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Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy + is a re-release of Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy, with a few extra bits and bobs. By a few extra bits and bobs, we literally mean a few unlockable skins for your aircraft, and a few extra unlockable skins that can only be unlocked by scanning in the right amiibo on a new 3DS. For those who haven't played the original game, none of this really matters, as all you really need to know is that this is an accessible, yet authentic flight sim that lets you strap yourself into the cockpit of a $200m fighter jet and soar amongst the clouds, without having to read a 300 page manual.
The story here revolves around an elite squadron, known as Scarface squadron. As the newest recruit, you get flung into the midst of a war against a group of rebels, and have to put your abilities to the test across a wide range of missions, from precision flying chases down narrow canyons, to dogfights over snowy mountains, or ground attack missions where you just have to blow up everything in sight.
As you're taking to the skies in the very latest jets, the dogfights here are suitably high tech too. With homing missiles, all you really need to do is jostle to get behind your foe, then keep them in your sights for long enough for your missiles to lock on. After that, a press of a button is all it takes to send your payload towards its target - although there's no guarantee it'll hit. For those who prefer things a bit more up close and personal, most planes also come with a cannon which you can use to pepper your enemies, but whether you're blowing up planes, boats, buildings or bridges, for the most part, once you've got a lock, you can fire and forget. It's simple, easy - and what's more, a lot of fun.
In terms of accessibility, this is actually surprisingly easy to get into for a flight sim. While enemies can lock on to you, you're given an easy way of dodging their rockets thanks to a handy on screen prompt. Should a load of yellow triangles pop up on the left or right hand side of the screen, all you have to do is push the Circle Pad left or right and press the Y Button to dodge effortlessly out of the way. Similarly, if you're really struggling to get on the tail of a tricky enemy, all you really have to do is point your aircraft vaguely in the right direction to fill a handy gauge - once full, a poke of the Y Button will trigger a fancy cutscene where you swoop in right behind your enemy, ready to fire off a few rockets, or take it down with your cannon. It's all good fun, and all surprisingly accessible, making this great for any young top guns.
As a flight sim, there's nothing in the way of physical violence or sex here, with no swearing to be heard either. As strong as the language gets is your boss referring to someone as an SOB, and while you'll spend most of your time shooting down/blowing up planes/boats/bridges, you don't ever see the people inside them - although you do hear them go "arrgghh!" when you shoot the down.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
