Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown | Return to Strangereal

Project ACES returns to the Strangereal setting with a renewed focus on atmospheric friction. Our Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown review examines how technical execution and the unhinged presence of Matias Torres define this entry as a standout for the franchise.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown At a Glance

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Background

The development of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown was a collective intelligence effort that reunited veteran staff from the series history. Creators who worked on the PS2 era titles returned to anchor the project. Their perspectives were supplemented by field research at Komatsu Air Base. The team interviewed Eagle Drivers to understand the physiological and psychological effects of flying through thick cloud cover. These interviews directly influenced the eerie audio-visual atmosphere found in the weather systems.

Originally slated for 2017, a two year delay allowed engineers to finalize the processing-heavy volumetric clouds. Finalizing these systems was critical to keeping the campaign technically stable while adopting Unreal Engine 4 for the first time in a mainline entry.

The development team for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown includes:

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Experience

I played AC7 at its original launch. My history with the series began with the Assault Horizon 3DS port and the Electrosphere and Infinity soundtracks. I followed the marketing cycle from the first teaser to launch day. The DLC was a new experience for this review as the community obsession with Matias Torres and his tangents regarding “crisp white sheets” set a clear expectation for the expansion content. I completed the main story and the SP missions on Nobara Linux in roughly 18 hours.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Impressions

Introduction

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown follows Trigger, an Osean Federation pilot caught in a global conflict against the Kingdom of Erusea. Framed for a crime early in the war, Trigger is reassigned to a penal unit where survival is the only priority. The game centers on high-stakes aerial combat where the environment is just as dangerous as the enemy missiles.

Gameplay & Mechanics

Video Time Stamps

• 0:00 – Mission Start
• 0:02 – Tactical Preparation: Aircraft and Special Weapon Selection
• 0:13 – Takeoff Sequence: Mage 2 Standing By
• 1:46 – HUD Overview: Manual Target Cycling and Priority Tracking
• 2:27 – Maneuvering: “Zero-G” Turns and High-Mobility Evasion
• 4:00 – Drone Combat: Engaging High-Agility Targets
• 5:03 – Atmospheric Friction: Cloud Icing and Stall Demonstration

• Cloud Physics
  Clouds are a foundation of the tactical experience. Entering a cloud bank messes with radar and makes it harder for missiles to lock on. It turns the sky into a jungle gym of vapor and metal.
• HUD & Target Cycling
  The interface provides altitude, speed, and weapon data. You cycle through targets to find the highest priority threat, which helps maintain awareness when dozens of enemies are on screen.
• High-G Turns
  Holding the throttle and brakes together lets you perform a sharp turn. This bleeds speed quickly but allows you to flip your nose around for a lock before an enemy can react.

Flares
These are your primary defense against incoming missiles. You only have a few per mission. Popping a flare at the right moment confuses the missile seeker and saves you from a direct hit.

Fleet Management & Strategic Preparation

• The Aircraft Tree
  This is the main progression system. You spend MRP earned from missions to unlock new jets and upgrades. It follows a branching path including American, European, and Russian designs. Missions can be freely replayed to farm MRP and beat your previous record.
• Parts Customization
  You equip purchasable parts to fundamentally alter jet performance. Body upgrades focus on raw speed and durability: Arms modifications boost weaponry: Misc enhancements provide tailored attributes like better lock-on algorithms.
• Special Weapons (SPW)
  Each plane carries one special weapon alongside standard missiles. You organize your loadout before each mission to match expected threats ranging from anti-ship bombs to tactical lasers.

Story & Writing

The campaign focuses on the Lighthouse War, a conflict between the Osean Federation and the Kingdom of Erusea. You view the war through the eyes of a pilot named Trigger. The narrative explores the contrast between human decision-making and the rise of automated drone warfare. Rather than a straightforward hero story, the writing highlights how a pilot’s reputation is built through their actions in the sky. It touches on themes of communication, the fog of war, and the loss of human connection in modern conflict.

Art & Audio | The Physicality of the Sky

Project ACES utilized Unreal Engine 4 and trueSKY middleware to transform the atmosphere into a physical antagonist. This is not a static backdrop; it is a reactive entity. Day missions showcase realistic water droplets streaking across the cockpit glass, while night missions utilize afterburners and internal lights to pop against a vast, cold void.

Immersion carries technical weight. Flying through thick clouds without upgrades leads to icing, which causes the cockpit to frost and the airframe to stall. Lightning strikes are more than visual flares; they are hazards that scramble the HUD and leave you flying blind. The audio engine supports this by simulating reactive engine roars and using Wwise layering to muffle sound inside cloud banks.

The score is a masterpiece of genre-blending, moving from aggressive progressive rock to explosive orchestral finales. It refuses to settle on a single mood, mirroring the instability of the war. The final segment using “Daredevil” during an extremely narrow tunnel run has remained a community staple since launch. To this day, players continue to post gameplay clips of their attempts to clear the tunnel as fast and flawless as possible.

Standout tracks

Daredevil
An explosive orchestral piece defining the climax. It builds with nervous strings before erupting into a triumphant, full-choir crescendo. It is a lullaby for a world that is already burning.

Dual Wielder
An energetic track that highlights the chaos of high speed naval strikes. It punctuates the panic of facing a modern fleet.

Alicorn
A high tension orchestral track that emphasizes the massive scale of the submersible aviation cruiser during the DLC missions.

Unique Features & Mechanics

The Sandwich AI System
This internal logic keeps dogfights engaging by having enemy AI orbit and flank the player at specific frequencies. It avoids the repetitive tail-chase cycles of older games and forces constant tactical re-evaluations.

Interactive Audio Layering
Using Wwise, the music layers change dynamically based on the battle phase. The chorus in specific themes is not a static loop: it layers in to match the technical tension of the dogfight.

Atmospheric Stealth Loop
AC7 reinvents the sky as a physical obstacle. The loop of using volumetric clouds as a lock-breaker while managing the physical penalty of wing icing is unique to this title.

Manual Post-Stall Maneuvers (PSM)
AC7 introduces manual PSMs like the Cobra and Kulbit. By dropping below about 500 km/h and timing your pitch, you can perform flips to reverse a disadvantageous position. The above video by TheErrGuy shows PSM in action as a challenge inside of an enclosed football stadium.

Special Missions (DLC)

The Season Pass content adds three Special Missions that take place during the main campaign timeline. These missions represent the highest level of technical challenge in the game.

• The Alicorn Arc
  These missions center on a massive submersible aviation cruiser that acts as a mobile fortress. The scale of these encounters is significantly larger than the base game missions.
• Captain Matias Torres
  The antagonist of these missions is the highlight of the entire game. The conflict is less about a simple dogfight and more about solving a high-stakes tactical puzzle under fire. His detached, unhinged delivery mirrors his unraveling psyche. Matias Torres has outlived the launch of the DLC with an impression so strong that many are still talking about him to this day.

Seiyuu Performances

The Japanese voice cast provides a distinct personality to the radio chatter that defines the series. The performances help ground the political drama, especially during the more emotional beats of the Penal Unit arc. Long Caster is a highlight; his constant food metaphors are delivered with such frequency that the rest of the squad clowns him for it. Long Caster remains a personal and fan favorite.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Linux Performance

Getting this to run required trial and error. Proton Experimental and GE-Latest resulted in hard freezes after a few hours of play on my AMD 9070XT setup. Stability was achieved using GE-Proton10.2.

When the game stayed open, the performance was impressive. At 1440p, I averaged 366 FPS with 1% lows at 264 FPS. It is a lightweight title for modern hardware. It utilized 8.9GB of RAM and roughly 3.2GB of VRAM. The current freezing issues may be a Mesa 26 driver conflict. I am still troubleshooting the specific flags.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review Verdict

The demand on the player is significant. Simulation touches like aircraft weight and pitch create a learning curve that makes eventual mastery feel legitimate. This pairs with the penal unit narrative reset perfectly. Being forced to earn back respect through a digital hell ensures your status as a legend feels earned by the time the credits roll.

Friction exists within the mission design. Grating escort missions and AA clusters act as steep skill checks that force you to pivot your entire loadout for a technical solution. Hurdles also persist on the hardware side. Playing on Nobara requires trial and error with GE-Proton builds to resolve freezing issues. Performance is remarkable once you find a stable configuration.

Matias Torres is the absolute peak of AC7 and justifies the DLC. He is a quotable mad lad on the level of Wesker in RE5. His unhinged presence and the superior dogfights found in the Special Missions elevate the experience from an 8 to a 9. Winning these encounters is satisfying because the game makes you work for every single hit. The result is a title that feels intentional with its difficulty and earnest in its storytelling. It is a rewarding clear for anyone who values technical precision and a narrative that respects the pilot in the cockpit.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown TLDR

Tested On
CPU: Ryzen 7 5900X | GPU: AMD RX 9070XT 16GB | RAM: 64GB DDR4 | Storage: Crucial P5 Plus NVMe SSD
OS: Nobara Linux | Resolution: 1440p | Settings: High/Custom | Framerate: Uncapped

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Review References

Interviews

• Bandai Namco, The Making of ‘Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown (Part 1) | 25 March 2023
  [Live | Archive]
• Bandai Namco, The Making of ‘Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown (Part 2) | 25 March 2023
  [Live | Archive]

Videos

• BANDAI NAMCO, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – PS4/XB1/PC – Open Fire (Launch Trailer) | 14 January 2019, Official Bandai Namco Europe, Jan 14, 2019. 
  [Live | Archive]
• TheErrGuy, ACE COMBAT™ 7: Post-Stall Maneuver Mastery Challenge | 22 January 2019
  [Live] | [Archived]

Music

• Daredevil – Keiki Kobayashi. [Live | Archived]
• Dual Wielder – Keiki Kobayashi. [Live | Archived]
• Alicorn – Keiki Kobayashi. [Live | Archived]