Ace combat is one of those rare franchises that manages to deliver good to amazing games even more than 2 decades after its beginning. Ace combat 7 is no exception. It is a flight sim that presents flight in a very unrealistic manner. You are able to do impossible stunts, carry hundreds of missiles and other physics defying stuff. If you are a diehard player of realistic flight sims like DSC then I don't recommend AC 7, but if your knowledge of fighter jets is “they are cool” then I highly recommend you give it a try.
Story
Unlike a lot of other modern flight sims, this one has an actual story, and a fairly engaging one at that. The shortest way I can describe it is Metal Gear Solid, but worse. The storyline is set in a war between two countries in an alternate universe. It isn't your regular cookie cutter war story. By this I mean that it has some weird elements and a deeper moral message if you're willing to look for it, but it can also be very campy at times and that weirdness can go both ways. The worst part is the way they handle the characters. Some get replaced too quickly, while others seem useless.
Gameplay
It is an arcade flight sim, whereas I said before you can do impossible maneuvers and can carry dozens of missiles. This applies to all the planes in the game, of which there is a wide variety. They range from popular ones (F-22, F-15, SU 27) experimental (YF-23, SU 47, FB-22) to completely fictional (ADFX-01, X-02, Darkstar). You acquire them with points you earn during the missions. Grinding will be required if you want all the planes. In addition to aircraft, you can also get special weapons, like missiles with very long range, extra guns and more. Gameplay pacing is fantastic, as the mission you are playing is rarely similar to the previous. Bosses are okay, although they are rare. Returning players will notice one big addition to the mobility - PSM (post stall maneuver). They turn the previously improbable mobility to downright silly. Overall, I would describe the gameplay as fun. There is also multiplayer, but I couldn't be bothered with it.
Graphics and artstyle
Since you won't be looking at the ground at a very close range, it can get away with lower quality textures while still maintaining AAA levels of graphics. Other than that, everything else – plane models, weather, cutscenes make the game look very beautiful.
Atmosphere
It did make me feel like an unstoppable ace pilot at times.
Soundtrack
Probably the best in the franchise thus far. The Latin adds a level of mysticism that is just right for AC 7. Favorite part is “Archange”.
Final Thoughts
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The king has returned! It's great to see one of my favourite franchises come back in such triumphant fashion, with a mainline entry that finally seems to have hit some mainstream appeal. This game feels like everything a modern Ace Combat game should be. The improved visuals and weather effects are a very welcome addition, making a game that takes place entirely in the skies finally achieve a dynamic environment that isn't just a blank space. The clouds providing temporary cover, lightning knocking you off course, wind pushing against your plane, it's a great addition to the formula.

As a longtime fan of the series, the main draw in AC games for me is the narrative, because the series always wears its themes on its sleeves, and the overly dramatic and grandiose plotlines it comes up with are so enjoyable. In this case, Ace Combat sticks to what works, with a story that delivers on what the series is best at, though it does fall into the trap of relying a bit too heavily on nostalgia with certain key moments and threads. It's an overall fun story, but some lacking characters and a few too many ideas that don't quite mesh together, keep it from the heights of the past.

On the gameplay front, this is, to me, the best in the series. The plane handling is as top notch as ever, with additions like the Post Stall Maneuver offering some fun ways to pull off some truly insane stunts for those willing to dive deeper into the physics. The real highlight though is the mission variety, with almost every mission having some uniquely designed objective and play space that make the levels stand out more than any other game beforehand. The plane variety is a bit lacking compared to older entries, and the parts system doesn't really add much of anything meaningful to customize the gameplay, resulting in a bit of a tedious unlock progression system that is more of a distraction that a fun system to engage with.

Special mention to the excellent 3 DLC missions sold separately for this game, offering 3 of the absolute best missions in the game. While it is unfortunate that these are sold separately and not included in the game, their quality is at least worth the asking price.

Overall, it is a triumphant return for this classic franchise. While the structure and narrative of the campaign are a bit messy, a result of what was supposedly a tumultuous production, it still sticks the landing, and with the improvements made to gameplay, coupled with some truly excellent mission design, AC7 takes its place with the best in the series. I really hope this leads to the franchise getting more entries, because it shows that the formula that works best for Ace Combat is the formula that always did work, and after some rough years of experimentation after the PS2 era, I'm glad to see that the game has retained the identity that made me fall in love with the series in the first place.

I thought this series would be an excuse to destroy some planes while barely having a story, but it's much more than that. Even in a game where you just shoot air or ground targets with your plane, it keeps coming up with new ways to make it interesting, while also making full use of the setpieces that the story presents. There's a lot of emphasis in the story and a lot of work in the way it's presented, and while it kind of falls flat at some points, overall there's more positives than negatives to it.
Really surprised how enjoyable this was.

Excelente como todos os outros. O gameplay é excelente com várias armas criativas e balanceadas. A história é muito boa, com missões com o esquadrão da prisão, que muda completamente a dinâmica, até missão de stealth, porém, não tem missões tão malucas quanto algumas do Ace Combat 3, na qual vc lutava na estratosfera e também numa cidade subterrânea.

Algo que pode ser chato na campanha é o excesso de elogios para o jogador, mas até isso tem um motivo nas ultimas missões que faz valer a pena.

Joguei até as missões extras (que seriam DLC), e ainda tem opção de jogar online, mas não cheguei a testar. Acredito ser o melhor jogo do gênero.