Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4) Review

To skies unknown.

 I'm gonna be upfront and say that I'm not the biggest fan of simulation games. Ace Combat was one those series where I remember being vaguely interested in, but never got into since I wasn't the biggest fan of flight-based games. That changed after seeing the initial trailers of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown years ago, which got me excited to finally see what the series is about. The latest entry in Bandai Namco's famed flight sim series, it's hard to believe that it's been a decade since the last mainline Ace Combat game and while 2011's Ace Combat: Assault Horizon polarized fans, Skies Unknown looks to be a glorious return for the long-running series. So does Ace Combat finally make a triumphant return or comes crashing down instead?

 In a futuristic 2019, war breaks loose between the Osean Federation and the Kingdom of Erusea. You take the role of a silent Osean pilot codenamed "Trigger", who is convicted of attempted murder during one of his missions. Tensions further escalates between the two factions and now he's part of a ragtag of band of pilots, who must combat the aggressive forces of Erusea and end the war for good. The story was all right. It's very well told as it shows the casualties of the war from both perspectives while also throwing some likable characters to help you relate. That being said, some prominent characters such as your ever-jealous rival, Count, and enigmatic arch nemesis, Mihaly, land on the flat side. Another flaw of the story was that important bits of information is being exchanged during heated gameplay segments via radio conversions. This made it hard to focus on keeping up with the story and engaging with the often elusive enemies. Still, I liked the politics and drama of the story despite it being a pretty forgettable affair.

The story is on the "meh" side but manages 

to deliver on some worthwhile moments.

 While the story is decent, the gameplay is undeniably the star of Ace Combat 7. Right off the bat, the controls are extremely sharp and easy to digest with time. You control your aircraft from third-person view but can also opt for either first-person or cockpit views, with the latter adding an extra layer of immersion during gameplay. There's a surprising amount of variety to the campaign's 20 missions. Most missions will have you destroying enemy bases and anti-air weapons, defending a base from an enemy onslaught, and dogfighting against an enemy squadron. The more fun ones have you navigating through enemy terrain at night undetected, which reminded me a lot of the Metal Gear games. They're often tricky as you must maintain a certain altitude to avoid being detected. Best of all is that prior to sortie, you'll be briefed on the mission details so that you'll have a clear idea of what weapons work best on your aircraft in a given mission.

The gameplay is sharp and will require 

diligence in later missions.

 Speaking of the aircrafts, there's a lot of real-life models for you to unlock. You'll be graded after missions based on your performance. Taking little damage, clearing a mission quickly, and destroying enemy crafts will net you "MRP", the game's currency. These allow you to purchase new parts and weapons for your crafts while also allowing you to get more powerful, zippier aircrafts to fly. Each aircraft has its strengths and drawbacks such as one favoring air-to-missile combat over speed and vice versa. Some of high-end ones will have near maxed-out stats but are worth a hefty penny. While you can manage just fine with your starting crafts during the early missions, you'll find it hard to keep up with the advanced drone-type enemies. They'll definitely will test your skills as they can quickly evade and maneuver around your attacks, which makes bringing homing-based a must.

 It comes as no surprise that Ace Combat 7 has a steep learning curve. While veterans will find themselves perfectly fine with the game, newcomers such as myself will struggle with some of the game's mechanics initially. Ammo is finite and missions are timed, requiring you to strictly follow the objectives while also taking out enemies with precision. That and missions are over 20 minutes long, with few checkpoints placed around. I struggled with this at first, especially with the sixth mission that had you reaching a target score within the time limit. Despite coming off as annoying, I still liked the timer as it pressures you to keep your head in the game while adding some tension to the combat. For accessibility's sake, the game offers an easy difficulty to alleviate some of the frustration.

The cockpit view adds another level of immersion.

 Admittedly, I haven't played much of the multiplayer mode since I'm more of a single-player guy. That being said, there are a few points of interests to hook you in. For starters, there's a Death Match mode where two teams fight it off in order to achieve a high score. It's also the mode I played through the most. And like many games these days, there's a Battle Royal mode where you and seven other players will have to duke it out till one fighter is left standing. Based on the few matches I've played, I can easily say that the gameplay is more involving than the campaign since you'll have to utilize the game's more advanced mechanics such as using clouds as cover to break off oncoming missiles and making use of thunderstorms to ambush enemies to survive against some of the truly highly skilled players. I wish that there was more modes since I can see that the current two can become boring after extended playtime, but from my experience so far getting into matches was fast and the matches were a lot of fun.

Multiplayer offers a more engaging experience

if you're looking for a challenge.

 Since it's the first game in the series to use the Unreal Engine 4, it comes as no surprise that Ace Combat 7 looks incredibly spectacular. Sure, there are some drawbacks with the environmental terrains looking on the bleak side, but everything else from the character designs, aircraft models, and 3D clouds look absolutely stunning. I loved the photorealistic cut-scenes, which were just plain gorgeous to watch as well. The voice acting is neat, with many great performances that fit the over-the-top nature of the plot. The soundtrack nails the high-thrills feel of the missions and really steps up in some of the game's tense dogfights. Still, that's not to say that it doesn't pack some calm, soothing tracks when you're peacefully sky bombing some nearby villages.

For its grand return, Ace Combat 7 looks stunning.

 I've been excited to play Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown ever since its unveiling and after having my fun of aerial shootouts and dogfighting, I'm really glad to say that it does mark a grand return for the long-running series. While story is pretty forgettable and multiplayer could benefit from more modes, the gameplay is so well executed and fun that I was having a blast hours on end shooting down enemy jets. And with strong visuals and sound work to boot, it's one of the best looking games of the year so far. The game remains authentic for veterans while being accessible for newcomers, so if you fancy some explosive action in the skies, then Ace Combat 7 won't disappoint.