The Belkan Federation began a conquest war fifteen years ago, seizing neighboring nations. The Osean Federation and the Union of Yuktobanian Republics formed a military alliance to combat them. These two superpowers pushed the Balkans back, but their counter-invasion was cut short when the Belkans exploded six nuclear weapons on their territory, stopping the alliance from advancing on them. The great conflict has come to an end, and peace has prevailed. The nations of Osea and Yuktobanian have remained allies. Captain Bartlett (callsign: “Heartbreaker”) trains new pilots as the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron, designated “Wardog” in the Osean Air Defense Force (OADF) on the little remote “Sand Island” off the western coast of Osea. Unidentified planes come on the radar during a regular training operation and proceed to shoot down many of the squadron’s inexperienced pilots. The company has few survivors, and the tragedy is being investigated while the military tries to figure out what happened. Soon later, Yuktobania declares war on Osea, kicking off a new fight.
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is a first-person flight and air combat simulator. Like in earlier Ace Combat games, each mission is set by a level briefing and goals. The primary campaign mode consists of 32 tasks. In contrast, an additional “arcade” mode places the player in the role of Mobius One (from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies) against endless waves of enemy attacks. Regardless of the method selected, while in the air, the player will have control of their aircraft’s speed, direction, altitude, gun cannon, missiles, and special weapons. The concept of Wingmen and being able to issue simple orders to them in the air is a new element from previous Ace Combat games. This allows the gamer to coordinate group strikes better while providing each wingman their personality. Furthermore, as a squadron leader, the player will be asked to make decisions (“Yes/No”) in the air. The tale is progressed through a series of cutscenes in between missions.
Successfully destroying enemy targets awards the player money, which may be spent on new planes. Special weapons are no longer required to be acquired in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies; however, airplanes in the inventory apply to the entire squadron; thus, if the player wants a whole wing of F-16s, they must have enough for everyone to fly.
Though set in a fictional world, Ace Combat 5 features real-world aircraft such as the F-14 Tomcat, Su-27 Flanker, F-16, A-6 Intruder, A-10 Thunderbolt, F-15, F/A-18, Tornado, and many more.
