It's been a while since I've played an Ace Combat title—actually, I think the last time I played any kind of flight combat game at any length was back on the PS2. And while I often try to keep an open mind when going into reviews (honest!) I have to say I was a little dubious about developer Project Aces' efforts to squeeze the action of aerial combat onto a handheld—much less one without a second analog stick to fine tune the controls. Hell, Battlefield 3 has the benefit of a full controller and piloting a jet there is nothing short of a challenge.
So with those limitations in mind, how did the awkwardly-titled Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy fare?
THE BASICS
In Ace Combat AHL, you play as callsign "Phoenix," a pilot for a NATO-type organization tasked with taking out a rebel threat in the skies above the game's unnamed countries, shooting down their fighter jets and hitting ground and sea targets associated with their forces. You're outfitted with a basic jet and weapons, but upon completing missions, you'll earn a ranking and score which translates into money that you can use for upgraded arms, modifications to your current plane, as well as new planes from the game's extensive roster.
The nature of most aerial combat games involves finding a way to get around your opponent as well as avoiding their incoming missile attacks. But how does Ace Combat AHL handle the kind of deftness required for these sorts of aerial exercises? With what's called Combat Maneuvers and its associated meter. When you've got a lock on an enemy, a meter will fill in the main screen, and when it reaches above a certain threshold, you'll press Y to whip around behind your opponent and let loose with your missiles or machine guns. The trick is maintaining a bead on the enemy long enough for the meter to fill. This mechanic serves double duty for evasive maneuvers, and when a visual alert appears on the screen, you'll press Y along with a direction prompt to avoid enemy missiles.
THE HIGHS
The thrill of aerial combat on the go
In spite of the workaround, it seldom feels like Ace Combat is holding your hand—the actual aerial battles are pretty intense and quite a few times I had to go back and retry a mission thanks to the aggressiveness of the enemy. In a typical mission, you'll be bucking left and right attempting to keep a bead on a bogey while also avoiding incoming enemy fire, making the experience feel alive and perilous more often than not. The missions included here run a very solid range of objective types from simple air-to-air assaults, to stopping supply drops, to taking out enemy ordnance to the dreaded escort mission. There's even a pretty cool Survival Mode which allows you to replay some of the game's missions for extra money, the challenge here being that the missions are on a timer and to get your time, and weapons increased, you'll have to take out specific targets.
Where can I buy that soundtrack?
I almost placed this as the "High" for the game, (no offense intended to the engaging gameplay). The score is varied and sounds largely symphonic. For a bit I was convinced that the score was at least in part byTekken composers Akitaka Toyama and Hiroshi Okubo. After a bit of digging around, I've found that the soundtrack is at least in part by Tetsukazu Nakanishi and Go Shiina, who fill up the cart with unexpected sounds for dogfights including violin accompaniment. In fact, nearly all of the audio for the game is top-notch (save for the actual rocket fire which sounds a little tinny when compared to the other going effects).
A very solid use of the 3D hardware
You'll still have to wrestle with occasionally losing focus after extended play, especially during sequences with lots of fast-moving visual elements, but for the most part, the game is actually enhanced by the 3D instead of simply using it as another feature on the back of the box. As a result, explosions, enemy planes, missiles, and UI all have separate, distinct, and functional layers that never trip over one another.
Still, given all that's happening onscreen, I'd recommend frequent breaks to prevent eyestrain.
THE LOWS
Still just a workaround for a lack of a second analog stick
Yes, the Combat Maneuvers mechanic is functional and keeps Ace Combat aloft, yet it's no substitute for, well, the maneuverability afforded to having a second analog stick. It feels strange to not be able to execute a barrel roll on command, and to a certain extent, confining. Given how much I enjoyed the rest of the game, it's nowhere near an experience-killer, but it's an absence that you'll constantly feel.
AI wingmen could use a little more time in flight school
During several of the game's missions you'll be allowed to bring along wingem for support and assault functions. But as far as I could tell, they mostly just flew alongside my plane without attacking enemies.
Escort missions: who needs 'em?
They're particularly problematic here when the objectives you're protecting have no clear indicators about their health. Also, when you inevitably find yourself replaying these missions, you'll have to listen to some not-great dialog a few times .
THE VERDICT
Absent a second analog stick, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy lives or dies by the maneuvers mechanic. And while it's by no means a perfect solution, it's really the most elegant one given the current limitations of the hardware. If you can accept this compromise, then you might find that Namco Bandai's latest flight shooter frequently provides exquisitely-crafted thrills in the skies helped along by a very solid execution of the game's 3D.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy is available now for the 3DS.
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