Though missions are short they do at least feel varied and pretty representative of what you’ll find in the wider campaign. One slight hiccup is the developer’s decision to fade the world out when you approach the glass I often wrestled with this as I searched for targets above my head with no real indication of how close I was to the outside. It’s that head movement that really adds a dimension not previously seen in other Ace games. As the skies become peppered with enemies you’ll start throwing your head back and forth in desperate search of new targets and threats.
The movie magic is woven into the inevitable games of cat and mouse too. In these instances I couldn’t help but cheer and woot like a cowboy, occasionally leaping out of my seat (bad idea) and becoming the very person I’ve rolled my eyes at thousands of times in films. It comes just as you untangle from a hopscotch of missile dodges only to find yourself pulling up before you crash into the ocean. It’s in the moments you skim past an enemy fighter and wince at the proximity or the last-second kills that have you piercing through a fiery explosion.
Combat is initially daunting but, once mastered, an effortless thrill.Ī flight simulator this is not the controls may have their intricacies but ultimately Ace Combat 7 is all about the grandiose. It virtually fuzes your right thumb to the pilot’s flight stick. For some, it will undoubtedly cause nausea, but it otherwise feels like the most natural way to go. You have to use the Expert control scheme instead of the more accessible option. Don’t let its length fool you this is a blockbuster VR experience. In one dramatic opening, an airfield becomes a battle zone and debris is rained down upon you with alarming force. Fly into clouds and the weather will start to beat down on your windshield. Landscapes stretch out for miles around you and, although they’re obviously a little blurry up close, they’re surprisingly convincing when zooming past at 100 mph. The cockpit, for starters, is detailed down to every switch and button with an impressive degree of perceived authenticity.
From immersion through to control, Ace Combat 7 is top gun (sorry). To offer this captivating a taste of aerial combat, realized with such polish, and then to take it away just as you’re getting settled is nothing short of cruel.īut it is what it is and, more importantly, what remains is unforgettably good.
Series newcomers (such as myself) will probably take longer multiple deaths on the tough-but-firm normal mode stretched it out to about two hours.
Just three missions await you, and experienced players will beat each in 10 minutes or less. For all its high-flying spectacle, Ace Combat 7 is criminally short on VR content.