Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown[lower-alpha 1] is an arcade-style combat flight action game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. An entry in the Ace Combat series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in January 2019, and for Microsoft Windows the following month. The game features support for virtual reality, offering a set of missions developed for the PlayStation VR headset, as well as several downloadable content packs offering new missions.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Developer(s)Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher(s)Bandai Namco Entertainment
Director(s)
  • Yuta Hamanaka
  • Masashi Koyanaga
Producer(s)
Designer(s)Shinya Hirota
Programmer(s)Masaki Iwabuchi
Artist(s)Masato Kanno
Writer(s)Sunao Katabuchi
Composer(s)Keiki Kobayashi
SeriesAce Combat
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • January 18, 2019
  • Windows
  • February 1, 2019
Genre(s)Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Like the rest of the Ace Combat series, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown forgoes a realistic flight model in favor of faster, arcade-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 three as downloadable content and the F-4E Phantom II offered as a pre-order 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 family as well as upgraded versions of older aircraft like the Gripen E and A-10C Thunderbolt II.

Players earn an in-game currency ("MRP") via the single-player campaign and the multi-player modes to purchase additional aircraft and equipment through a tech tree. The player begins the game with the F-16C, and is able to unlock the MiG-21 and F-104 Starfighter after the fourth single-player mission without need of using MRP, with the F-22A Raptor, 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.

Aircraft also can have special paint schemes applied to them, of which most have to be unlocked by completing certain in-game actions.

Single-player Campaign

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 mid-air refueling or landing on an aircraft carrier. These minigames can be skipped, but confer additional points to players.

Multi-player

The player may choose to play in the multi-player 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 has no teams. Shooting down top-scoring players confers more points than shooting down worse-performing players. After a player's aircraft has been destroyed, he is 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 and characters

The game takes place in 2019 Strangereal,[1] the same fictional setting shared by other games in the series. Following the events of Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5, the Osean Federation (Osea) brokered peace between the military power of the Kingdom of Erusea and the rest of the Usean continent. The IUN-PKF was formed to maintain peace across the Usean continent, while former President Vincent Harling orders the construction of a space elevator off the Erusean coast in order to revitalize the continent's economy, known as the International Space Elevator (ISEV). The ISEV is protected by two massive Osean airborne aircraft carrier drones, known as Arsenal Birds, each carrying a large number of combat drones. Despite Harling's intentions, the ISEV creates resentment among the Eruseans, who see it as Osean intrusion. This resentment eventually leads to the war depicted in-game, colloquially referred to as the "Lighthouse War" after the ISEV's nickname.

The players control the game's silent protagonist, an Osean fighter pilot with the callsign "Trigger". The game's frame story is told through pre-rendered cutscenes played between missions, primarily from the point of view of three characters: Avril Mead, an Osean civilian aircraft mechanic who was caught in the crossfire and forced to work in an Osean penal military unit, Princess Rosa Cosette D'Elise, a member of the Erusean royal family who believes the war will end Osean interference on the continent, and Doctor Schroeder, a Belkan scientist who developed combat drone technology for Erusea. Other major characters include Erusean ace pilot Mihaly A. Shilage, and his granddaughters, Ionela and Alma Shilage. Other characters include Erusean General Labarthe, Osean Major McOnie, Osean pilot Wiseman, as well as Osean pilots from the Mage, Golem, Spare, Strider, and Cyclops squadrons; as well as Erusean pilots from the Sol squadron.

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 Mead, who was flying a refurbished F-104C Starfighter when the war began, is shot down in the crossfire and arrested for breaching wartime aviation laws. Avril is transferred to the Osean 444th Air Base as a mechanic, where a penal fighter squadron known as the Spare Squadron is maintained.

The IUN-PKF attempts a mission to extract Harling from the ISEV. During the mission, a missile strikes Harling's escaping aircraft, killing him. Osean pilot 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. During one such sortie, Trigger crosses paths with Erusean ace Mihaly A. Shilage, who provides flight data to the Erusean drone program headed by the Belkan scientist Dr. Schroeder. Trigger's dogfighting talents impress Mihaly, but their duel is interrupted by inclement weather, and they are forced to retreat.

For their commendable performance, all members of Spare Squadron are pardoned and transferred to a base on Tyler Island off the coast of Usea. Trigger and his wingman Count are recruited by the elite Long Range Strategic Strike Group (LRSSG). Assisted by the LRSSG, Osea mounts a series of devastating counter-offensives, including the destruction of one of the Arsenal Birds with a refurbished Stonehenge[lower-alpha 2], culminating in large-scale operation to capture the Erusean capital, Farbanti.

Trigger encounters Mihaly again, but their duel is interrupted when Osea and Erusea destroy each other's satellite network, causing a collisional cascade that breaks down satellite communication networks worldwide. Mihaly escapes Farbanti 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, and multiple Erusean states declare independence. With the network down, Dr. Schroeder personally travels to the ISEV to transmit the latest flight data gathered from Mihaly into a new generation of Erusean combat drones, manufactured in automated drone factories across the continent.

Operating independently, the LRSSG attempts to extract the leader of the Erusean conservative faction and Osean informant in an effort to end the war decisively. The informant reveals that Harling was killed by an Erusean drone that spoofed Osean IFF signals, but he is killed by other Osean forces after his extraction due to false information. In the same battle, Dr. Schroeder and Mihaly's granddaughters are attacked by other Erusean forces and are saved by the LRSSG.

Meanwhile, Avril and the 444th, isolated, try to survive on a chaotic Tyler Island. They find Erusean Princess Rosa Cosette D'Elise, whose liaison plane was shot down by Erusean rebels. Avril and Rosa aid the LRSSG in evacuating both friendly military units and refugees from the island, and head to the ISEV to seek aid. The LRSSG arrives at the seceded state of Shilage in search of supplies, where Trigger duels and defeats Mihaly; after the battle, Mihaly asks Trigger to end the drone threat.

Schroeder and Avril's group both arrive at the ISEV. When Schroeder prepares to upload Mihaly's flight data, Ionela destroys the data upon learning of his intentions. It is revealed that Schroeder sought vengeance for Belka by fostering war using the drone program, since Belka was humiliated in a devastating war.[lower-alpha 3] Disillusioned by the destruction his program had caused, Schroeder agrees to help Avril in taking down the factories but reveals that the data had already been uploaded to two advanced drones, Hugin and Munin.

An Osean-Erusean coalition assaults the ISEV with the intention of seizing it from Erusean radicals. With the help of Rosa and Avril working within ISEV, Trigger is able to shoot down the remaining Arsenal Bird, but Hugin and Munin suddenly 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 escapes into an undersea tunnel. Trigger and Count follow the drone into the tunnel, and Trigger manages to destroy it and the signal repeaters to prevent the broadcast and end the war. A later cutscene reveals that peace has returned to Usea, with Cosette leading the post-war peace movement.

In the VR mode of the game, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies's protagonist, Mobius 1, engages in combat against 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.

Downloadable content

The plot of the downloadable content (DLC) missions takes place within the timeline of the main campaign, just before the assault on Farbanti and after the destruction of the first Arsenal Bird. The LRSSG is tasked by Osean Brigadier-General Howard Clemens with hunting down the Alicorn; an Erusean nuclear-powered submarine aircraft carrier thought to be missing since the Erusean government purchased it from Yuktobania.[2] The submarine greatly concerns Osea due to its WMD capabilities, but Osea wishes to capture rather than destroy it to force Erusea to surrender. Osean forces supported by the LRSSG engage the Erusean forces tasked with defending the Alicorn while it is docked in Artiglio Port, but the Alicorn's captain, Matias Torres, suddenly deserts. He uses the firepower of the Alicorn to destroy the attacking Osean fleet and launches a formation of fighters carrying a WMD cruise missile, which are all shot down by Trigger. Torres, furious at the destruction of the cruise missile, nonetheless resolves to continue his plans and orders the Alicorn to escape in the confusion. Trigger also encounters "Rage" and "Scream," a brother-sister mercenary team that together comprises "Mimic Squadron", who are apparently under orders to kill him. Trigger repels Mimic, but Scream addresses Trigger on an Osean frequency promising to kill him.

Sometime after, the LRSSG assaults the Erusean harbor of Anchorhead Bay under Clemens' orders. The Alicorn's crew uses the attack as a distraction to covertly acquire two nuclear shells from the harbor and attempts to destroy the LRSSG, which forces Húxiān to withdraw from the battle due to battle damage. As the battle draws to a close, Mimic Squadron reappears and attempts to kill Trigger again, but Trigger kills them both. Following the mission, Clemens is assaulted by Húxiān, who accuses him of colluding with Mimic to have Trigger killed due to his addressing Mimic over the radio during battle. Clemens attempts to have her and Count arrested but is countermanded by his superior, who instead orders that Clemens be arrested. It is revealed that Clemens is suspected of treason for reasons similar to Húxiān's and Count's accusations; in addition, Clemens' informant was an ex-sailor aboard the Alicorn. After Clemens is removed, Osean Intelligence Agency analyst David North reveals that Torres intends to use the Alicorn to carry out a nuclear strike on the Osean capital of Oured as a means of decisively ending the Lighthouse War.

North reveals to the LRSSG of the expected path of travel for the Alicorn towards Oured. A plan is devised to destroy the Alicorn: patrol aircraft escorted by LRSSG fighters will locate the submarine, providing guidance for Osean warships to launch anti-submarine rockets. However, the Alicorn survives the rocket attack and resurfaces, using its firepower to wipe out the Osean fleet. This allows the LRSSG to critically damage the submarine. Torres distracts the LRSSG with a faked surrender and attempts to carry out the nuclear strike, but the gun is thrown off the mark at the last second by a missile fired by Trigger, causing the nuclear shell to miss Oured. As an enraged Torres attempts a second shot, the LRSSG continues its assault on the Alicorn, eventually sinking it with Trigger inflicting the final blow. In a later cutscene, North concludes the usefulness of Trigger as a military asset for Osea in a report.

Development and release

Despite lackluster reviews, Ace Combat Infinity for the PlayStation 3 was a surprise hit for the veteran fans, commercial interest in the series by Namco Bandai was renewed and prompted internal development team Project Aces to develop a true sequel for the first time since Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360. Announced in 2015 and originally set to be released in 2017,[3][4] Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 18, 2019, and was released for Microsoft Windows on February 1, 2019.[5] The game also features special missions in virtual reality, which is exclusive PlayStation VR for a year. Two-player local multiplayer was rumored to have been included, but was not present in the final game. The game is the first of the series to use Unreal Engine 4.[6] Pre-orders 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.[7] The game also supports post-release downloadable content that adds new aircraft and missions. The first, Unexpected Visitor, was released on September 25, 2019.[8] On April 2, 2020, Project Aces released a free update to the game to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary, allowing players access to a variety of aircraft skins and emblems.[9]

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 78/100[10]
(PS4) 80/100[11]
(XB1) 79/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer8/10[13]
Famitsu35/40[14]
Game Informer8/10[15]
GameRevolution[16]
GameSpot8/10[17]
IGN7/10[18]
Forbes9/10[19]

Ace Combat 7 received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic.[10][11][12]

In Japan, the game sold 202,379 copies for the PlayStation 4 during its first week,[20] and has sold 286,570 units as of March 2019.[21] In Southeast Asia, the game sold over 500,000 units within a month.[22] In the United Kingdom, it had the highest debut sales in the series, entering the charts second overall.[23] 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.[24]

Awards
YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2017 Gamescom 2017 Best Booth Award Nominated [25]
Best Simulation Game Nominated
Best Virtual Reality Game Nominated
2019 CEDEC Awards Sound Won [26]
2019 Golden Joystick Awards Best VR/AR Game Nominated [27]
2020 NAVGTR Awards Control Design, VR Nominated [28]
Sound Mixing in Virtual Reality Won

Notes
  1. Japanese: エースコンバット7 スカイズ アンノウン Hepburn: Ēsu Konbatto Sebun: Sukaizu An'nōn
  2. A railgun array previously featured in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  3. As depicted in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
gollark: I'd not like to be injured.
gollark: I am not in fact injured by keyboard use.
gollark: I type fast enough with QWERTY so I don't care.
gollark: No.
gollark: So you're wrong.

References
  1. @PROJECT_ACES (5 December 2015). "Welcome back to the Strangereal! [kanno]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN - DLC 4: Unexpected Visitor | PS4, X1, PC, retrieved 2019-09-18
  3. Butterworth, Scott. "Ace Combat 7 Coming Exclusively to PlayStation 4". GameSpot. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. Osborn, Alex. "Ace Combat 7 Delayed to 2018". IGN. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. Sato. "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Takes Off On January 18 Release On PS4 And Xbox One". Siliconera. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  6. Palumbo, Alessio (December 8, 2015). "Ace Combat 7 Trailer Was Fully Real-time;Development At 20%". wccftech.com. WCCFTech. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  7. Lai, Pearl (September 18, 2018). "Ace Combat 7: Pre-Order to Get Free Ace Combat 5, PS4 Theme and More". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  8. Romano, Sal. "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown DLC 'Operation Sighthound' launches this fall". Gematsu. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  9. "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - 25th Anniversary Free Update - PS4/XB1/PC". YouTube. Bandai Namco. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  10. "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  11. "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown for PlayStation 4 reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  12. "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown for Xbox One reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  13. Savino, Antonio (18 January 2019). "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - recensione". Eurogamer (in Italian). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  14. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1571". Gematsu. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  15. Reiner, Andrew (17 January 2019). "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review – A Worthy Throwback". Game Informer. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  16. "Ace Combat 7 Review | Aces high". GameRevolution. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  17. Tran, Edmond (29 January 2019). "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review - Smooth Flying". GameSpot. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  18. Epstein, Mike (17 January 2019). "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  19. Barder, Ollie (26 January 2019). "'Ace Combat 7' Review: It's Time To Return To The Intense World Of Strangereal Flight Combat". Forbes. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  20. Ressler, Karen (23 January 2019). "Japan's Video Game Rankings, January 14–20". Anime News Network. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  21. "Game Search". Game Data Library (Famitsu sales data). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  22. Sato. "Ace Combat 7 Takes Off To Surpass 500,000 Units Shipped In Asia". Siliconera. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  23. Tailby, Stephen (21 January 2019). "UK Sales Charts: Ace Combat 7 Flies High with Biggest UK Launch for the Series". Push Square.
  24. Moyse, Chris (1 July 2020). "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown hits two million shipments and digital sales milestone". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  25. Khan, Zubi (21 August 2017). "Gamescom 2017 Award Nominees". CGM. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  26. ""CEDEC AWARDS 2019"各部門の最優秀賞が発表。ゲームデザイン部門は『Nintendo Labo』開発チームが受賞【CEDEC 2019】". Famitsu (in Japanese). 5 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  27. Tailby, Stephen (20 September 2019). "Days Gone Rides Off with Three Nominations in This Year's Golden Joystick Awards". Push Square. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  28. "2019 Winners". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
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