Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review | The Aerial Combat Game You Need to Play
If you like flight sims… you’ll like this game. Period. The combat and gameplay has everything you’d ever want. The multiplayer is…
If you like flight sims… you’ll like this game. Period. The combat and gameplay has everything you’d ever want. The multiplayer is seamless. Plane selection is awesome. It’s addicting, and worth every penny regardless of the price point you decide to purchase it at.
I don’t have a lot of history with these sorts of games, but anytime I’m at the arcade, I look for a sweet sim setup with a HOTAS just to feel alive. The Star Wars themed cabinets are particularly excellent. I had a game here and there on a console or two at home, but that’s really the extent of it. Until I was gifted this game… and WOW, it hits like a ton of bricks. This is a really phenomenal game. It’s so good. The planes all control super well, the music comes through in just the right moments, and it all meshes together in a way that make me want to explore this genre more.
The plane selection is huge. I wish that I would have been able to unlock everything on my first play through of the campaign, which I think is the easiest way to get the games currency (MRP), but, they probably expect many more people to jump into the multiplayer and earn MRP there (which to my surprise, you can even earn in private lobbies with only your friends). But to the games credit the upgrade system feels balanced enough to where you’re always unlocking something new when you play, at least every few missions. I can appreciate that.
Ace Combat 7 feels so good to play that I’m already on my third playthrough of the main campaign (now on Hard difficulty) because of how fun the planes are to control as you dominate the battlefield. Some missions will challenge you, and you won’t quite be dominating, but that stress of success riding on your shoulders can be a part of the thrill in the later difficulties. Usually though, playing isn’t stressful and I found it easily digestible by completing a mission or two a day.
Have to give some high marks to the soundtrack. WOW. They didn’t have to work as hard as they did on the soundtrack. You feel amazing when it kicks in. Especially when the choir starts, it feels like you’re fighting some boss in Dark Souls or something. It’s really immaculate, and I wish more games knew the power of a good soundtrack, because it’s not often we get stand out music like this. Definitely look forward to hearing it when playing.
The campaign is even well rounded, which is something I wasn’t expecting going into this. Some of the voice acting is really flat, but all in all, I was able to appreciate the rhetorical value of the conversation the game centers itself around, with drones and automation, suggesting thoughts as to what that could mean for our own future. I was not expecting to have such meaningful thoughts while playing a very Japanese feeling campaign centered around war and aerial combat. I think most people will also appreciate it.
I really recommend this game. It’s got some incredibly satisfying gameplay, mixed with a great soundtrack and campaign. I found a lot of value in playing and think that if you have even a lick of interest in flight sims, then just pick it up and play it already. Stick with Trigger and everything will be okay!
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ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN | PC - Steam | Game Keys
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Originally published 28 May 2022 on https://backloggd.com.