The long-running Ace Combat series has made quite a name for itself over the years. Originally released as a PlayStation exclusive all the way back on the PS1, the series eventually branched out to other platforms and even crossed over with Top Gun. It is known as one of the best fighter jet series on the market, and aircraft aficionados cannot get enough of it. There are currently eight mainline entries, but there are also some lesser-known titles that often get overlooked. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is one such game, but not for any reason one might think.
You see, Ace Combat 5 is in fact the fifth mainline game in the series before the release of Ace Combat: Zero, and it did quite well. Since then, however, the game has been re-released as an HD remastered title exclusively for the PlayStation 4, and this is the version that a lot of fans may not even realize exists. This is because, besides being an exclusive, it was only included as a pre-order bonus with Ace Combat 7 and could only be obtained within a specific window. That means anyone who missed out on it will never have a chance to play it, unless Bandai Namco decides to one day release it again in another form. Thankfully, the PlayStation 2 version of the game still exists, so this isn’t a game entirely lost to time. While this review is for the PlayStation 4 HD release, it is important to note that content-wise it is the same as the original, but with higher-quality visuals. So, anyone looking to play this game should feel free to check it out on PS2 instead, as it will be the same game. This review, however, is based on the modern release.
But putting that aside, what is Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, and is it worth playing in 2025 and beyond? Well, get ready to hop into the pilot's seat to find out!
The Story:
The game follows the story of a young pilot known by the callsign Blaze. Originally a trainee on Sand Island, Blaze is pulled into a war when their peaceful life is interrupted by an attack from Yuktobania, one of the world's leading superpowers. During the initial attacks, Captain Barlett, the leader of the Wardog squadron, is shot down and goes missing in action. In return, Blaze is promoted to squad leader in his place. From here on out, Blaze, the player, leads Wardog on mission after mission as they fight back against Yuktobania and attempt to put an end to this new war.
Although all mainline Ace Combat games take place within a connected universe, each title is also its own standalone story. The chronological order of events is not the order the games were released, which makes each title a perfect jump-in point. However, longtime fans who play the games in order will have a better understanding of what is going on. For Ace Combat 5, and new players to the series, all that's really needed is explained within the game.
To be blunt, the enemy attacked, and now as Blaze, you must pull off a series of missions to win. This is the basic premise of the entire game, with each mission feeling like the next episode of a TV series. Cutscenes play out before and after missions, with some being fully animated and others being simple briefings. Characters also talk to each other during the missions themselves, with some major events playing out in real-time rather than within the cutscenes themselves.
While the story isn't anything too crazy, one can't help but become attached to these characters, and want to see them overcome their struggle.
The Gameplay:
All Ace Combat titles follow a mission structure, and Ace Combat 5 is no different on this front. You jump into the game's main story mode, select the mission you would like to play, select which aircraft suits your needs, and then select your squad's loadout as well. Each mission in the game is vastly different from the last, which requires you to really think about what you want to bring with you into battle.
The game will question you if you are missing something crucial to success, but for the most part, it does allow you to make your own decisions. If you are going up against underwater submarines yet you fail to use an aircraft that has torpedoes, then you are going to struggle. If you are primarily fighting foes in the air but bring a jet meant for air-raids, then again that is going to be an issue as well. But if you bring a squad that has a mixture of every weapon type you might need for the mission, then you will be able to win — it is just a matter of your own skill level and how much you practice.
Learning to be a Pilot -
The controls are not actually as complicated as one might believe.
The left analog stick works as the jet's center stick, letting players physically control it. Pushing forward (up) leans the aircraft in that direction, which causes the aircraft to point down towards the ground. Pulling back (down) will lean it in the same direction, thus pulling the aircraft towards the sky. And finally, pushing left or right will roll the craft in the same direction, allowing it to roll or flip over.
Many get confused over the fact that up is down, and down is up, but if you consider the physics of the jet itself and think of the analog stick as a physical center stick in the jet, then it is actually a pretty simple concept to wrap your head around. Again, you push in the direction you want to move the aircraft, and leaning forward is what takes you down, just the same as leaning too far forward in real life will cause you to fall.
In addition to the stick movements, L2 and R2 are your throttle and allow you to speed up or slow down. The triggers are pressure-sensitive, which allows you to fine-tune your speed and hold where you need to be. Typically in a dogfight with another aircraft, you want to be slower than the enemy so you can turn sharper and get the upper hand, but moving too slow means missiles can easily catch up to you and hit you. It is a fine balance of speed to gain the upper hand, and Ace Combat allows you to do this precisely.
Finally, we also have the ability to yaw left and right, which is essentially slightly changing your direction to the left or right without needing to roll and pull back. It keeps your current horizontal alignment and shifts things slightly.
The Missions -
Every mission in Ace Combat 5 is unique. The game begins with simple exercises that ask you to take down a set number of enemies within a time limit, but after that, every mission introduces something different. This keeps the game from becoming stale and also ramps up the difficulty quite quickly, as the game never allows you to get fully comfortable with new challenges standing in your way.
While one mission might begin as a "take out every enemy" like the one before it, it doesn't take long for them to introduce targets you need to protect, enemies that need to be shot down before they get away, or even stealth missions where you must destroy targets while flying under a radar, which also requires perfect timing to avoid being spotted. Then you have missions where you initially need to take out the air forces but then also need to strike the ground units as your own ground troops need help.
These are just some of the examples that are seen across the game's 32 main missions, with an arcade mode unlocking later for those who want to enjoy the standard combat. Money is earned for completing missions, with a ranking also being awarded based on how well you did, but this cash can only be used to buy new aircrafts initially, as the game doesn't offer any customization until the main plot has been finished.
One thing to note about each mission is the fact that there are no checkpoints, nor can players save during them, and some missions can take up to 20 minutes to complete. Getting shot down, crashing into the ground, or crashing into other aircrafts will result in an instant failure, so there is more to worry about than simply completing the objective. You have to complete it, and do so almost perfectly.
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