- "Play through the game following a storyline."
- ― Main Menu, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Campaign is a gameplay mode featured in every Ace Combat game ever released. It allows the player to play through a series of missions that follow a central storyline, typically in a linear order. Most Ace Combat titles feature cutscenes which play between missions to further progress the story.
Briefings[]
- "Your mission is to atone for your crimes by attracting the enemy's attention. First, I want you to head from the base to the desert region of Roca Roja to the northwest. And then second you'll attack the large Erusean base there."
- ― Colonel D. McKinsey[1]
Prior to each campaign mission, a briefing will play which informs the player of their initial objectives. One exception, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, didn't feature these briefings and instead had the player informed of mission details during cutscenes.
Some Ace Combat titles include a map of the mission area that will display enemy locations after the informative section. In Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, the area map could be toggled to display specific operations within the mission.[2]
Aircraft Preparations[]
- "Aircraft preparations complete. Stand by at the front."
- ― Osean officer[1]
Following the briefing, the player will then be sent to the Hangar where they can select their desired aircraft for the mission.
Progressing in the campaign allows the player to purchase more aircraft from the Hangar, with the one exception being Ace Combat Infinity, which provides the player with a different aircraft set each subsequent mission.[3]
Campaigns[]
Main Games[]
Air Combat[]
The campaign of Air Combat takes place in Strangereal during the Skully Islands insurrection. The player takes control of Phoenix as he fights for the Federation of Central Usea against the insurrectionists.[4]
Ace Combat 2[]
The campaign of Ace Combat 2 takes place in Strangereal during the Usean coup d'état. The player once again takes control of Phoenix, but now fights for the Usean Allied Forces against the Usean Rebel Forces. In 2011, the campaign of Ace Combat 2 was retconned by Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.[5]
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere[]
The campaign of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere takes place in Strangereal during the 2040s, where multiple instances of the Intercorporate War were simulated. The player takes control of Nemo through the events of a branching storyline.[6]
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies[]
The campaign of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies takes place in Strangereal during the Continental War. The player takes control of Mobius 1 as he fights for the Independent State Allied Forces against the Federal Republic of Erusea.[7]
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War[]
The campaign of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War takes place in Strangereal during the Circum-Pacific War (Belkan Conflict). The player takes control of Blaze as he fights for the Osean Federation against the Union of Yuktobanian Republics. Later on in the campaign, the player takes command of Razgriz Squadron.[8]
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War[]
The campaign of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War takes place in Strangereal during the Belkan War and A World With No Boundaries uprising. The player takes control of Cipher as he fights for the Allied Forces against the Belkan Federation and the subsequent rise of A World With No Boundaries.[9]
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation[]
The campaign of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation takes place in Strangereal during the Emmeria-Estovakia War. The player takes control of Talisman as he fights for the Republic of Emmeria against the Federal Republic of Estovakia.[2]
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown[]
The campaign of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown takes place in Strangereal during the Lighthouse War (Second Continental War). The player takes control of Trigger as he fights for the Osean Federation against the Kingdom of Erusea. Initially a member of Mage Squadron, the player is later transferred to the penal unit, Spare Squadron, after committing a crime.[10]
Secondary Games[]
Ace Combat Advance[]
The campaign of Ace Combat Advance takes place in Strangereal during 2032. The player takes control of Ace as they fight for the United Air Defense against General Resource Limited during a brief conflict.[11]
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception[]
The campaign of Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception takes place in Strangereal during the latter half of the Aurelian War. The player takes control of Gryphus One as he fights for the Federal Republic of Aurelia against the Democratic Republic of Leasath. The campaign features a branching path system.[12]
Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion[]
The campaign of Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion takes place in Strangereal during the onset of the Aurelian War. The player takes control of Falco One as he fights for the Federal Republic of Aurelia against the Democratic Republic of Leasath. The game serves as a prequel to Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception.[13]
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy[]
The campaign of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy retcons Ace Combat 2 and takes place in Strangereal during the Usean coup d'état. The player takes control of Phoenix and fights for the Usean Allied Forces against the Usean Rebel Forces. The campaign somtimes allows the player to select between missions.[14]
Spin-Off Games[]
Ace Combat: Joint Assault[]
The campaign of Ace Combat: Joint Assault takes place in the Joint Assault universe during the Valahia Crisis. The player takes control of Antares One and fights for the International Union Peacekeeping Force against the Valahia terrorist organization.[15]
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon[]
The campaign of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon takes place in the Assault Horizon universe during the New Russian Federation uprising. The player takes control of William Bishop and fights for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization against the New Russian Federation.[16]
Ace Combat: Northern Wings[]
The campaign of Ace Combat: Northern Wings takes place in Strangereal during multiple different time periods. The player takes control of Grendel 1 and fights to maintain the neutrality of the The Kingdom of Nordennavic. Whether Ace Combat: Northern Wings is canon is disputed, as it conflicts with many events portrayed in previous games.[17]
Ace Combat Infinity[]
The campaign of Ace Combat Infinity takes place in the Infinity universe during the Sons of Troia insurgency and USEAn War. The player takes control of Reaper and fights for the United Nations against the USEA Federation. The campaign in Infinity ended on a cliffhanger, however, some Online Co-Op Missions which took place after the campaign are considered canon.[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Long Day", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ace Combat Infinity
- ↑ Air Combat (PS1)
- ↑ Ace Combat 2
- ↑ Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
- ↑ Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
- ↑ Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
- ↑ Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
- ↑ Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
- ↑ Ace Combat Advance
- ↑ Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
- ↑ Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion
- ↑ Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
- ↑ Ace Combat: Joint Assault
- ↑ Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
- ↑ Ace Combat: Northern Wings