Ace Combat: Squadron Leader (2019, Playstation 4) Review

BECOME THE MYTH

I wish Ace Combat: Squadron Leader had existed when I was a child, back when the action film Top Gun (1986) made me, like so many others, fantasize about becoming a fighter pilot. Squadron Leader is no flight simulator, but it captures the sensation of flying so well that your whole body gets into it, whether you are a hair's breadth from crashing or swerving away from an incoming missile at the very last second.

The game combines the dream of flying with another dream: that of peace. There is no clearly defined antagonist. War is a state of affairs unfolding far above the heads of ordinary people, impossible to comprehend, almost like a force of nature.

On the map and in your aircraft's HUD, the enemy is marked in red; allies in blue. Some high-ranking military officers want to see the red burn because the red wants to see the blue burn. You, meanwhile, fight to put an end to the madness, much like Prince Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke (2000).

The game takes place on a fictional version of our planet called Strangereal (a strange name that apparently originated from the developers at Namco not being particularly good at English). You play as a rookie pilot named Blaze, also known as Kid, who must defend his nation of Osea when the superpower and former ally Yuktobania invades without explanation.

Squadron Leader makes the unusual choice of leaving you without a voice or a face throughout the entire game, as though you were the one actually sitting in the cockpit. This puzzled me at first — I couldn't figure out which of the characters in the cutscenes was supposed to be me (the answer: none of them) — but I eventually came to appreciate how deeply immersive it is.

As the campaign progresses, my squadron and I become increasingly notorious. Over the radio, I hear the enemy refer to us as "Razgriz" — mythical demons who, according to legend, first appear to wreak havoc before returning as heroes.

You lead your men through a dramatic campaign, with understated, almost poetic storytelling between each mission. But it is not the visual presentation that stays with you — outside of the cutscenes, the game mostly consists of sky, ground and HUD elements.

The drama instead unfolds on the soundtrack: partly through the brilliant orchestral score, and partly through the radio chatter between the pilots. Characters and relationships develop in the middle of missions. The praise from your wingmen is intoxicating, as is the panic of the enemy. Every now and then, you are asked to answer simple yes-or-no questions. A couple of these affect the course of the following mission.

The controls convincingly emulate the sensation of flying. What may initially seem intimidating is actually deceptively simple. There are two control schemes, both easy to pick up: a simplified one with direct control over your turns, and a slightly more advanced one in which you bank the aircraft and turn using the y-axis. Neither is entirely realistic, but the illusion is perfect. Takeoffs, landings and aerial refuelling also make an appearance — sequences that, thankfully, are as optional as they are tedious.

As easy as the controls are to learn, the campaign is anything but easy to win. A number of factors are stacked against you. Your side is severely outnumbered in every mission, and you are usually racing against the clock as well. Quite a few missions involve escorting other aircraft. If the enemy shoots down the thing you're supposed to protect, well... tough luck. Start over. Worst of all, there are no checkpoints. You have to complete each mission in one sitting, which can take up to 20 minutes.

To improve your odds, you can purchase new aircraft between missions. Many of them are based on real-world planes: the F-15 Eagle, F-117 Nighthawk, JAS 39 Gripen, and more. Some of the later missions can become a nightmare without the more expensive aircraft and their superior weaponry. The final mission culminates in a sort of "trench run" through a tunnel — one of the few moments that made me lose my composure for a while.

Storytelling and tight gameplay mechanics combine to form a strong foundation. One mission has you defending a sports stadium from a bombing raid. Without any context, it would seem like just another mission in a game full of them. But as you fight, you hear dramatic news reports from the ground, and when the entire crowd comes together in a hymn for peace, I get goosebumps — just as I do when I hear the main theme from Top Gun.

Grand moments like this keep recurring throughout the game, all while you weave between incoming missiles and try to lock your own onto enemy aircraft. The overall experience is profoundly affecting: when one of my wingmen crashes, I am devastated; when I fail, I want revenge; and when I triumph, the feeling is overwhelming.

Like Top Gun, Ace Combat: Squadron Leader refuses to capture the harsh reality of being a fighter pilot. Instead, it depicts the making of a myth that will live on for generations — a myth in which you and your squadron stand at the centre.

[Screenshots are lifted from www.mobygames.com]