The Ace Combat that lets you fly a Prop Plane
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Today, we're taking a look at a Project Aces game that I never knew existed... until recently.
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces
This game is VERY MUCH just another Ace Combat title, albeit slightly more anime than usual and with prop planes.
If you're a fan of the franchise, this is a must play.
#acecombat #acecombat7
Twitter/X: x.com/jarboega...
Just got to add, because I didn't mention it in the video: this game's soundtrack is INCREDIBLE.
Highly recommend checking it out.
Edit: Also need to clarify, as pointed out, that the game is a prequel to the movie.
Just like all other AC titles.
Just like the movie
I was just wondering about that. Was that orchestral Stratovarius in the background??? I could swear that was "destiny".
I think technically the game is set before the events of the film, so those animated cutscenes were made specifically for the game
Was going to say this. Also not technically, the game is set before the events of the film (there is a plane in the movie that is the game's protagonist).
you'd think so considering there's a pretty glaring difference in the artstyle, the film having 3D modelled aircraft and these being drawn
I'm surprised we haven't gotten a prop plan game set in Strangereal. It would be interesting to explore stories of Strangereal's 1900~1950s. WW1 era aerial combat had legends and romanticism that is right up Ace Combat's alley. WW2 has the wonder weapons concepts that would be interesting to fight against.
Would be cool seeing what Belka could come up with assuming Belka was similiar to germany.
Damn Belkan witchcraft! Putting jets and rockets on planes, it isn't natural! Mark my words, one day they'll have planes that fly themselves and pull 30g maneuvers in mid-air!
@@saschapriyambodo7250 They kind of were and weren't. IIRC the Osean War which happened almost when IRL had WW1 featured trench fighting, Belkan airplane dominance and Pearl Harbor style attack on Oured's fleet. Also tanks at the Osean side. Although details are kinda murky and there is also a not-WW2 style conflict later in the 1940s or so.
@@willyverebI wanna see how that turns out. Here, in 1905, the Wright Flyer was just invented and military laughed at the idea of warplanes. In Strangereal 1905, air forces were already separate branches (and not merely under Army command).
Point is, that 1940s conflict might have F-86s and MiG-15s so it's more like not-Korean War.
F-5 was made in 1940s in Ace combat Universe. It would have to be the 1905 belkan-osean war.
There's another Wii arcade flight sim that you might not know about - Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW2. It's similar to Sky Crawlers in its own right, and your mention of how the traditional Ace Combat tunnel run would be exceptionally difficult on a wiimote+nunchuk control scheme reminded me of BA's legendary "the entire level is a tunnel run" segment.
Oh my God, that game was my pre-teenhood.
Completing the ice caves on the Wii remote + nunchuck was difficult, but with enough crashes I eventually got to the point where I can get an ace medal on the first try with a Tempest.
@@red_five3325 memory unlocked
However Blazing Angels was not developed by Project Aces
@@ashandgold the fjord run killed me as a kid...
Blazing Angels was so god damn good! The theme song for that game is so epic and beautiful. Was a huge part of my childhood as well.
Project Aces cooks with anything they ever make, even when it's a movie tie-in
Would love Project Aces to do a Star Wars flight game.
The game is actually a prequel to the film and was meant to be released alongside the movie. The protagonist in the game is actually the villain in the movie called "The Teacher." The main female characters in both game/film are technically the same person in a "Kildern" sense, both game and film explain the Kildern so I'm not getting into that mess. Basically the film is a must watch personally definitely if you like the game. The film is actually quite depressing think of it like all these pilots are stuck in a groundhogs day movie but only if they die and turn over rate is VERY HIGH. The relationship in the film between the main male/female leads is interesting, and I'm suspicious that the male lead is a Kildern clone of "The Teacher" as it explains a lot of the awkwardness when it comes to relationship between those all three characters in the film. Though that's just a "Fan Theory" on my part.
Have you read any of the books? I really enjoyed the movie and have been thinking about giving the book series a try.
@SpitsAreTheBest_Mk.IX_61 I've not touched the books.
Orishina is a lunatic fight. Took me ages when I played but the absolutely banging OST kept me sane
I recall playing this game with the motion controls back in the day. You hold the Wii remote in your left hand and the Nunchuck in your right, the Wii remote being the throttle (tilting up and down) and the Nunchuck being the joystick. This set up is like a real fighter plane. I remember expecting it to be terrible, but being pleasantly surprised! They’re actually really responsive from what I remember. I do also recall beating the game using these controls, although it was incredibly difficult lol
The briefing music almost brought me into nostalgic tears. IMHO, the best "Ace game" right after AC5 and 4. I finished the game, back then, using the wiimote... pretty good controls. Unfortunately, I never watched the movie, but for me the game storytelling work all by itself very well.
I played this as a kid and it’s still some of the most fun I’ve had flying. Beat most of it on the hardest difficulty a few years back, but you’re right about the final boss - I ran the timer down to 0 a couple times trying to do it on normal, let alone hard.
Ooh! So there’s actually a prop version game of Ace Combat?! I thought it never existed! Definitely need to find a copy of this game for reference!
A Prop version of Ace Combat was the sole reason for me to develop a AC mod for a game called Battlestations Pacific.
Plus I love a good story driven game
You would probably also enjoy the Lucas Arts classic Secret Weapons Over Normandy.
@ interesting! Thank you for the tip!
An AC mod for BSP? Tell me more...
You'd love to play Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WW2. It has all that Ace Combat players love. Experimental aircraft, giant bosses, memorable characters + a waifu material, amazing soundtrack, and of course, a tunnel run.
Blazing Angels 1 and 2: Allow us to introduce ourselves.
As a small clarification. the cutscenes in this game are not "ripped from the movie" because this game is a prequel to the movie.
Ace Combat Joint Assault be like: I guess no one remember me
Assault Horizon: You'll get used to it
It's better we don't remember assault horizon
I remember beating the final boss with the Wii joy cons on Ace difficulty. The trick is genuinely being as defensive and trying to stick in her maneuver circle till you get to at least level 2. You also want to min max your desired plane to have max armor and mobility. The fight is just really a pain though cause her damage gets extra stupid in Ace difficulty.
"Hardest Boss in the Ace Combat Series"
Sulejmani from AC:Joint Assault: am i a joke to you?
Was thinking that too and they both fight in a similar style.
And you can even fight him in prop plane! If you are a masochist and love suffering, dont use sniper OS
The final boss looks like AC: Zero's "ZERO" mission, but worse.
I can still hear
《His only weak point is his front air intakes, you've gotta attack him from head on!》
Ace Combat Infinity had prop planes that were killer for destroying ground stuff with guns, I'd often run MVP and it was hilarious to "beat" jets with a BF-109 Messerschmidt
Just to put out there, handheld versions of Ace Combat included some prop planes also, F6F-5 Hellcat and A6M5 ZERO where in Ace Combat Joint Assault for example.
Mamoru Oshii moment.
Okay, whoa, thats pretty sweet :O. Motion controls can certainly likc ma bawlz but I'm glad they have some classic ace controls.
I always said it'd be cool as hell to get an Ace Combat set during the late prop/early jet age. Turns out we kinda did get one. I hope they maybe make an actual Ace Combat set in that period, there's a ton of time that's not really gone into before like, Zero that they could flesh out with it.
Never heard of this game before (like you) but now i definitely want to play it
it's funny that you mention throwing yourself against a wall over and over again to beat the final boss, considering the plot of the movie this game was a tie-in to
There is a way to at least make it more bearable beating the final boss as I often lure her out the cloud and do a maneuver to get behind her and squeeze a few shots at her. I used motion controls for that as it’s more responsive and allows to aim at targets far quicker though at a cost of stability. You can also shoot her while she is in the clouds as you can actually hit planes in the cloud if you aim correctly and close enough to get some hits. Or the easiest way is to get player 2 as an extra gunner, as that’s how I beat her in Ace mode as she is even more ridiculous. As for planes, if you managed to unlock extra mode and unlock Sanaka MkB… use it because it’s not only maxed out in the stability category but also insanely fast even without the upgrade.
I was literally thinking about how cool it would be if there was an Ace Combat but with WW2 planes a few days ago.
it would be so fucking cool to have a strangereal game set at late ww2 with everyone using superprops and near the end its revealed Belka was starting developing their witchcraft with jet powered aircraft like the me262 or some original aircraft made by project aces (like the wyvern, morgan, etc.)
This was my first “ace combat” game! My it was one of the many games my Dad pirated for me with the homebrew channel.
And yes, I DID beat the final boss (and play through the whole game with) the Wiimote and Nunchuck lol. I don’t remember it being all that difficult actually.
But when comparing it to other AC games, it’s certainly not as high quality. There’s less missions, and each map is reused at least twice I believe. And the soundtrack is pretty good as well, but if you listen through it, it’s all basically remixes of the same 1 or 2 songs.
But it’s still a great game, and worth a play, and they even reused the HUD for the WW2 planes they had in Ace Combat Infinity
I’ve played this about a month ago, but what really surprised me was how usable the motion controls were. I mean it wasn’t perfect, but the maneuver to get behind an enemy kept it from getting too bad.
AKA, how do I get gud with machine guns in Ace Combat: The Game.
@@axsprime 😂😂 that's one way to put it
Great review as always. If we are talking about arcade prop based games i have to recommend Secret Weapons Over Normandy. Its one of my childhood favorites. Made my the same lucas arts team who did x-wing and tie fighter. i sank so many hours into that game, to me its still the gold standard for this type of game. I cannot recommend it enough.
I really liked Sky Crawlers, I felt really sympathetic for Orashina and thought it played better then some of the weaker AC games.
I probably did complete the game using the Wii remote, but this would have been a long time ago so I can’t remember. What really got me through the game and the last boss was letting the maneuver points build up to max level (3) and then doing several dozen climatic dogfight maneuvers in a row.
I played this game at least 3 times entirely when I was younger, and I didn't own a gamecube controller so I was nunchuckin it the whole way. Orishina handed my ass to me a few times, but honestly the maneuver system is what kept me on red health for a long time and still won. The music was PHENOMENAL and had me fighting her again and again long after I beat the game and set it down. The maneuver system is really cool because it's based on lateral distance from the target you have locked on to. The yellow circle in the minimap shows how close you have to be to build it up, with Levels 1-3 actually centering you more the higher the level or difficulty of the enemy. You NEEDED to stay close to Orishina for a WHILE to get a level 3 and make sure you end up behind her, because her insane 200G pulls are based on the same system!
Anyone else ever played a game called Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders? I got it on steam when i was a kid and still have it. I remember it being lots of fun back then but when i tried it again couple years ago i noticed that time had definetly sweetened the memories :D
I loved that game! I had the iPad version, and I remember doing the Pearl Harbor mission over and over again. Even then it felt very simplistic because my only strategy was to turn towards the arrow that tells you where the enemy is. I also remember getting a game called WWII Aces for the Wii and being disappointed that it wasn’t nearly as good. I even still have that one, and revisiting it was bad enough to be kind of funny.
How in the hell I never heard of this one?! I love Ace Combat!
Fun fact about your comment on the maneuver system: There is an Ace Combat game with it, Assault Horizon Legacy. It's a handheld remake/remaster of Ace Combat 2
Tho I'm pretty sure their inclusion is just cause both that and this aren't normal console games and have to make due with wiimote/nunchuck or 3DS
This reminds me of a similar game that had a demo on the 360, but I can't recall the name of. I do think Crimson Skies might be worth checking out for anyone who likes this, though it is a bit more fantastical (but not fantasy!)
Crimsons Skies Highroad to Revenge is one of my all time favorite games!
That final boss has the same physics as sulejmani in X2
The movie is one of my favorite thing ever
Mamoru Oshii's most underrated work
I kinda preferred Ubisoft's version of Prop plane Ace Combat which is Blazing Angels 2 in particular, but it's subjective, mostly because I prefer a more realistic setting in actual WW2 and with realistic planes, and also Blazing Angels 2 has some more features like aircraft upgrades as you go through the campaign, and also the different wacky special weapons (Sound Guided Missiles! Electromagnetic assisted 30mm cannon! Tesla Coil! Smoke trail that causes enemies to lose engine power)
I never played BA2, but I have seen gameplay videos of it. You get to face the WWII versions of:
- Arsenal Bird (the zeppelins that could launch fighters and/or General Von Kluge's plane that could launch other planes at the end)
- Stonehenge (the Dora Gun, which was the IRL inspiration for Stonehenge)
- Alicorn (the carrier sub that launched fighters while attacking San Francisco)
* PICTURE IT! SALVATION!
On a side note, my dad and I played the original a lot when I was a kid.
Fun fact! the Manoeuvre system is also in the Ace Combat 3DS game, Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy
And it's _definitely_ there because of the controls. The 3DS's circle pad is a good innovation, but it's still hell to fly with.
funny you mention the controller scheme being to difficult for tight corriders, cause that sure didn't stop the developers of Blazing Angels 1 from putting 2 of those levels in their Wii version of the game. 💀
Oh man, I didn't think I'd ever see a youtube video for this game. It's been a long time since I played and I don't have my Wii setup to double-check, but as someone who beat the final boss on the highest difficulty with the Wii remote controls and without using the maneuver mechanic, well, it's definitely doable but also an excellent way to give yourself early carpal tunnel.
The trick I found, iirc, was to bait her into the clouds, where she is much less aggressive due to the game assuming you won't be able to track her there - BUT, it is still possible to spot her wing contrails through the clouds, and that was enough for me to track and hit her.
I didn't have a storage device for my wii so I had to play through the game in one sitting just to complete it, best feeling ever though.
All this time I've wondered why Ace Combat hasn't expanded to include either WW2 or earlier fighters or early jets, now I find that they tried it before the thought even crossed my mind.
Ive been looking for the title... so it was sky crawler. Thank yoh i can relive mu childhood again
it's unbelievable there is people is actually making a video about this game, and I also fan of ace combat series and Sky Crawlers. Sky Crawlers is like a lost media from Ace Project, to be honest I never played this game before since I don't have Wii, but I know something about this game. The anime and game are having different timeline. I never read the novel because it's not available in my region, maybe they have different story and timeline in the game, and yeah in the game they have their own animated cutscene.
Also, their movie is really beautiful, the story is continued from the game. In the movie, the main antagonist is actually the player that change his faction because something that not mentioned.
Anyway, I really recommended the movie. It's fun, and depressed at some point.
Interestingly, I found out about the game because of the movie, despite being a Project Aces fan. But the only reason I knew about the movie was because a friend recommended it to me. The good news was, there has been a push the past several years to translate the novels that The SkyCrawlers were based on to give 'the most complete story'.
Oh yes, forgot about this hidden gem. I actually have a copy for my old wii. Shame it didn't make it to any other console. The anime film it's based on was interesting.
One of my favorite games from the early 2010s. I had a blast playing it when it came out. Disappointed that it didn't sell well though, given its very rare discussion online, and no follow up games.
I was all excited about this game because I also never heard of it. The further the video went, the greater my conviction became that I was gonna get it.
Then came the bit about the scripted maneuver dogfights. I almost screamed aloud in frustration. .
Why?
Because that is DOGFIGHT MODE from Ace Combat Assault Horizon.
I hate Dogfight Mode, where some idiot bot takes over my plane and flies it into the ground while I'm trying to kill the enemy. Omg WHY? AAAAAAAAAA-aaaa-AAAAAA..!!!!
Cheers for checking out the game man
Great to have some more eyes on this gem
I played through the game on ace difficulty in first person because there’s actually a free look mechanic and you get a cockpit albeit very simple
But man was my arse handed to me when I got to the last boss for the first time
Must have taken me just shy of 2 hours
The only thing that was still holding me together was the boss music and sleep deprived 2 am determination
Speaking of the music, you didn’t touch on it in the video, but what did you think?
@@xdxkid5444 Thanks for reminding me, I meant to pin a comment about it, but the music was incredible IMO.
So was your playthrough with a Wii remote and Nunchuck?
I actually played the game through dolphin with a keyboard
In may 2023 after remembering that the game existed
I was going on a kind of nostalgia trip playing old games
Because unfortunately none of my belongings survived the great purge of 2011 where my parents threw out all my stuff
Gameboy, PS2, Wii, Win xp family computer
All my collectibles and trading cards
VHS’s and TV
Is there any way to get first person with a controller? emulating it and ive not been able to figure out how..
@@ShadowW0lf7272 yes, it’s completely possible. You just have to mess with the key bind settings in the emulator.
Sold! It kinda looks like Naval Ops: Warship Gunner (of which I've seen compared to Ace Combat) albeit with planes instead of ships. Honestly, I'm more partial to WW2 era planes, so this looks right up my alley! I'll add it to my wishlist of games I want.
The maneuver system sounds a lot like the system from Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy/3D Cross Rumble on the 3DS (A remake of Ace Combat 2). Which *also* happened to allow you to fly two propeller planes.
i really wanna play this game, the lore seems interesting with all the *REDACTED* pilots, it goes crazy
If you enjoyed the prop combat I’d recommend heroes of the pacific. It was one of Ubisoft’s Ace Combat clones but it was set during the pacific theater of world war 2 and followed historical events loosely.
Actually all the pilots are clones. When you die your memories went with a new copy
Assault Horizon Legacy on the 3DS, which is a remake of Ace Combat 2, has the exact same maneuver system, and I assume it's for a similar reason. You only have one analogue stick and it isn't even a good one.
このゲームのラスボスは通称"ラス僕"とも呼ばれ、エースコンバットシリーズの中でも特に変態的な機動力を持っていましたね。
高難易度モードでは空中で静止したり上下方向に垂直に切り返す様な機動を行う上に数回射撃されるだけで撃墜される程攻撃力も高くなります。
しかし、実は動き自体はゲームシステムのマニュアル・マヌーヴァを連続して行っているだけなので慣れれば先読みして簡単に追い込む事が出来ます。
They made a game based on the movie?!
Yes, it's a prequel. You play the character that becomes The Teacher
Damn I wish I had known about this game back in 2010, it’s right up my alley!
Wow the premise of this games plot is also a lot like the movie Robot Jox (1990)
Sky crawlers mentioned in the big 2025?
Huh... Did not know there was an Ace combat meets Crimson skies. Cool!
I played this game on the wii but that was years ago so i don't remember much
I did played back when I was like 12. I did managed to beat the game with the nunchuks
Finally, Ace Combat -1
@@matchc0635 😂😂
I played the crap out of this as a teenager. Pirated using my Drivekey of course. Loved the music and the story.
Played this about 10 years ago and I have no idea how I beat it with the wii mote and nunchuck.
I remember hearing about this back in the day, but college and a lack of income precluded me from getting it.
Oh I remember playing this on the Wii. I didn't know this was an ace combat game!
It's not technically, its by the same devs, so it plays a lot like Ace Combat.
Sky Crawler's maneuver system is what Dogfight mode should have been. Completely optional. The Ace combat 2 remake on 3DS has a modified maneuver system.
So basically Ace Combat 3 but set in WW1
I actually did here about this game because I watched the movie first since it was directed by the great Mamoru Oshii (Director of the Ghost in the Shell movie) but was pretty disappointed in the film so it turned me off of the game. When I heard of the "manuever" mechanic I just assumed it was babby's first ace combat shovelware for the Wii and chalked it off.
Maybe I should give it a try
so a 3d 1945 striker, damn cool, gonna look forward to try
I’d say when I was like 10 I beat this on a Wii-mote. This was my first ace combat like game and it was weird the way it progresses to a young me. Although I’m not sure how long it took, but I can imagine days lol, just didn’t seem that long back then
Looks like a Project Aces Crimson Skies hell yeah
2:15
>A certified Grossgermanium
>it's opposed by Franco-Italia
>Yugoslavia still exists
>For some reason Helsinki is on the border of Belarus and Russia
Yeah it's alt hist time.
6:43
I believe the Maneuver System makes a return in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy (3D Cross Rumble in Japan), a remake of AC2 for the 3DS.
Given the limitations of the 3DS, I think it's a fair mechanic, and it's also often not enough on its own once you get to the end of the game, at least to my recollection.
additionally, you can unlock a couple prop fighters in that game, so...
There was a similar Maneuver mechanic in the Ace Combat 3D
i remember the anime movie
oh. it's cross rumble with prop planes
Did managed to beat the game with wiimote and nunchuks, it was fun, but last boss is as arse as it can get, but playing the waiting game helps a lot
Kinda wish Ace Combat Assault Horizon got named similarly to this one... Assault Horizon presented by Project Aces. Got the feeling it would have gotten a better reception that way.
I think the press-the-button maneuvers are specifically made to match the Sanka-Mk.B? Probably Sanka Mk-2 and Itsuha too. But I don't think it's for the tractors.
NICE
Dude i watched sky crawlers literally yesterday
No one here is mentioning Dogfight 1942 on the Xbox 360, which is basically historical ace combat. Played it when i was a kid but never knew about ace combat until i played project wingman and realised the similarities.
@swaggaming2564 I'll have to check this out!
It is so weird seeing all the planes be wish,com mashups but the world be normal earth, this is the opposite of strangereal.
Fun fact this was the last game kid me ever played on my wii as, after finishing the game my wii broke and refused to play games.
Crimson Skies Highroad to Revenge, Secret Weapons over Normandy and Blazing Angels 1 and 2 are all amazing and play similarly to this. You gotta check them out.
@@zentran2690 They'll be covered!
I never actually beat the final boss stage, maybe I did.. But fuu it was super hard. And I was using the Nunchuck and Wii remote. Every day I was getting on and spending an hour or two until my wrist was tired, and I just couldn't. The last stage has the AI super cheaty. Haha
6:27 yeah….
*Side eyes Ace combat assault horizon*
8:53
She moves like Mihaly...
This is a game that needs a proper remaster. No need to change the mecanics nor anything, just release it on steam with modern graphics and I buy it day 1.
Jard I saw your PW review
A dlc pop out last year would you consider doing a short review over it and the updates that came with it
@@ninovalenzuela1019 Yes it's on my list, going to be a few videos down line, but we'll get to it.
I've been itching for some AC style games lately. Look forward to that, Crimson Skies, and we may do a modded AC7 run as well.
2025 is going to be busy!
10:05 Challenge accepted, time to grab me a copy. ^u^
You should check out the Airforce Delta series.
damn, i discovered sky crawlers because of some mf with balls big enough to make a movie scene with besiege vehichles and characters, then i got a load of patlabor's 2 ost, falling in love with the OST, i dived deeper into kenji kawai's works and then saw how he made both OSTs for those two movies lol but Project Aces? damn, i wouldn't have ever imagined
Sky clawer in 2025!