Ace Combat 7 Review
What every kid thinks air combat feels like
That's the best way I can describe it. They've somehow managed to capture the fantastical, imaginative, embodiment of flying that the young pilot in you has always yearned for.
Remember being 5 years old, holding up a toy F-14 in your hand and swinging it in haphazard directions while making loud fizzling sounds with your mouth? That's what Ace Combat feels like!........Except it makes slightly more sense!
It strikes a perfect balance between stylized, explosive, in-your-face gameplay while still keeping within reasonable bounds of aerodynamic realism.
The setting
The game sets you in the shoes of 'Trigger' (the protagonist we play as) who is part of a squadron of convicts (each sentenced for various crimes they might or might not be guilty of). And the story follows the events of a major war in the fictional version of Earth that we are set in.
The aircrafts we get to fly are all based on real-life models such as the Gripen, F-18, F-35 and A-10 Warthog.
Map Diversity
The diversity in map design is rich. Which is a rare trait in flight games. It doesn't just diversify by terrain texture and weather conditions.....the maps feature quite some "volume"; i.e. vertical level design, as opposed to just flat sprawling landscapes.
You will spend a lot of time flying through and around large architectural structures, in between closely knit mountains that test your agility, as well as non-solid entities such as dust storms.
Flying aptitude
A simple, fluid and dynamic set of controls; but a very high skill ceiling makes for enormous replayability. As you keep playing, you'll find yourself getting better and better at controlling your craft. You'll learn how to appropriately roll, pitch and yaw to evade your foes and maximise on your attack sweeps.
At times the story will constrain you to follow certain flying styles and patterns based on the situation that you're in. Like the Yinshi Valley mission where you have to not only navigate through a narrow valley (trench?) to avoid radar detection but also evade the rays of numerous spotlights on those mountains.
The Score OST
Dare I say it but.............I don't think this game would even be half as great as what it is if it weren't for the soundtrack. The OST is the co-star of the entire game! I cannot tell you how pumped I get whenever I listen to Magic Spear. A track so great that they used it for the 2019 Nellis base air show.
Boss Battles
Throughout various in the campaign, a "boss battle" will ensue. Usually by Mihaly (the antagonist). Even though it is a dogfight (a battle between two aircrafts), The battles orchestrate themselves in the style of something reminiscent of gladiator duels.....or fencing matches. The both of you pretty much engage in a long winded aerial dance of death!
There is a lot of pre-scripting in these battles, which I personally am not the biggest fan of. Mihaly will lead you to various locations at certain times and there is a sequence of events and dialogues that need to be carried out. Which means you don't fully control the sequence and timing of whatever plays out no matter how well you fly and attack. I get it....it's important for the story and plot. But personally I would love to see Namco Bandai approach sections such as this with some flexibility in future sequels. Where instead of following a pre-scripted battle, you have a lot more autonomy and influence over how events are carried out.
Summary
All in all, a fantastic game! You MUST play this with a good joystick, rudder system and.............a decent sound system!