Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review – Review
Do, as they say, a barrel roll.
Five years after taking off on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Ace Combat 7 has landed on Switch. I knew going into this one that I enjoyed Ace Combat 7. In fact, I’d say that overall it’s my favorite game in the series. When the first gameplay was revealed of the Switch version, I was surprised how close it looked to my memories of playing the original release. Now that I’ve got the game in hand, I can say this is right up there as one of the Switch’s best ports.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, is an aerial combat sim that rides the line nicely between hardcore simulation and more arcade style gameplay. Right from the start of the game, you’ll be given the option to choose between novice and expert control setups. The novice setup will allow the left analogue stick to both adjust pitch and turn the plane left and right. This results in a very arcade-like experience, think all-range mode from Star Fox 64. Expert, on the other hand, requires you to actually tilt your plane left and right and handles more like an actual airplane. It gives more precise controls for those who are more familiar with aerial combat games, and is my preferred way to play.
Missions play out in a few general patterns. You either need to destroy specific targets, defend an objective, or just cause enough destruction to get your score beyond a certain threshold. Now and then a boss fight will shake up the encounter, but in general the depth in Ace Combat 7 is found in customizing and mastering your aircraft. Completing missions earns you points that can be redeemed for parts, weapons, and even entirely new fighter-jets. Each jet and its components have their own stats and may be more suited for one type of mission than another. For example, certain setups may be more conducive to destroying large land-based targets, while another might be more fit for weaving through airborne combat.
The biggest shakeup in gameplay for the series in this entry is the use of clouds as an actual gameplay mechanic. Clouds in Ace Combat 7 are beautifully rendered as complex volumetric objects. They not only look great, but they also directly interact with your aircraft and weapons. They’ll not only affect your physical visibility, they also make locking onto enemies and missile tracking less reliable. However, you can’t simply hide in them forever, as moisture will slowly cause ice to form, affecting the performance of your aircraft. Low hanging clouds can also hinder your ability to make out changes in terrain. As a result, they simultaneously make great cover while also increasing the odds that an unskilled pilot will simply crash into a mountain.
The Switch port of Ace Combat 7 is an impressive accomplishment. While one might initially think that a flight combat game might make for an easy port–as level of detail could be adjusted with minimal effect to gameplay–Ace Combat 7’s unique mechanics make that impossible. Most importantly, those clouds cannot simply be replaced with flat billboards as would often be the case. Their existence as real 3D volumes is a crucial gameplay mechanic. Terrain draw distance also can’t really be pulled back as the player needs to be able to look out and survey the entire battlefield at once. Luckily, both of these elements have been excellently preserved. Where we do see cutbacks is in things like shadow quality, pop in on near-camera detail such as trees, and of course frame rate. The Switch version runs at 720p docked, and about 540p in handheld mode. Both are treated with what looks like a simple pass of FXAA, a post processing anti aliasing solution. It doesn’t provide thorough coverage but it also doesn’t really produce any artifacts of its own, unlike other methods. I’ll also note that 720p is the same resolution as the original Xbox One release. In context then, that’s quite an accomplishment for the Switch. Frame rate has been dropped to 30fps from the target of 60 on other platforms. But to be fair, the Xbox One and PS4 struggled to hit 60 at launch, so this makes sense. In my experience the frame rate held up well in actual gameplay, and I only experienced more noticeable drops in replays, where I suspect the graphical settings have been raised somewhat.
This is an extremely impressive port of an excellent flight combat game. I was surprised when this was announced for Switch, but have absolutely loved every moment of revisiting it. The unique mechanics of Ace Combat 7 are still a thrill five years after its original release, and they have been translated effectively here. Throw in an over-the-top but engaging story and a fantastic soundtrack, and you’ve got something special. Mission structure can get a little repetitive by the late game, but plenty of unlocks keep the experience pretty fresh the whole way through. Given the general lack of many Ace Combat games on Nintendo platforms, I’ll also note that you by no means need to have played the rest of the series to enjoy this one. This is an easy recommendation and a great late generation addition to any list of remarkable Switch ports.
