Having started the series with Ace Combat 7, I felt rather confident that it wasn't going to be topped. The missions were excellent, the controls sublime... this was what over 20 years of Ace Combat games had been building up to, right? And yet, here I am, reflecting on my time with Ace Combat 5 and simply dumbfounded at the sudden escalation in scope from its predecessors. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War fires on all cylinders, leaving no aspect of the experience in the dust.
As an engine, this just feels like a slight upgrade to Ace Combat 04. I think I noticed some more detail in regards to weather effects, but otherwise this is more AC4, which isn't a bad thing at all! The music of the series has always been a highlight, yet it feels as if they've soared to even higher peaks this time around. The soundtrack is not only one of the series' best, but one of gaming's best. The average level of quality is astounding, with a solid diversity in regards to atmosphere and tempo. Some of the stand outs to me were Ice Cage, White Bird (Part I) and a contender for one of the best 'final boss' themes of all time, the titular Unsung War.
I really enjoyed Ace Combat 04's narrative, yet it was largely disconnected from your protagonist's point of view. I thought it a fresh approach, yet I found myself appreciating this game's direct storytelling far more. You're a silent protagonist still, yet this feels earnt the more you play the game. You are one of the Demons of Razgriz, a moniker to describe the squad that singlehandely pivoted the war. You aren't just a hero, you are a myth to many, both to your allies and your enemies. In this sense, I didn't mind missing out on a voiced protagonist, especially since the rest of the squad did some heavy lifting. Much like Ace Combat 3, this game wants you to be invested in its characters, which is easier given they actually pull their weight during battle. Each and every squadmate was precious to me, and the more secondary characters were also spotlighted to a degree that made me appreciate everyone's involvement.
To dive just a tad deeper into the plot itself, I appreciated how small of a scale everything started on. You get to view the war's escalation in real time from the perspective of a reporter, and by the end it's simple to understand how the game had built up to this point. It's very rare that you get to see a war of this scale through to completion, as the previous games always started you out as an established war pilot. There are twists and turns, missions that purely serve narrative, and many moments that pack an emotional punch, both happy and sad. It's a thrill ride, one without any brakes, and despite having a much longer single campaign than any of its predecessors, I can't say I was any less invested.
Now we come to the series' awkward sticking point: the missions. These games have struggled to find their footing in this regard, with Air Combat being understandably basic, to Ace Combat 2 providing much needed variety, to Ace Combat 3 experimenting yet ending up bloated and repetetive, to Ace Combat 04 finding a strong template that was stretched far too thin. If you've seen the score, it might be no surprise that Ace Combat 5 did it. While there are 3 extra missions I've yet to do, as well as an arcade mode which is separate to the campaign, I can safely say that there was zero filler in AC5. Basic "kill all enemies" objectives were few and far between, outweighed heavily by some incredibly creative concepts. Whether it was escorting a plane through a radar-infested field, racing the enemy to locate your lost squadmate or infiltrating an enemy's base to take damning pictures of their operations, the ideas seemed endless. These more specialised missions were used sparingly however, but the more 'generic' missions often had some twist that set them apart from one another. This usually meant layering multiple objectives together, with missions tending to last a while without dragging. There are boss fights of sorts which work better than anything previously and one of the most exhilarting chase sequences gaming has ever seen (spoilers: you are the one being chased). While I called the story a thrill ride, it would be more apt to give the descriptor to the game's missions, as Ace Combat 5 is akin to a rollercoaster ride that I never wanted to get off of.
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War achives total parity between every element; story, characters, visuals, music and gameplay, all lacking flaws that hampered previous entries. None of this is to mention a streamlined armoury which made your choice of aircraft more impactful, the ability to direct your squad both in and out of battle, as well as the higher level of difficulty which made retrying missions and actually adapting to your circumstances necessary to succeed. Ace Combat 5 is brilliant, alright?
As an engine, this just feels like a slight upgrade to Ace Combat 04. I think I noticed some more detail in regards to weather effects, but otherwise this is more AC4, which isn't a bad thing at all! The music of the series has always been a highlight, yet it feels as if they've soared to even higher peaks this time around. The soundtrack is not only one of the series' best, but one of gaming's best. The average level of quality is astounding, with a solid diversity in regards to atmosphere and tempo. Some of the stand outs to me were Ice Cage, White Bird (Part I) and a contender for one of the best 'final boss' themes of all time, the titular Unsung War.
I really enjoyed Ace Combat 04's narrative, yet it was largely disconnected from your protagonist's point of view. I thought it a fresh approach, yet I found myself appreciating this game's direct storytelling far more. You're a silent protagonist still, yet this feels earnt the more you play the game. You are one of the Demons of Razgriz, a moniker to describe the squad that singlehandely pivoted the war. You aren't just a hero, you are a myth to many, both to your allies and your enemies. In this sense, I didn't mind missing out on a voiced protagonist, especially since the rest of the squad did some heavy lifting. Much like Ace Combat 3, this game wants you to be invested in its characters, which is easier given they actually pull their weight during battle. Each and every squadmate was precious to me, and the more secondary characters were also spotlighted to a degree that made me appreciate everyone's involvement.
To dive just a tad deeper into the plot itself, I appreciated how small of a scale everything started on. You get to view the war's escalation in real time from the perspective of a reporter, and by the end it's simple to understand how the game had built up to this point. It's very rare that you get to see a war of this scale through to completion, as the previous games always started you out as an established war pilot. There are twists and turns, missions that purely serve narrative, and many moments that pack an emotional punch, both happy and sad. It's a thrill ride, one without any brakes, and despite having a much longer single campaign than any of its predecessors, I can't say I was any less invested.
Now we come to the series' awkward sticking point: the missions. These games have struggled to find their footing in this regard, with Air Combat being understandably basic, to Ace Combat 2 providing much needed variety, to Ace Combat 3 experimenting yet ending up bloated and repetetive, to Ace Combat 04 finding a strong template that was stretched far too thin. If you've seen the score, it might be no surprise that Ace Combat 5 did it. While there are 3 extra missions I've yet to do, as well as an arcade mode which is separate to the campaign, I can safely say that there was zero filler in AC5. Basic "kill all enemies" objectives were few and far between, outweighed heavily by some incredibly creative concepts. Whether it was escorting a plane through a radar-infested field, racing the enemy to locate your lost squadmate or infiltrating an enemy's base to take damning pictures of their operations, the ideas seemed endless. These more specialised missions were used sparingly however, but the more 'generic' missions often had some twist that set them apart from one another. This usually meant layering multiple objectives together, with missions tending to last a while without dragging. There are boss fights of sorts which work better than anything previously and one of the most exhilarting chase sequences gaming has ever seen (spoilers: you are the one being chased). While I called the story a thrill ride, it would be more apt to give the descriptor to the game's missions, as Ace Combat 5 is akin to a rollercoaster ride that I never wanted to get off of.
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War achives total parity between every element; story, characters, visuals, music and gameplay, all lacking flaws that hampered previous entries. None of this is to mention a streamlined armoury which made your choice of aircraft more impactful, the ability to direct your squad both in and out of battle, as well as the higher level of difficulty which made retrying missions and actually adapting to your circumstances necessary to succeed. Ace Combat 5 is brilliant, alright?