Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platform: Switch
Tested on: Switch
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – Deluxe Edition – Review
We didn’t realize it was already five years ago that we literally dove into the aerial combat of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. We absolutely loved the atmosphere of the game, the interesting CGI cinematics, and of course, the amazing gameplay that made us revisit the game quite a few times in the past few years. Even so, we assumed that would be it for the franchise for a while, while we silently hoped an eighth installment would hit the (digital) shelves soon. We were then somewhat surprised to see the 2019 game being ported to Nintendo’s senior Switch hybrid console. We feared the worst, considering the high quality and fast-paced explosive action Ace Combat 7 presented us with, as Nintendo’s handheld device isn’t known to be a powerhouse. That being said, we were quite blown away. We will not be delving into the absolute nitty and gritty of the general experience, as that has remained largely unchanged for this port. If you want to learn more about the general experience, we suggest reading our original review by clicking here.
Outside of the great-looking cinematics, most of you are probably wondering about the general graphical quality of the game on the Switch, and how well it actually performs. We can easily say that the game took us by surprise, as the graphics look amazing on Nintendo’s handheld device. The game boasts impressive details, and the aerial combat simply looks great. During the regular missions, we didn’t notice that many framerate issues, except when a lot of things were blown up on the screen at once. This was more noticeable during the multiplayer dogfights, of which we sadly didn’t play too many. The online lobbies are a bit dead. There are some asset pop-ins here and there, to probably ensure that things kept running smoothly. The Switch version of AC7 is also capped at 30 FPS, but this didn’t bother us one bit. We do have to mention that the font for text was quite small in handheld mode, and we did enjoy our experience the most in docked mode. Even so, it was still satisfying to shoot down enemy aircraft on the go.
The sound design has remained unchanged, and you can still opt for Japanese or English voice acting. The game does a formidable job portraying an alternate timeline, and even the second time around we very much enjoyed the storyline. Aside from the cinematics, the sound effects provide great audio feedback for the engines of the planes, the weapon sounds, and of course the many explosions from blowing up enemy fighter jets. The sound design was given a lot of attention to detail, as all weapons sound different, and things feel highly realistic.
Nothing has really changed in terms of gameplay, and you’ll be treated to a very intuitive experience. Veterans can crank up the difficulty and mess around with the control scheme, while novice pilots can ease into the experience. You cannot change the difficulty settings in a campaign. If you pick a difficulty that is too high, you might need to start over at a lower difficulty setting. The Deluxe Edition adds a few planes to the mix, some skins, and a few new missions. Some of the newly added aircraft do feel a bit stronger compared to some of the others, however. Even so, picking an aircraft is still up to you, and it’s nice to have an option that perhaps makes things easier so you can fully enjoy the story that unfolds. The combat remains as satisfying as ever, and we found ourselves enjoying mission after mission, slowly upgrading our aircraft.
Conclusion
To be perfectly honest, if you played the original and are not interested in playing the game on the go, there is probably very little reason to pick up the Switch version. If the Switch is your platform of choice and the idea of doing intense dogfights on the go is your cup of tea, then picking up the Deluxe Version of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a no-brainer. Bandai Namco has absolutely nailed this port, and there are only a few games on the Switch that look this great. The campaign is entertaining, the additional content is a fun touch, and the general gameplay loop is as interesting as it was back in 2019. If you’re looking for a great title for Nintendo’s aging hybrid console, you don’t have to look any further.
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