A Lifetime ago, I was an airman in the RAAF, and I was responsible for 8 downed aircraft during operations in the Middle East. Yes, I was considered the worst aviation mechanic in the Air Force. I joke of course, and for legal reasons, I’m unable to discuss my time there, but I can say there was nothing quite like marching along with an F111 tearing through the sky overhead to make you feel ten-foot-tall and bulletproof. Ace Combat looks to get your boots off the ground and into the cockpit of some amazing aircraft, promising tight dogfights and a gripping story. What’s it Like? Put on some Kenny Loggins, get cleared for take-off, and let’s take the highway to the danger zone as we review Ace Combat 7 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch.
Ace Combat follows a developing war between 2 nations, the Osean Federation and the Kingdom of Erusea. You play as “Trigger, an Osean hotshot pilot who ends up serving time at a military prison base after a mission goes horribly awry. As the war develops and desperation sets in, the military approves you and some fellow prisoners to fly as a diversionary force to give the impression that this military base is an active threat to enemy forces. So begins an almost “Suicide Squad” setup where you will grow to love some of your wingmen, and hate others. The story is a little cheesy, but I found it drew me into the game and gave me a bit more motivation than “Go here, kill that.” This drama unfolds in missions via radio chatter and exposition throughout and helps drive the narrative even further.
The main campaign follows a narrative-driven mission structure, usually consisting of seek and destroy, escort, and dogfighting missions. Players can use points earned during these missions to unlock new aircraft and technology which can increase your stats when equipped. Some of these tech options include better armour plating, faster bomb reloads, and increased missile damage. It’s an exciting endeavor to unlock new aircraft, and despite being fairly balanced, you will need to think hard about what role you want your aircraft to play in a mission. One example would be after unlocking the A10, I used it on a primarily ground assault mission, easily making short work of ground assets and defences, only to be completely outmatched when enemy air assets arrived on the scene. Later on, I picked a faster dogfighting craft only to realise the A10 would have been perfect for that mission. Hindsight is 20/20 and thankfully you can replay missions and earn more rewards, helping you unlock more of the tech tree, as well as hunt enemy Ace pilots to unlock special rewards. My only pain point with the mission structure is that checkpoints can be few and far between, and sometimes failure means losing 15 minutes of progress, which can be especially frustrating in canyon-heavy missions.
Multiplayer is another fantastic edition to Ace Combat 7 on Switch and I was fortunate enough to play a few hours to test my mettle. There are several modes like Battle Royale which is a free for all and team deathmatch. There were no network issues (although there was certainly a skill issue on my behalf) when playing online. I didn’t have to wait long to be up in the air and you will either love or hate multiplayer as it’s a huge jump in difficulty from the main campaign. Much like your ability to perform high G turns and evade, so too can other players, and I found myself on the wrong end of an enemy ace’s missle many times. It made it all the more rewarding when I finally splashed some other players, in which I audibly cheered when I did. There’s a separate progression and ranking system for Multiplayer, giving players further incentives to fight their way to the top of the chain of command.
Ace Combat 7 Deluxe on Switch is a visual delight, and despite some moments of framerate dips (which I could count on one hand during my entire playtime), it runs very well. The aircraft are certainly the stars of the show here, with many real-world aircraft featured like the Vietnam Era F4, the current superstar of the Royal Australian Air Force – The F18 Super Hornet, and the menacing A10 with its unmistakable twin turbine design. They have been lovingly modeled in the game, as well as some unique fictional aircraft that look ahead of their time. “Boss” Aircraft are also something out of the future, being both impossibly large and destructive, and incredibly fun to engage. Another core feature of Ace Combat 7 is how the weather plays into gameplay, and these weather effects look incredible and give you a sense of dread and awe. All the visual fidelity from the other versions of the game is here from rain droplets on the screen, amazing environment details, and the wing vortex contrails painting the sky in high-speed turns. The main noticeable differences are the lower resolution and framerate which is locked at 30 frames per second. Aside from this, I was thoroughly immersed in my time on Ace Combat 7 on Switch.
To compliment all this is some stellar sound design. Anti-air rounds rip through the air as they whirl past you, missiles scream, and the dreaded pitter-patter of iron tearing through steel can be heard if you fly too close to enemy emplacements. Radio chatter while cheesy, helps build the drama while in the air, and often acts as exposition, feeding background information or mission intel to you. this is also used to build tension as wingmen call for help, forcing you to prioritise breaking off your current target to assist as the orchestral score reaches a tragic crescendo. The soundtrack is used well in this sense, sometimes utilizing an inspirational and epic score to make you feel like you’re the only hope for the world and other times, there’s an electric guitar shredding to get your adrenaline pumping as you tear the enemy base apart. I found playing in handheld mode with headphones offered the best experience when playing Ace Combat 7 on Switch.
Make no mistake, Ace Combat 7 is an exceptional port that has moved over to the Switch completely intact. There’s nothing cut out from the game, a fair chunk of DLC comes in the package, including 3 single-player missions to extend playtime. There is plenty of additional DLC you can purchase via the E-shop, but I found the retail offering to be more than substantial. Let’s go over the budget for defense and spending here, at $85 AUD, it’s a very premium price point, and while governments have extensive funds for Air Force assets, many gamers do not. When checking for a price comparison, it is on parity with the other consoles, although they have usually seen the game heavily discounted to around the $30 AUD mark. For me, I feel that the quality of the port and the additional DLC make this worthy of your hard-earned money, but astute bargain hunters may opt to purchase on another format during sale season.
For my vision-impaired Pilots, there are no accessibility options, and the weather effects that shroud the screen as well as the heads-up display may make things hard to track. I would recommend further research to find out if Ace Combat 7 is for you. There are some control options that may help pilots who aren’t as quick on the trigger, offering an “Assist” control mode that handles pitch and roll with left and right, making aircraft easier to pilot.
Ace Combat 7 on Switch offers a true Triple-A experience on Switch, it is a nearly perfect port, fast and fluid, and is a blast to play. The additional DLC adds value to the premium price point, and the ability to replay missions with different craft and tech load-outs pads out the game length even more. The attention to detail, gorgeous graphics, and stellar sound design immerse you in the world, alongside a deep lore narrative. While it may not be the cheapest way to play Ace Combat 7, it’s certainly an incredible experience in handheld. If you have the slightest interest in aerial combat or military aviation, Ace Combat 7 Deluxe is the game for you.
So, What’s it Like? Ace Combat 7 is like Need for Speed mixed with Top Gun.
Ace Combat 7 on Switch it as a Certified Exceptional game.
