or buy new fighters. But they’re not cheap: sometimes you go 2 or 3 missions without even making an upgrade. Certain aircraft are good for specific roles because of the limited special weapons they can carry. Some may have long-range air-to-ground missiles, perfect for missions where you face naval forces. Others lack certain types of missiles or bombs, so you need to switch according to the objective. As you go deeper into the skill tree, you’ll see that some aircraft and components may require millions of points. The main encounters during the campaign include “boss fights”, and even a gigantic aerial fortress.

Online multiplayer has two modes, Team Deathmatch and Battle Royale. The latter is just a name for Free-for-all. You can choose from seven maps, allow hot-seat joining and even select maximum permissions for aircraft loadouts.
You can use the aircraft you obtained in the campaign, as well as the loadouts and upgrades, for multiplayer mode. In fact, there are also boosts available only for multiplayer, even ones that increase the number of points earned. Matches are quick to find, and it’s fun to play a few matches, but over time it can prove repetitive.

AUDIOVISUAL

Now let’s comment on one of Ace Combat 7’s strong points: the game’s sounds and graphics are very well detailed. Using Unreal Engine 4 and TrueSky, the game features dazzling scenery and landscapes with beautiful horizons. The aircraft itself is incredibly detailed; the missiles, turbines, all are very well designed. When you pass through storm clouds, the thunderclaps give an incredible effect and can also hinder your piloting and your missile and machine-gun attacks. Ice and moisture are also visible on your screen, and your plane can even freeze.

Post-mission replays let you view the action from various camera angles, allowing you to relive what you just played. Even better: within the missions themselves, you can hold the fire button after launching a missile and watch it hit the target.

CONCLUSION

Ace Combat 7 will please all fans of this acclaimed series: it entertains and is fun to play. The controls can please those looking for just an arcade game or a simulator. Don’t expect anything good from the campaign’s story, but you will play it to the end. And you can also have fun in online multiplayer with your friends.

Fun: 7
Audiovisual: 8
Gameplay: 8

The version provided by Bandai was for Xbox One.