ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN
Top Gun or Iron Eagle? Maybe a little of both…
Do you hate squares? Do you despise hexagons? Are you sick of rhombuses lording it over you? Then you’ll love this game, as you’ll be shooting geometric shapes all the time. You’ll ordinarily only see HUD icons rather than vehicles; if you’re close enough to see an enemy in detail, you’re about to crash into it.
You need to be aware that this is the nature of aerial combat. That’s not to say that you’ll never get close to any of your enemies. You’ll have many opportunities to get a glimpse of an enemy jet as it whizzes past your own, the missiles you confidently launched its way whistling past harmlessly. Don’t expect to get a good look at enemies on the ground, though, as those lock-on shapes tend to obscure them completely.
But why are you flying around making things blow up in the first place? There’s a war between two fictional nations and… that’s all you need to know. The story, told through a combination of cutscenes and in-game radio chatter, veers wildly between dullness and unintentional hilarity like a drunkard. Who cares? You’re flying a fighter jet!
There are two control schemes on offer. The simpler and most arcade-like option is great for newcomers, while the realistic(ish) option allows you to barrel roll and loop with the best of them. There’s also a carrierload of aircraft, weapons, and upgrades to unlock, and the differences between them are admirably noticeable. Your choice of weapons for a mission can often make the difference between success and failure. This becomes a genuine tactical choice for later sorties, making unlocking new planes and upgrades a must rather than a cosmetic fiddle.
HIT AND MISSILE
While it’s great that the developer has made an effort to make the experience about more than leisurely cruising the skies and picking off other planes, the fail conditions that are soon introduced can result in frustration. Expect to repeat some missions several times until you figure out how and why you keep failing. In an age when you’re often led by the nose to new objectives, this lends the game some oldfashioned PS1 appeal.
There are escort, defence, score attack, and even stealth missions, and it’s sometimes difficult to really know what’s needed to earn your wings until you’ve experimented with loadouts. Feeling like a flying
“IF YOU WANT A BRIEF BRUSH WITH PS VR PERFECTION THEN BUCKLE UP GOOSE.”
ace as you take out enemy after enemy in quick succession, only to suddenly stare at a Mission Failed message, is disheartening. But you will hit restart, and that can only be a good thing.
Kills in quick succession are surprisingly rare early on. You need to pick your shots carefully, not least because missiles are slow to reload. But once you’ve splurged some MRP (the in-game currency) on new Special Weapons, including swarm missiles, rockets, and guided bombs, you’ll never look back.
MACH MY DAY
There are high points, and even moments of brilliance. Mission 14 sees you fly through a narrow, winding valley, dodging searchlights before launching an attack on an enemy base. The game soon after requires you to start differentiating between friendlies and enemies before opening fire, which is a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, none of this happens until the campaign is over halfway done.
If you own PS VR, you’ll also get three VR-exclusive missions. Forcing you to use a cockpit view and the trickier of the control schemes, they don’t do anything very interesting in terms of mission structure, but they do tease what the headset is truly capable of doing. If you want an all-too brief brush with PS VR perfection then buckle up, Goose.
Early frustration can overshadow Ace Combat 7’s best moments, and some may find it too grindy and oldfashioned, but these skies are a blast if you have the patience.
VERDICT
Thrilling moments of mid-air diving, twisting, and fighting like a hero are chipped away at by some niggling flaws. And yet, if you overlook it foibles, Ace Combat 7 has enough in its hangar to love. Ian Dean