Ace Combat: Fusion of Skies

Ace Combat: Fusion of Skies is the latest game in the Ace Combat series set in Strangereal and it features characters from different anime, manga, movies, and video game franchises (mostly franchises involving air combat). The gameplay features Arcade-like combat flight simulator with RPG-elements.

Summary
In the year 2025, 15 years after the events of the Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and 5 years after the events of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. A mysterious, militaristic world faction known as the ANGIL involves hegemonic plans to provide the completion of the world domination by seeking and distributing both terrorism and powerful weapons of mass destruction from countries such as Belka, Estovakia and Erusea. According to the intelligence of the IUN, it is said that the global imperialists work behind the scenes and is responsible for developing superweapons as their doomsday devices and blackmailing various governments in most countries like Osea, Ustio, Emmeria, FCU and even Yuktobania. Since the formation of the IUN's military subsidiary known as the International Military Force, the squadron of I.M.F led by the Ace Avatar (name, callsign and gender is player determined in the start of the campaign) is called into action to deal with these threats caused by the ANGIL and end their tyrannical menace.

Gameplay
The flight model in Ace Combat: Fusion of Skies will feel like Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. The HUD will be very reminiscent of Ace Combat Infinity. Flares will return for player control from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Checkpoints will also return, allowing players to restart a mission from a particular checkpoint if they die in the middle of a mission. The Boresight System, returning from Zero, allows the player to select their lock-on targets manually with a thumbstick instead of cycling through bogeys and ground targets.

There are a total of 85 missions in the campaign mode, which are played in a linear sequence. Before each mission, the player selects an available plane to pilot and steers it through the combat airspace to complete their mission objectives. Some missions feature a "Mission Update", at which point the objective changes, resetting the mission timer. Once the mission objectives are complete, the player is awarded bonus money for performing above and beyond the requirements of the mission. With missions that require landing or refueling in mid-air, bonus money can be earned by doing them quickly.

Like Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Clouds still play a major role in gameplay. Units inside of clouds, including the player, will gain stealth. However, visibility is poor inside clouds, and the player will risk crashing into other aircraft or the terrain. The player's aircraft will ice and stall if they stay in cloud cover for too long.

For the first time ever in an Ace Combat game, Players are now able to choose their character's gender and enter their callsign and name at the beginning of the game.

In addition to the dogfights and bombing runs, there are some skipable 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, the Return Line makes a return in Fusion of Skies for certain missions. These missions contain too many enemies to destroy with just one payload, so the player has to return to the air base by crossing the Return Line at the edge of the map. Returning the base fully rearms (on all difficulties) and repairs their plane (all difficulties except Ace), and allows to select different special weapons. The mission timer is stopped and only resumes the countdown when the player returns to battle.

The player can earn XP (Experience Points) by completing many tasks that can't be spent, but allow the player to ran up to level 80, the highest level in the game.

The player can also manually perform Post Stall Maneuvers. If successful, the player can get behind an enemy aircraft and turn a dogfight in their favor.

Customization
Similar to Ace Combat X, Joint Assault, Assault Horizon Legacy, Infinity and Skies Unknown, Fusion of Skies also has a tuning system which, after unlocking an aircraft, allows the player to upgrade that aircraft through the Aircraft Tree. Players can tweak their aircraft by swapping out and upgrading their aircraft's armor, missile power, gun damage, engine power, power of certain weapons, and more. Further aircraft and parts on the tree can only be unlocked if all of the aircraft and parts that show up previously on the same branch are unlocked and purchased.

The player can also customize the plane's color scheme from a limited set of colors, which can be gained by meeting certain goals in missions, such as shooting down "ace" pilots.

Wingman interaction
As with the previous games of the series, the player is the flight lead and can give orders to their wingman with the arrow buttons. There are four possible commands:


 * Attack concentrates wingman's fire on the targets being currently pursued by the player.
 * Disperse lets the wingmen choose his/her own targets. Repeated selection of the Disperse order additionally specifies whether the wingmen should only engage air, ground units, or both.
 * Cover recalls the wingmen back to the player 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.

Bravery Points is a new feature are the fundamental keys to the wingman command. Every time an assist attacks is successfully performed, the points accumulate until consumed to perform the following assist attacks below. Before each mission, the player can pick 4 of 20 wingmen available that can be assigned for his/her formation, similar to Lethal Skies. There are a total of 20 possible wingmen that can be recruited throughout the campaign.

The left and right buttons also help the player answer 'Yes' or 'No' to dialogue prompts to raise your experience points (XP).

Aircraft
Ace Combat: Fusion of Skies features a huge variety aircraft, of which are real or prototypes and some of them are fictional. To purchase aircraft for the player and their squadron, the player has to unlock them by completing missions, research them in the Aircraft tree, then buy them by expending credits. Credits are earned by destroying hostile or neutral ("yellow") targets. Only one plane is available from the start: the Super Etendard, From mission four on, the player is given the option to purchase new aircraft and special weapons at Harry and Cindy's Hangar.

In addition to a machinegun and all-purpose missiles, each plane is equipped with a reasonable number of special weapons, specialized against either ground or air targets. It 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.

Before each mission, the player can also select the paint scheme for their plane and the wingman. Paint schemes are purely cosmetic and do not cost anything. Each plane can have up to ten paint schemes, with two exceptions. The colors available range from a basic colorway modeled after existing production aircraft, to special colors from Ace Combat X, 'Ace Combat Zero and "legacy" liveries lifted from past games, such those used by Cipher, Mobius One, Razgriz and Talisman.

Playable

 * 1) Super Etendard (UGB, NPB, RCL, HCAA)
 * 2) A-7E Corsair
 * 3) A-4N Skyhawk
 * 4) F-5E Tiger II
 * 5) F-1 Kaizen
 * 6) MiG-21bis Fishbed
 * 7) F-4E Phantom II
 * 8) A-6E Intruder
 * 9) J35J Draken
 * 10) J-7M
 * 11) Kfir C.7
 * 12) JA-37 Viggen
 * 13) MiG-27 Flogger
 * 14) F-20A Tigershark
 * 15) F-111F Aardvark
 * 16) J-8H Finback
 * 17) XFA-24A Apalis
 * 18) MiG-25PDS Foxbat
 * 19) Su-25SM Frogfoot
 * 20) AV-8B Harrier II+
 * 21) MiG-29A Fulcrum
 * 22) Mirage 2000-5
 * 23) F-16C Fighting Falcon
 * 24) I-2000
 * 25) JH-7 Flying Leopard
 * 26) EA-6B Prowler
 * 27) F-CK-1A Ching Kuo
 * 28) Tornado GR.1
 * 29) F-14A Tomcat
 * 30) MiG-29K Sea Fulcrum
 * 31) EF-111A Raven
 * 32) F/A-18C Hornet
 * 33) A-10C Thunderbolt II
 * 34) Yak-141 Freestyle
 * 35) MiG-31B Foxhound
 * 36) S-55 LFS Flanker Zero
 * 37) F-16F Desert Falcon
 * 38) Mirage 2000D
 * 39) Su-24M Fencer-D
 * 40) JF-17 Thunder
 * 41) F-14B Bombcat
 * 42) Su-27 Flanker-B
 * 43) YA-10B
 * 44) Tornado F.3
 * 45) F-15C Eagle
 * 46) X-29A
 * 47) HAL Tejas
 * 48) A-12 Avenger II
 * 49) Su-24MP Fencer-F
 * 50) F-14D Super Tomcat
 * 51) YR-302 Fregata
 * 52) F/A-18E Super Hornet
 * 53) JAS-39E Gripen
 * 54) F-117A Nighthawk
 * 55) Su-33 Flanker-D
 * 56) F-16XL
 * 57) Tornado GR.4
 * 58) XR-45 Cariburn
 * 59) J-10A Vanguard
 * 60) Su-30SM
 * 61) X-32 JSF
 * 62) F-2A Viper Zero
 * 63) F-15E Strike Eagle
 * 64) Su-34 Fullback
 * 65) ASF-X Shinden II
 * 66) J-31
 * 67) EA-18G Growler
 * 68) Rafale M
 * 69) F-35A Lightning II
 * 70) Su-35S Flanker-E
 * 71) EF-2000 Typhoon
 * 72) YF-23 Black Widow II
 * 73) J-20
 * 74) ATD-0
 * 75) Su-47 Berkut
 * 76) F-15S/MTD
 * 77) YR-99 Forneus
 * 78) Su-37 Terminator
 * 79) F-22A Raptor
 * 80) MiG 1.44 MFI
 * 81) FB-22 Concept
 * 82) S-32
 * 83) X-36
 * 84) Su-57
 * 85) X-02 Wyvern
 * 86) ADFX-01 Morgan
 * 87) CFA-44 Nosferatu
 * 88) ADF-01 Falken
 * 89) XFA-33 Fenrir
 * 90) XFA-27

Playables

 * The Ace Avatar (name and callsign is player determined)

Birthplace: Osea

Gender: Player-determined

Voice Actor: Troy Baker (Male #1), Ben Diskin (Male #2), Bryce Papenbrook (Male #3), Erica Lindbeck (Female #1), Erin Fitzgerald (Female #2), Christina Valenzuela (Female #3)

Note: The Ace Avatar is the character the player creates and customizes in the pre-game Character Customization screen. The character can either be male or female, and a number of options are given to the player as to how they want this character to look. The Ace Avatar only speaks during missions.


 * Kei Nagase (Ace Combat)

Birthplace: Osea

Gender: Female

Voice Actor: Karen Strassman


 * Ken Thomas (Air Force Delta)

Birthplace: Osea

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Xander Mobus

Birthplace: FCU
 * Grace Winfield (Lethal Skies/Sidewinder)

Gender: Female

Voice Actor: Laura Bailey

Birthplace: Osea
 * John Rundal (Air Force Delta)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Matthew Mercer

Birthplace: Ratio
 * Sophitia Alexandra (Soul Calibur)

Gender: Female

Voice Actor: Eden Riegel

Birthplace: FCU
 * Shin Kazama (Area 88)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Crispin Freeman

Birthplace: Osea
 * Ruth Valentine (Air Force Delta)

Gender: Female

Voice Actor: Xanthe Huynh

Birthplace: Osea
 * Jake Russell (Lethal Skies/Sidewinder)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Grant George

Birthplace: FCU
 * Mickey Simon (Area 88)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Ray Chase

Birthplace: Osea
 * Matt Gallagher (Lethal Skies/Sidewinder)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Travis Willingham

Birthplace: Osea
 * Holst Prendre (Air Force Delta)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Darin De Paul

Birthplace: FCU
 * John Harvard (Ace Combat)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Johnny Yong Bosch

Birthplace: Belka
 * Rean Schwarzer (Legend of Heroes)

Gender: Male

Voice Actor: Sean Chiplock

Birthplace: Erusean
 * Aya Brea (Parasite Eve)

Gender: Female

Voice Actor: Yvonne Strahovski

Friendlies
Birthplace: Osea
 * Amelia Johnson (Air Force Delta)

Callsign: AWACS Nomad

Gender: Female

Plane: E-767

Voice Actor: Michelle Ruff

Birthplace: Ustian
 * Cindy Aurum (Final Fantasy)

Gender: Female

Voice Actor: Erin Matthews

Enemies
Birthplace: Belka
 * The Gyrfalcon (Lethal Skies/Sidewinder)

Gender: Male

Aircraft: F-22A Raptor

Voice Actor: D.C. Douglas

Birthplace: Erusean
 * Aranea Highwind (Final Fantasy)

Gender: Female

Aircraft: Su-47 Berkut

Voice Actor: Kari Wahlgren