The sixth game in the Ace Combat series is a precursor to Ace Combat 5 and chronicles the story of the Belkan War, which was alluded to in the previous match, Unsung War. The narrative is narrated from the point of view of a reporter 15 years after the event, who is tasked with unearthing secrets regarding the Belkan conflict and how it led to match, as well as the results of nuclear detonations that occurred within their borders and a near-catastrophic secret that nearly destroyed a nation.
The primary game mode is “story mode,” In this mode, players assume control of an Ustio mercenary pilot with the call sign “Demon Lord.” They then participate in the conflict at hand, completing missions and making progress in the narrative as they do so. The assignments can involve anything that can be completed in the air, and there will be a variety of them, including escort, assault, and defense tasks. As was the case with the games that came before it, the focus of this one is not on simulation but rather intense dogfighting in high-powered aircraft—more like Top Gun and less like objective reality.
There are thirty officially licensed fighter jets available for selection. There is also a new gimmick called the “Ace Style” meter, allowing users to shape the narrative however they see fit. The player has the option of taking out solely planned targets, which would earn them the “knight” ranking; taking out military targets and minimal human causalities, which would make them the “soldier” ranking; or taking out damaged planes and causing a large number of civilian casualties, which would make them the “mercenary” order. The more times a player goes through the game, the more the game will adapt to the player’s play style. Depending on the player’s play style, the game may send out new and more deadly squadrons to try to stop the player from completing the game.
