After an interminable wait, "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown " is on the runway ready for takeoff. First announced in 2015, the latest chapter in the fighter jet saga was supposed to come out in 2017, but delays have pushed back the game's release to 2019.
According to IGN, franchise director Kazutoki Kono said the postponement was needed to achieve their goal and they planned to use the extra time to "perfect and optimize" the project. At a preview event in San Francisco, the team showed off a game that benefited from the extra time in the oven.
The multiplayer was good as I played through free for all and team deathmatch. Gunning down rivals with machine guns and missiles is difficult and takes skill as players chase opponents through the skies. Part of the reason is the unpredictability of players. The wide freedom of movement means they can swerve left, decelerate and nose dive to avoid being locked on.
Another element that makes kills harder is the ability to hide in clouds. If players are locked on from behind, they can fly toward clouds to escape missiles. Although they may be tempted to linger in the cover, they have to be careful because ice may cover their aircraft's engines and cause them to crash. It balances the gameplay out so jets can't hide in the cover forever.
Amid the chaos of the dogfight, I found it was best to just fire into a crowd and pray that something connects. When locking on to opponents, it's likely better to fire when you're close to your prey so they have less time to maneuver out of the way.
Two factors that add another dose of unpredictability is the terrain and weather. The terrain can be varied. Players can fight in wide open areas above the sea or they can maneuver through pillar like mountains similar to Zhangjjajie National Forest Park in China. On top of that, they'll have to deal with thunderstorms or heavy winds. In darkened skies full of lightning, players will have limited visibility and have to be aware of bolts of electricity. When dealing with heavy winds, turbulence can affect the handling of an aircraft.
The last notable trait is that some multiplayer matches have a cost limit, meaning players can't bring in their fully loaded F-15Cs into battle. They can also limit special weapons, which prevents players from bringing in powerful air-to-air missiles.
At the end of each match, players are rewarded with MRP, which are credits that can be used to unlock planes and weapons. They can also open call names and other cosmetics after each match. There's even little awards and honors such as "Machine Gun Crazy" for firing machine guns the most in a match. The Solo Wing honor is for flying the longest with the lowest health. It appears that the team has learned from games such as "Overwatch" and "Battlefield" to make the online play more compelling.
When it comes to the single-player campaign, it puts players in the shoes of a rookie pilot for the International United Peacekeeper Force named Trigger on Mage Squadron. The Erusean forces have launched a surprise attack against Osea, using drones hidden in shipping containers. The ambush decimates the Osean forces. As one of the few remaining pilots, players join a counterattack against the Eruseans.
The first three chapters focus on taking back a space elevator and go over the basic mechanics of the game. The first chapter revolves around air combat in basic dogfights that go over the role of clouds and aerial maneuvers. It's where players learn that they can add a second weapon to their plane, one that more easily takes down bogeys.
Players also learn that hitting the touchpad expands the radar. They can get a local view that shows the detailed location of the enemies. A wider view shows the general direction of incoming bandits. It's helpful when pinpointing objectives on the expansive maps.
The second chapter has players attacking ground targets. This is where it's smart to switch jets from a fighter jet to a A-10C Thunderbolt II. The plane specializes in air-to-ground attacks but is weak in air-to-air combat. It's not ideal for most missions, but this one it was perfect for the first part. The second part involves some dogfighting, but with decent enough skills, players can survive the dogfights.
In the third mission, I battled the big new weapon in the franchise _ drones. That's how the Eruseans struck so quickly and gained the advantage. These Arsenal Birds helped them dominate the skies. Players battle a flying aircraft carrier full of these bogeys, and the battle can get hectic as players try to out maneuver these unmanned vehicles while also taking down the behemoth airliner ferrying them into battle.
Between each chapter, there's a secondary narrative that follows a woman named Avril Mead. She appears to be a bystander in the conflict. The cut scenes follow her journey as a young pilot who was able to build a jet with old plane parts. It covers her inaugural flight and her capture and imprisonment by enemy forces. It offers a different, more personal perspective on the conflict. I wish players could actually play as Avril, but then again, her fate may be revealed further in the campaign.
The Avie narrative offers a counterpoint to the epic moments in each chapter. Fans will likely encounter many more in a sequel that's shaping up to be one of the better ones in the series.
"Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown" is scheduled for release Jan. 18 on the PlayStation 4. It will support peripheral controllers from previous games as well as a new one made for this chapter.
