Ace Combat has long reigned as the ultimate franchise for aerial combat, with each entry providing unparalleled dogfights and an arsenal of real-life aircraft to pilot. Bandai Namco’s sparkling new Nintendo Switch port of Ace Combat 7 is out now, and now the developer reveals to us what players can expect in this special iteration of action-packed flight sim – and how it doesn’t compromise on maximum thrills.
Armed with new missions and aircraft to admire, Ace Combat 7’s debut on Switch is nothing short of thrilling. What makes it more impressive is that Bandai Namco have brought the action game to Nintendo’s handheld largely uncompromised. “No changes have been made to the story or gameplay for the Switch version. The story experience of Ace Combat 7 has been preserved, and the Switch’s unique features allow you to enjoy the game anywhere you want,” the developer tell us.
To us, those “unique features” undoubtedly channel the Switch’s portability. Hopping into Tom Cruise’s F-14A Tomcat and reigning hellfire from the clouds while on the go? Yeah, that’s a spectacle worth bringing with you. The studio’s attitude to the enthralling simulation game‘s mechanics is just as faithful as it is to the narrative, as it expresses that the “dogfighting system was ported as is without any changes” while offering a consistent 30 FPS frame rate for “a comfortable play experience.”
The journey to bringing Ace Combat 7 to Switch will feel long for many fans, as the new Switch game‘s arrived 14 years after Ace Combat: Joint Assault – a PSP exclusive.
So why is Bandai Namco lifting the tarp off handheld iterations of the franchise now? It’s simple really: the fans wanted it. After conducting a survey to gather interest from Ace Combat players, the studio surprisingly learned that most fans don’t actually “own a gaming console and therefore cannot play the game. This is why we decided to release a Switch version of the latest title in the series so that more people can enjoy it.”
Players picking up Ace Combat 7 on Nintendo Switch can expect to get their hands on heaps of content from the get-go, too. According to Bandai Namco, you can reap the benefits of these additional goodies with the Deluxe Edition:
- ADF-11F Raven Set
- ADF-01 FALKEN Set
- ADFX-01 Morgan Set
- Vol. 4 ‘SP Mission 1 – The Liberated’
- Vol. 5 ‘SP Mission 2 – Anchorhead Raid’
- Vol. 6 ‘SP Mission 3 – 10 Million Rescue Plan’
- Music Player Mode
- Playable aircraft F-104C -Avril
- Playable aircraft F-4E Phantom II
- Three skins for popular aircraft of the past series
- Eight popular emblems of the past series
“The F-104C was abandoned in a ‘graveyard of airplanes,’ and it took Avril and his team more than eight years to restore it,” says the developer regarding the game’s story. However, Bandai Namco clarifies that the “drag racer” iteration of this aircraft is only available in free flight mode, with no armaments equipped. For a punchy fight in the skies, a “regular” version of the F-104C is included in the main game
When the developer isn’t crafting all manner of explosive goodness, it is admiring its own creations. Wondering what aircraft the studio would choose across the game’s missions, Bandai Namco shares that while “it is difficult to choose just one, let us say that the X-02S Strike Wyvern, the original Ace 7 aircraft and the most powerful stealth fighter, is our favorite.”
But beyond Skies Unknown, what’s on the cards for Ace Combat in the future? We already know that a new entry is in the works, but Bandai Namco isn’t quite ready to comment on it yet: “We have no information to share on future works.” It’s a disappointing answer, sure, but the prospect of a new Ace Combat getting chipped away at behind the scenes still fills us with hope. With Ace Combat 7 releasing back in 2019 originally, like pulling off the perfect strafing run, patience is key.
Looking for something else to play alongside Ace Combat 7? Look no further. Here are some of the best Switch multiplayer games you can dive into right now, as well as the best Switch RPG games available.