Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War

"Did you know... there are three kinds of aces? Those who seek strength, those who live for pride, and those who can read the tide of battle. Those were the three. And him, he was a true ace."

- Solo-Wing Pixy

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (known as Ace Combat: The Belkan War in Europe) is a prequel to Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, set 15 years before it, during the Belkan War. The single player campaign follows the story of a legendary mercenary ace, "Cipher", and his impact on both the outcome of the war and the opposing aces he defeated in combat. The story is told in retrospect, through the narration of an Osean journalist Brett Thompson and a series of his interviews with the Belkan War veterans, particularly, Cipher's former wingman Larry "Pixy" Foulke.

Gameplay
Typical of the Ace Combat series, most of the game takes place in the air, seen from the cockpit of Cipher's plane. With the default controls, players steer their plane with the PS2 controller's right analog stick and aim the camera with the left analog stick, with the arrow buttons used for interaction with the wingman. The player can choose between three different control schemes: either Zero-specific, or based off Ace Combat 5 ("ACE5 A" and "ACE5 B"). The new Boresight System allows the player to select their lock-on targets manually with a thumbstick instead of cycling through bogeys and ground targets.

Ace Style
The central feature of the game is a dualistic alignment system based on the player's treatment of neutral targets. Unlike the previous games in the series, Zero features non-hostile destructible "yellow targets" (called so because they are highlighted yellow on the radar). These targets are either civilian ground facilities or previously hostile planes that took critical damage and attempt to escape the battle airspace. Yellow targets are harmless and are not required to destroy in order to complete the mission, so neither the wingman, nor allied planes will target them. However, since destroying yellow targets brings additional credits, the players are given the option to shoot them at their discretion.

Whether the player kills or spares the yellow targets determines their Ace Style, represented by a gauge in their mission debriefing screen. The effect is cumulative but yellow targets only appear up until mission 14, so it is impossible to affect the ace style after that point. There are three ace styles in the game:


 * Mercenary Ace. This style emphasizes destroying as many neutral targets as possible (in addition to hostiles), which brings most credits but results in encounters with the toughest enemy aces.
 * Soldier Ace. This style strikes balance between indiscriminate destruction and avoiding unnecessary damage, earning less credits but facing easier enemies.
 * Knight Ace. This style emphasizes minimizing collateral damage (even from high-spread bombs). While the Knight Aces receive the least credits, they also face the least aggressive enemies.

The ace style mainly determines which enemy ace squadrons (see Characters) the player faces in the next level. As a result, it also affects which planes are unlocked upon completing each mission (see Aircraft) and which characters Brett Thompson interviews in the framing story, creating a degree of non-linearity in the game. Last but not least, Cipher's battle record determines the in-game dialogue between allies and enemies, making Cipher either feared (Soldier), revered (Knight), or viewed with disdain (Mercenary).

Wingman interaction

 * Main article: Wingman Command

Like in Ace Combat 5, the player is the flight lead and can give orders to their wingman:


 * Attack concentrates wingman's fire on the targets being currently pursued by Cipher.
 * Disperse lets the wingman choose his own targets. Repeated selection of the Disperse order additionally specifies whether the wingman should only engage air, ground units, or both.
 * Cover recalls the wingman back to Cipher and makes him attack any hostile pursuing the flight lead.
 * Special Weapons toggles the permission to use special munitions (e.g. to preserve them for later). Unlike the other three commands, which are mutually exclusive, this one can be combined with any of them.

The player is no longer given the option to interact with non-player characters with simple yes/no answers, as was the case in Ace Combat 5.

Cutscenes
The cutscenes between the missions are presented as Brett Thompson's interviews with various characters in a pseudo-documentary style. They feature real actors, unlike the hand-drawn slide shows of Ace Combat 04 and pre-rendered animated videos in Ace Combat 5 and 6.

Minigames
In addition to the dogfights and bombing runs, there are some skippable minigames that can be completed for additional money reward. They are the same ones that were seen in Ace Combat 5: taking off, landing, and mid-air refueling, which can take place before or after certain missions. All of them require precise control of the aircraft and have to be completed within very short time for the maximum reward.

Additionally, two missions feature the Return Line, first introduced in Ace Combat 04 (and again used in Ace Combat 6). These missions contain too many enemies to destroy with just one payload, so the player has to return to the airbase by crossing the Return Line at the edge of the map. Returning the base fully rearms and repairs their plane took, and allows to select different special weapons. The mission timer is stopped until the player returns to battle.

Multiplayer
Ace Combat Zero features split-screen multiplayer mode for two players, previously seen in AC04. There are seven multiplayer levels, where the players engage in dogfights against each other, computer-controlled opponents, or both. Four of the levels are taken from earlier games in the series: Mount Schezna and a multiplayer map from AC04 and Bana City and Payavlenie Ravine from AC5.

Story
After years of internal political unrest, which started around 1988 with the Belkan federal law review, Belka allowed its eastern territories to secede. This however, did not remedy the vast economic crisis that had befallen the country. Osea, seeing a chance to make profit, assisted the eastern provinces in declaring independence and setting up Osean-friendly governments; one of which was the Republic of Ustio. An extreme right-wing political group finally comes to power on the 12th of December 1991. Shortly thereafter, vast natural resources were discovered in the B7R region, and Belka invaded outwards on the 25th of March, 1995 recapturing lost territories in a blitzkrieg. These actions prompted both Osea and Yuktobania to combine forces and launch a counter-offensive against Belka.

Characters



 * Cipher (callsign "Galm One"; real name unknown) is the player character of the game and the flight lead of the 66th Air Force Unit. His real identity and name are never revealed, but he eventually distinguishes himself as "The Demon Lord of the Round Table" by defeating a large number of Belkan (and other) aces over the Airspace B7R. Although the player is free to choose any plane for Cipher, officially he flies an F-15C Eagle.
 * Larry "Pixy" Foulke (callsign "Galm Two"; also known as "Solo Wing") is the player's original wingman, introduced in the first mission. His nickname "Solo Wing" refers to the incident before the events of the game when he lost the right wing of his Eagle in combat, but still managed to land it safely. To commemorate this event, Pixy sports a unique paint scheme with his right wing painted bright red. This story may have been based on an real life training incident with an Israeli F-15 Eagle in 1983. Pixy goes missing in action in mission twelve but returns in the final mission. Before his disappearance, he pilots an F-15C Eagle like Cipher.
 * Patrick "PJ" James (callsign "Crow Three", later "Galm Two") is first introduced as a member of the supporting Crow squadron in mission seven. However, when Pixy goes MIA, PJ replaces him as Cipher's wingman, flying with him until the final mission. Throughout the game, he flies an F-16C Fighting Falcon.

Ace Combat Zero features the largest number of named aces in the entire series, justified by the opponents being the legendary Belkan Air Force, famous for training highly skilled pilots. Depending on Cipher's combat style, the Galm team faces different ace squadrons in combat throughout the single player campaign, although some are invariably encountered in every path:

Brett Thompson interviews a member of each squadron the Galm Team defeated (in addition to Pixy), meaning that at least three playthroughs are necessary to watch all cutscenes in the game. In addition to these aces (who are always mission bosses), the game boasts a large number (to the total of 169) of named regular pilots, each of whom has a backstory, which can be read in the Assault Records from the main menu after shooting them down.

Cultural references


The storyline of Ace Combat Zero contains many allusions to the Bible, Norse mythology, and the Arthurian legends.

The Galm Team is the 6th Air Division 66th Air Force Unit. According to most interpretations, 666 is the Number of the Beast, an important figure in the Apocalypse, the last book of the Bible. Also, Cipher's name is a partial homonym of Lucifer, of the names of the Devil, fitting his late-game moniker "the Demon Lord".

"Galm" is a mistranslation of "Garm", which is the name of a powerful demon hound in the Norse mythology that guards Hell. One of the Norse gods, Tyr, is one-handed, having lost his right hand, just like Pixy lost the right wing of his plane. In Ragnarök, the viking end of the world myth, Garm and Tyr battle and kill each other, paralleling Cipher and Pixy's final battle (although Pixy survives being shot down and Cipher simply disappears). Lastly, Galm's deployment against XB-0 Hresvelgr (itself a reference to the Norse mythological giant Hræsvelgr) and Espada Squadron in mission 15 is codenamed "Operation Valkyrie", after the valkyries, female warrior companions of the Norse god Odin. For this mission, Cipher is decorated with the Ragnarok medal.

Airspace B7R, over which many engagements take place, is nicknamed "the Round Table" by the Belkans, meaning that all pilots are on the equal footing there, with no ranks to hinder them, like the vassal knights of the legendary King Arthur. The aces who distinguish themselves over the Round Table are therefore respectfully called "Knights of the Round Table". The super weapon Excalibur is a reference to Arthur's sword by the same name, which he acquired by pulling it out of a stone (according to some legends). In a later mission, an Ustio pilot refers to Cipher as "the guy who pulled out Tauberg's sword". The Hydrian Line, Belkan southern defense line, is a reference to Hadrian's Wall, erected by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to protect the Roman-occupied southern Britain from northern tribes and still intact during Arthur's time. Anthony Palmer and Joshua Bristow owe their nicknames (Sir Bedivere and Sir Lucan, respectively) to the two knights of Arthur's Round Table who carried the mortally wounded king to the lake, where he could be transported to the mythical island of Avalon. The line "The sleeping King in Avalon" refers to Arthur sleeping on Avalon, waiting for the day he will be needed to rule Britain again. Finally, the ADFX-01 Morgan plane may refer to Morgan le Fay, a sorceress who was supposed to heal and protect Arthur on Avalon.

Aircraft
Ace Combat Zero features 36 playable aircraft (33 real or prototypes and 3 fictional), the third largest selection in any AC game to date (after Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat X). To purchase an aircraft for Cipher, the player has to unlock them by completing certain missions and gain enough credits by destroying enemy planes and ground/naval targets. Three planes are available from the start: F-1 Kaizen, F-5E Tiger II, J35J Draken. In addition to a machinegun and all-purpose missiles, each plane is equipped with a limited number of special weapons, specialized against ground or air targets. Like Ace Combat 04 and unlike Ace Combat 5, Zero allows the player to select their special munition after selecting their plane at the beginning of each mission. Only one special weapon type is available for each aircraft upon purchase and two more can be bought later (which special weapons each aircraft can carry is predetermined for each plane, see the table below).

Also unlike in Ace Combat 5, the player can no longer buy and select a plane for their wingman, who flies his starting plane throughout the game. On the other hand, the player is allowed to select wingman's special munition after selecting their own, and all three special weapon types are available to the wingman's plane from the start.

Before each mission, the player can also select the paint scheme for their plane (but not the wingman's). Paint schemes are purely cosmetic and do not cost anything (unlike in Ace Combat 04). Each plane can have up to five paint schemes:


 * Standard, the default paint scheme the plane is purchased with.
 * Mercenary, available for all planes after completing the single player campaign with the Mercenary Ace Style.
 * Soldier, ditto with Soldier Style.
 * Knight, ditto with Knight Style.
 * Special, only available after certain conditions are met (see table below).

Some paint schemes were taken from earlier AC games, such as Cipher's official F-15C colors, which resemble the ISAF F-15C paint scheme in AC04, only without the nose stripe. Mobius One's F-22A Raptor paint scheme and Blaze's F-14D Super Tomcat colors (Soldier style only), and Yellow 13's Su-37 Terminator paint scheme.

Playable aircraft
The mascot aircraft of Ace Combat Zero are two F-15C Eagles with Cipher's colors and Pixy's Red Wing paint scheme, respectively.

The missile payloads in the table below are given for the Normal difficulty level. On difficulty levels below Hard, all planes have unlimited machine gun ammunition.

Unlocking X-02 Wyvern and ADF-01 Falken can be somewhat simplified by having save data from Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5, respectively, on the memory card that contains AC0 saved games. With the AC04 data on the card, the Wyvern is unlocked immediately after the first mission. With the AC5 data, the Falken is unlocked by simply completing the game with all three ace styles (no Supreme medals required). Finally, with both AC04 and AC5 data, both superplanes are unlocked immediately upon completing mission one.

Other aircraft

 * ADFX-02 Morgan
 * AH-64 Apache
 * AV-8B Harrier II
 * B-2A Spirit
 * B-52H Stratofortress
 * C-17A Globemaster III
 * C-130 Hercules
 * CH-47 Chinook
 * E-767
 * KC-10 Extender
 * XB-0 Hresvelgr
 * XB-70 Valkyrie
 * SR-71 Blackbird