Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy brought to the Nintendo 3DS a reworked version of the story from one of the early entries in the Ace Combat series, set in a fictional war between hostile nations. The player takes the cockpit of a fighter jet and works through a series of missions combining aerial dogfights with enemy planes, destruction of ground targets, and battles against giant enemy bosses typical of the series, ranging from heavy bombers to fortress-like aircraft carriers. Controls make use of the 3DS gyroscope for fine adjustment of the plane's bank, while the buttons and stick provide basic movement and aiming, and the player can switch between the two schemes at will.

The game preserves the series' characteristic emphasis on arcade-style, accessible aerial action rather than a hardcore simulator — maneuvers such as quick turns, missile evasion, and chaining hits are designed to be readable and satisfying even for players with no experience of flight simulators, and even the harder missions remain manageable after a few attempts. The stereoscopic 3D emphasizes the sense of height and speed during dives, and the orchestral soundtrack follows the epic tone the Ace Combat series has long been known for. Gradually unlocking new aircraft and upgrading them between missions gives the campaign extra motivation to revisit earlier levels and chase a better rating.

Assault Horizon Legacy was seen as a solid, if not entirely groundbreaking, handheld transplant of the series, appreciated above all by Ace Combat fans for its faithfulness to the series and its well-executed 3DS gyroscope controls. Today it stands as one of the more notable aerial action games on the platform, and for lovers of arcade air combat it remains an interesting choice even years later, especially since few similarly focused games appeared on the 3DS and the overall offering of arcade flight sims on handhelds was thin.