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.
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.