is an
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
-style
combat flight simulation video game developed and published by
Bandai Namco Entertainment for the
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
. The first new entry in the ''
Ace Combat
is an arcade-style combat flight simulation video game franchise published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. Debuting in 1995 with '' Air Combat'' for the PlayStation, the series includes eight mainline installments, multiple sp ...
'' series since 2014 ''
Ace Combat Infinity
was a combat flight simulation video game developed by Project Aces and published by Bandai Namco Games
is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertain ...
'', it was released on consoles in January 2019, and for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
the following month.
The game's plot marks the series' return to its traditional setting of
Strangereal, and follows the exploits of "Trigger", a
fighter pilot who is assigned to a
penal squadron following a false accusation of murder, in the midst of a war between the countries of Osea and Erusea. The game features support for
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
, offering a set of missions developed for the
PlayStation VR
The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016.
It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...
headset, as well as several downloadable content packs offering new missions and content.
''Ace Combat 7'' received generally positive reviews across all platforms.
It became the highest-selling entry in the series, with over 4 million units sold as of 2022,
surpassing 2001's ''
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies''.
Gameplay
Like the rest of the ''
Ace Combat
is an arcade-style combat flight simulation video game franchise published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. Debuting in 1995 with '' Air Combat'' for the PlayStation, the series includes eight mainline installments, multiple sp ...
'' series, ''Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown'' forgoes a realistic flight model in favor of faster,
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
-like gameplay to increase its accessibility to newer players. The player can also choose Novice or Expert control settings; the latter enables the player to execute realistic aircraft maneuvers such as rolls and high-g turns. The game features 28 different aircraft, with an additional nine as
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...
and the
F-4E Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bo ...
offered as a
pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
bonus. As with previous entries in the series, most of the aircraft are licensed from the real-world, although a set of fictional superplanes are also included. Several aircraft in the game make their series debut such as various members of the
Su-30
The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...
family as well as upgraded versions of older aircraft like the
Gripen E and
A-10C Thunderbolt II.
Players earn an in-game currency, "Military Result Points," via gameplay to purchase additional aircraft and equipment through a
tech tree. The player begins the game with the
F-16C
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successf ...
, and is able to unlock the
MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickn ...
and
F-104C Starfighter after the fourth single-player mission without using MRP, with the
F-22A Raptor
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, ...
,
Su-57, and the fictional X-02S Strike Wyvern as top-tier aircraft in the tech tree. Each aircraft is equipped with standard missiles for both air-to-air and air-to-ground warfare, as well as another special weapon. Special weapons are used to boost an aircraft's ability to carry out air-to-air or air-to-ground attacks. Equipment purchased may also be used to boost the performance of the aircraft beyond its base performance, such as improved engine parts or airframe parts to enhance its speed and survivability respectively. Only eight upgrades may be applied at any time, weight limitations limit the number of a specific type of upgrade that can be applied (e.g. limit to number of simultaneous applicable airframe parts) and certain upgrades are only usable in multi-player modes.
For the first time in the series, clouds interfere with aircraft, hindering the player's vision and targeting systems when passing through them, also rendering laser weapons ineffective due to
light refraction
In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomeno ...
. In addition, aircraft briefly stall after staying in a cloud for too long and
lightning strike
A lightning strike or lightning bolt is an electric discharge between the atmosphere and the ground. Most originate in a cumulonimbus cloud and terminate on the ground, called cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning. A less common type of strike, ground- ...
s temporarily disrupt controls and sensors. Each aircraft also carries a limited supply of
flares that can be deployed to evade missiles in critical situations.
During the single-player campaign, players complete a series of combat missions that tell the in-game story. Players are given an in-game briefing prior to a combat mission, where they are informed of success parameters, expected opposition, terrain features and weather conditions using a 3D map display. Players complete missions by destroying various air and surface targets, as well as accomplishing specific mission targets (e.g. destroying in-flight
IRBMs). AI-controlled wingmen accompany the player through the mission, providing exposition and potentially shooting down enemy planes for the player. Over the course of the single-player campaign, the player may choose to engage in additional minigames, such as
in-flight refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft ...
or landing on an aircraft carrier. These minigames can be skipped, but confer additional points to players.
Multiplayer
The player may choose to play in the
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
mode regardless of any progress made in the single-player campaign. The multi-player mode comprises the Team Deathmatch and Battle Royale modes. Both modes are
PvP, where players shoot down enemy aircraft to earn points against a timer. The two modes differ in that Team Deathmatch involves two teams of four players each whereas Battle Royale is a free-for-all mode. Shooting down top-scoring and players using expensive aircraft confers more points than shooting down worse-performing or lower-tier players. After a player's aircraft has been destroyed, they are respawned in the map after a few seconds. When the time limit is reached, the team or player with the greatest score is declared the winner.
Synopsis
Setting
''Ace Combat 7'' is set in the series' fictional universe of
Strangereal, where Earth has entirely different nations, geography, and history. The game's story details the 2019 Lighthouse War, fought between the Osean Federation and the Kingdom of Erusea in the continent of Usea. Following the
Continental War, Osea brokered a peace treaty between the Federal Republic of Erusea and the rest of the Usean continent, while the International Union (IUN) formed the IUN Peace Keeping Force (IUN-PKF) to maintain peace across the Usean continent. In 2011, Erusea was restored to its historical status as a kingdom ruled by the D'Elise
royal family. That same year, former Osean president Vincent Harling ordered the construction of the International Space Elevator (ISEV), a
space elevator
A space elevator, also referred to as a space bridge, star ladder, and orbital lift, is a proposed type of planet-to-space transportation system, often depicted in science fiction. The main component would be a cable (also called a space tethe ...
and
communications tower
Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made ...
used to convert
atmospheric energy into usable energy for Usea, off the coast of western Usea near Erusea. The ISEV is protected by two massive Osean
airborne aircraft carrier
An airborne aircraft carrier is a type of mother ship aircraft which can carry, launch, retrieve and support other smaller parasite aircraft.
The only dedicated examples to have been built were airships, although existing heavier-than-air ai ...
drones known as Arsenal Birds named ''Liberty'' and ''Justice'', carrying a large number of
combat drone
An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, colloquially shortened as drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance ...
s, advanced weaponry, and
force fields, and receiving their power via
microwave transmission
Microwave transmission is the transmission of information by electromagnetic waves with wavelengths in the microwave frequency range of 300MHz to 300GHz(1 m - 1 mm wavelength) of the electromagnetic spectrum. Microwave signals are normally limi ...
from the ISEV. Though Harling intended for the ISEV to be a symbol of lasting peace, Erusea viewed it as a symbol of Osean imperialism that infringed on Erusean sovereignty, with these resentments ultimately sparking the Lighthouse War.
Players control the game's
silent protagonist, Osean
fighter pilot "Trigger". The game's
frame story is told through prerendered
cutscene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward th ...
s played between missions, primarily from the point of view of three characters: Avril Mead, an Osean civilian aircraft mechanic who broke wartime aviation laws and is forced to work in an Osean
penal military unit
Penal military units, including penal battalions, penal companies, etc., are military formations consisting of convicts mobilized for military service. Such formations may contain soldiers convicted of offenses under military law, persons enrolled ...
; Rosa Cossette D'Elise, the princess and heir of Erusea who believes the war will end Osean interference on the continent; and Dr. Schroeder, a Belkan scientist who developed advanced combat drone technology for the Erusean military.
Plot
Rising tensions between Osea and Erusea culminate when Erusea launches a surprise attack on Osea with a massive number of combat drones. Erusea captures much of the Usean continent, including the ISEV and both Arsenal Birds, with former Osean president Vincent Harling still in the ISEV. Consequently, war breaks out between Erusea and Osea, the latter supported by the IUN-PKF. Avril, who was flying a refurbished
F-104C Starfighter when the war began, is shot down in the crossfire, arrested for breaching wartime aviation laws, and is transferred as a mechanic to the Osean 444th Air Base, a
military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by a military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members ...
disguised as an air base, home to the
penal fighter squadron "Spare Squadron".
Trigger, part of an Osean IUN-PKF squadron based in eastern Usea, fights to repel Erusean forces, but the IUN-PKF suffers heavy losses to the Arsenal Bird ''Liberty'' and Erusean ace Mihaly A. Shilage, who provides flight data to the Erusean combat drone program headed by Dr. Schroeder. Trigger leads a mission to extract Harling from the ISEV, but an Osean missile strikes Harling's rescue aircraft, killing him. Trigger is accused of firing the missile, found guilty by
court-martial, and transferred to Spare Squadron. Considered expendable, Spare Squadron is sent on highly dangerous missions with minimal support to probe Erusea's drone defense network for weak points, frequently losing members in the process. Trigger encounters Mihaly again and dogfights him to a standstill, impressing Mihaly before both are forced to retreat due to inclement weather.
For their commendable performance, all members of Spare Squadron are pardoned and transferred to a base on Tyler Island, off the southwestern coast of Usea, while Trigger and his wingman Count are recruited by the elite Long Range Strategic Strike Group (LRSSG). Assisted by the LRSSG, Osea and the IUN-PKF mount a series of devastating counter-offensives, including the destruction of ''Liberty'' using the sole operational Stonehenge
railgun
A railgun or rail gun is a linear motor device, typically designed as a weapon, that uses electromagnetic force to launch high velocity projectiles. The projectile normally does not contain explosives, instead relying on the projectile's high ...
, culminating in a large-scale operation to capture the Erusean capital of Farbanti. Meanwhile, Princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise, who initially promoted anti-Osean sentiment, becomes disillusioned with the war.
Trigger encounters Mihaly again, but their duel is interrupted when Osea and Erusea use
anti-satellite weapon
Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic or tactical
purposes. Several nations possess operational ASAT systems. Although no ASAT system has been utilised in warfare, a few ...
s to destroy each other's satellite network, causing a
collisional cascade that breaks down satellite communication networks worldwide and disables both sides'
IFF
In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (shortened as "iff") is a biconditional logical connective between statements, where either both statements are true or both are false.
The connective is bicon ...
signals. As Mihaly escapes in the confusion, Erusea loses control over its AI-controlled drone fleet and collapses into a civil war between conservative and radical factions looking to end and prolong the war respectively, while multiple Erusean states declare independence, including Mihaly's native Shilage, of which he is the heir. With the network down, Dr. Schroeder travels to the ISEV to transmit Mihaly's flight data into a new generation of Erusean combat drones, manufactured in automated drone factories across Usea, while the LRSSG, now cut off from command and forced to operate independently, attempts to gather information and end the war. The LRSSG attempts to extract an Erusean conservative informant, who reveals that Harling was killed by an Erusean drone that spoofed Osean IFF signals, but he is accidentally killed by Osean forces who misidentify his extraction aircraft due to IFF failures.
Meanwhile, Avril and the 444th try to survive on an isolated Tyler Island, now the site of a chaotic three-way battle between Osea, Erusea, and rogue Osean penal units, and find Cossette, whose
liaison aircraft was shot down by Erusean radicals. Avril and Cossette, assisted by the LRSSG, evacuate both friendly military units and civilian refugees from the island and head to the ISEV to seek aid; en route, Cossette realizes that Harling had peaceful intentions with the ISEV and that the Erusean radicals lied to her to spark the war. The LRSSG is forced to raid Shilage to replenish their low supplies, but Mihaly arrives to stop them. Trigger duels and defeats Mihaly, who apologizes for his involvement in the drone program and asks Trigger to end the drone threat before his aircraft crashes, leaving him unable to fly for the rest of his life.
Schroeder and Avril's group both arrive at the ISEV and confront each other, and one of Mihaly's granddaughters destroys Mihaly's flight data before it can be uploaded. Schroeder reveals he, like other Belkans, sought revenge for the
loss of his country by forcing the nations that defeated them into needless conflicts, using his own drone program and Mihaly's combat data to create a force capable of crushing Osea. Disillusioned by the destruction his program had caused, Schroeder agrees to help Avril in taking down the factories, but reveals that the data was already uploaded to two advanced drones,
"Hugin" and "Munin".
A joint Osean and Erusean coalition assaults the ISEV to seize it from Erusean radicals, while Rosa and Avril disable its microwave power transmissions, allowing Trigger to destroy the remaining Arsenal Bird ''Justice''. However, Hugin and Munin arrive and repel the coalition, intending to complete the data transmission and prolong the war. The next morning, Trigger leads a counterattack on the ISEV and shoots down one of the drones, but the other, having acquired data from Trigger’s fighting style, escapes into an undersea tunnel that takes it deep below the ISEV. Trigger and Count pursue the drone and destroy it and the signal repeaters to prevent the transmission, ending the war. In the aftermath, peace returns to Usea, and Cossette - who has become the leader of Erusea's newly-formed
provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
leads the post-war peace movement in Harling's memory.
In the DLC missions, set between an attack on Erusean missile bases and the Battle of Farbanti, the LRSSG is assigned to capture the ''Alicorn'', a massive Erusean
submarine aircraft carrier
A submarine aircraft carrier is a submarine equipped with aircraft for observation or attack missions. These submarines saw their most extensive use during World War II, although their operational significance remained rather small. The most fam ...
armed with a
railgun
A railgun or rail gun is a linear motor device, typically designed as a weapon, that uses electromagnetic force to launch high velocity projectiles. The projectile normally does not contain explosives, instead relying on the projectile's high ...
firing
nuclear artillery shells, and Captain Matias Torres, a mentally-unstable
ultranationalist
Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
who commands the ''Alicorn''
's
cult-like crew and specifically despises Trigger. After failing to apprehend the submarine at an Erusean port, the LRSSG learns that the ''Alicorn'' has defected from the Erusean Navy and that Torres plans to attack the Osean capital of Oured with a smuggled nuclear shell, intending to kill 'one million lives' to force an end to the Lighthouse War. After using
sonobuoy
A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy – typically diameter and long – expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic rese ...
s and a
magnetic anomaly detector
A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material c ...
to locate the ''Alicorn'', the LRSSG and Osean Maritime Defense Force forces it to surface by deploying
VL-ASROCs, then engage it in a protracted battle, eventually destroying the ''Alicorn'' and killing Torres, ending their combined threat to Osea.
VR Mode's plot follows ''
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'' protagonist Mobius 1 as he joins the IUN-PKF to battle the Free Erusea terrorist group in 2014, five years prior to the events of the main game. This storyline occurs separately from the main plot.
Development
Despite lackluster reviews, ''
Ace Combat Infinity
was a combat flight simulation video game developed by Project Aces and published by Bandai Namco Games
is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertain ...
'' for the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
was a surprise hit for veteran fans, and commercial interest in the series by Bandai Namco was renewed, prompting internal development team Project Aces to develop a true sequel, the first mainline ''Ace Combat'' game since 2007's ''
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation'' for the
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
.
''Ace Combat 7'' was the first in the series to use
Unreal Engine 4
Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal (1998 video game), Unreal''. Initially developed for Personal computer, PC first-person shooters, i ...
, resulting from the original ''Ace Combat'' engine being in "a state of limbo" and the successes of the ''
Tekken 7
is a fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the seventh main and ninth overall installment in the '' Tekken '' series. ''Tekken 7'' was released to arcades in March 2015. An updated arcade version, ''Tekken ...
'' development team in using Unreal Engine 4. "trueSky", an Unreal Engine plugin that generates realistic clouds, played a notable role in the game's development, being one of the first additions to the game.
''Ace Combat 7''
's development process used "''sandaibanashi''", a ''
rakugo'' storytelling technique using three subjects; for ''Ace Combat 7'', the subjects Project Aces used were "space elevator", "princess", and "three-dimensional cloud".
A teaser trailer shown at
PlayStation Experience
PlayStation Experience, also known as PSX, is an annual event for the video game industry presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment used to reveal and advertise PlayStation games and game-related merchandise. The event is open to the public ...
2015, a very early impression of the game created before development properly began, prominently featured all three subjects. ''Ace Combat'' series producer
Kazutoki Kono
is a Japanese video game producer who works for Bandai Namco Entertainment, best known for his involvement in the ''Ace Combat'' series.
Works
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
People from Shinjuku
Japanese video game ...
told the development team the elements of the teaser had to appear in the game, and declined a suggestion that the teaser simply be a "product impression".
The game was developed by Project Aces and
Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, which used a "Western style" of development and organization compared to Project Aces' "Japanese style", resulting in a cultural gap that both teams had to overcome.
Development was assisted by the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...
and the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
, abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
, who offered
technical advisors and aircraft information.
A significant amount of work went into the game's
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
mode, exclusive to
PlayStation VR
The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016.
It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...
.
Initially, the entire campaign was intended to be VR-compatible, and all of the game's cutscenes were created with VR compatibility to the point of audio post-production; however, they were canceled because of framerate issues with the PlayStation 4 and the difficulties in making VR missions, which were created separately from campaign missions.
Ultimately, only three VR missions were added to the game, following a storyline separate to the main campaign; three more missions were planned but were not released. Much work also went into the game's sound effects and music, with the game's soundtrack by series composer Keiki Kobayashi.
Two-player local multiplayer was rumored to have been included, but was not added; in the final game, only online multiplayer exists. Development of the online multiplayer mode was designed to provide the same experience regardless of platform, location, or skill level, and playtesting was conducted overseas.
Release
Originally set to be released in 2017, the game's release was eventually delayed to 2018, before finally being released for the
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
on January 18, 2019, and for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
on February 1. Preorders for the game came with digital copies of ''
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War'' for the PlayStation 4, and ''
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation'' on the Xbox One.
''Ace Combat 7'' features post-release
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...
that adds new aircraft, missions,
roundels
A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of differ ...
, squadron markings, and paint schemes. On May 26, 2022, a DLC adding content from ''
Top Gun: Maverick'', which was released the following day, was released.
Reception
''Ace Combat 7'' received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
''
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...
'' magazine gave ''Ace Combat 7'' a rating of 35/40, the highest of those reviewed in issue 1571. ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
''
's John Linneman recommended the game as a return to form of the ''Ace Combat'' series, and praised its gameplay, graphics, music, plot, and VR mode, deeming it an "absolute must-play". ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' contributor Ollie Barder gave the game a 9/10, saying "while it can be a demanding game at times, it is definitely a rewarding one", though he lamented the limited scope of the VR compatibility and opined that the inclusion of only three VR missions did not justify buying Playstation VR.
''Eurogamer.it''
's Antonio Savino,
''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
''
's Andrew Reiner,
''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''
's Edmond Tran,
and ''
GameRevolution
''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshot ...
''
's Jason Faulkner
each gave ''Ace Combat 7'' a rating of 8/10. Savino highlighted the game's graphics, sound, and music, though he noted that due to a lack of a "fairly convincing
blur effect", things often felt "still", even at high speeds.
Reiner highlighted its gameplay, sound, and presentation, but criticized the uneventful multiplayer experience and the campaign's "preposterous" plot, calling it "a
''Fast and the Furious'' story that is trying to be touching and serious, but it just doesn’t mesh".
Tran praised the game as marking the series' return to form as well as its gameplay and VR experience, but noted the campaign had "tedious" missions with sparse checkpoints.
Faulkner said the game had a "great story" with excellent graphics and a replayable multiplayer mode, though he lamented the absence of features from previous titles such as wingman commands or branching campaign missions, criticized the game's design as being "a bit too safe", and noted the VR mode lacked
motion sickness
Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion. Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation. Complications may rarely include de ...
safeguards, making it difficult to play through, though he added that it was worth it.
''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
''
's Mike Epstein rated the game 7/10, approving of the graphics and overall gameplay experience, but criticizing its odd mission pacing, "convoluted" story with lengthy and unavoidable exposition, "poor communication of objectives", and "confusing controls", with his overall verdict stating that "It's enough to prove that there’s room for the
'Ace Combat''series to make a comeback, though this game will be not the one to jumpstart it."
Kazutoki Kono, responding to Epstein's ''IGN'' review on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, criticized him for using Normal controls, which are basic and designed for newcomers, instead of Expert controls, which are more realistic and offer more control.
Barder agreed with Kono and suggested that using Normal controls "just makes the game harder";
similarly, Faulkner noted that newcomers picking Normal "could accidentally play through the whole game
..with controls that prevent them from getting the most out of the game".
Sales
In
Japan, the game sold 202,379 copies for the PlayStation 4 during its first week, and sold 286,570 units by March 2019. In
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
, the game sold over 500,000 units within a month. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, it had the highest debut sales in the series, entering the charts second overall.
By July 2020, ''Ace Combat 7'' had sold over two million units, marking a major commercial milestone for the franchise since ''
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'' in 2002. , the game had sold over units worldwide,
surpassing ''Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'' to become the franchise's best-selling title.
As of November 2022, the game has sold over 4 million units in total.
Awards
Notes
References
External links
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{{Studio khara
2019 video games
Ace Combat
Bandai Namco games
Namco games
Combat flight simulators
PlayStation VR games
PlayStation 4 games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Unreal Engine games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games set in 2019
Video games set in a fictional country
Xbox One games
Windows games