A really loving fan successor to Ace Combat, it’s really good! At its best it looks, sounds and plays exactly like a hypothetical Ace Combat 8, with some pretty good ideas of its own like multiple weapon modules and greater air target variety with the airships. In particular I loved the AOA limiter, a lot more intuitive and free than the PSMs of AC7, and insanely fun. Boss fights are also pretty creative here with their railguns, which are a much needed complication from the standard dogfight. The music is also great. A lot of the time you completely forget that this is an indie game, which is a sign of how competent the execution is.
It has some limitations compared to AC, however. Mission variety is not nearly as good as AC5 or 7, with this feeling like a spiritual sibling to AC6 with its grand and expansive missions that largely just have you blowing up either air or ground targets. Tastes differ but in my opinion variety is king in these kinds of games, and some curveballs like AC7s stealth-spotlight mission or AC5s undercover camera mission would have been welcome.
The story feels like a very conscious tribute to AC0 but it’s unfortunately much weaker. The Federation’s characterisation is weaker than Belka and Crimson 1 doesn’t even compare to Pixy’s level of character arc. Crimson 1 in particular felt like a big misstep, the climactic final battle and emotional farewell to him feeling completely out of nowhere given his 5-10 minute total screen time.
Two glimmers of greater things are Prez and Conquest mode. If the fanbase’s fixation with Prez proves anything it's that these games (AC included) could really benefit from some elaborated character interaction. The fact that this entire character is locked behind 2-seater planes is a laudable commitment to realism but it also feels a bit wasteful. Similarly, Conquest mode makes me imagine a potentially better version of itself, with AC7s plane-building mechanic built in and a lot of extra unique scenarios, dilemmas and decisions that would make each run feel more unique and like a full-fledged roguelike. Regardless, it's fun and keeps me booting up the game every now and then for a run in a way that AC doesn’t really do.
If I ever bought a VR headset, this would probably be my #1 stop. Doing those AOA manoeuvres in VR would either be the greatest thing ever or make me instantly throw up, maybe both.
It has some limitations compared to AC, however. Mission variety is not nearly as good as AC5 or 7, with this feeling like a spiritual sibling to AC6 with its grand and expansive missions that largely just have you blowing up either air or ground targets. Tastes differ but in my opinion variety is king in these kinds of games, and some curveballs like AC7s stealth-spotlight mission or AC5s undercover camera mission would have been welcome.
The story feels like a very conscious tribute to AC0 but it’s unfortunately much weaker. The Federation’s characterisation is weaker than Belka and Crimson 1 doesn’t even compare to Pixy’s level of character arc. Crimson 1 in particular felt like a big misstep, the climactic final battle and emotional farewell to him feeling completely out of nowhere given his 5-10 minute total screen time.
Two glimmers of greater things are Prez and Conquest mode. If the fanbase’s fixation with Prez proves anything it's that these games (AC included) could really benefit from some elaborated character interaction. The fact that this entire character is locked behind 2-seater planes is a laudable commitment to realism but it also feels a bit wasteful. Similarly, Conquest mode makes me imagine a potentially better version of itself, with AC7s plane-building mechanic built in and a lot of extra unique scenarios, dilemmas and decisions that would make each run feel more unique and like a full-fledged roguelike. Regardless, it's fun and keeps me booting up the game every now and then for a run in a way that AC doesn’t really do.
If I ever bought a VR headset, this would probably be my #1 stop. Doing those AOA manoeuvres in VR would either be the greatest thing ever or make me instantly throw up, maybe both.