ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN - Anchorhead Raid

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN - Anchorhead Raid
N/A
Metacritic
91
Steam
66.175
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$4.99
Release date
22 October 2019
Steam reviews score
Total
91 (122 votes)

The 5th add-on included in the season pass for ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN. This add-on allows you to play the new mission "Anchorhead Raid."

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ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN - Anchorhead Raid system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (64-bit OS required)
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-7100
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750Ti (2GB)
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Sound Card: DirectX 11 sound card
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TheBigCheeseBurger
TheBigCheeseBurger

In my experience, the most difficult of the three SP missions in the game, even with a CAS aircraft like F-15E or Su-34. It is, however, a huge lore dump. Worth it for that, and the learning experience.

☥ LANA ⅮØES CRIME$ ☥
☥ LANA ⅮØES CRIME$ ☥

Damn, boy. One of the boppest tracks in the whole AC series. Both the soundtrack and curved tunnel to fly into are worthy reasons to buy and replay the f*ck for.

🛦🛦🛦🛦

Also Long Caster talks about food, like, every second sentence and enemy radio drops several really good jokes.

Viper
Viper

Another blast to play, this time evern more literaly.
I was getting shot down left right and center but was having so much fun i didnt care at all.
the dialog is great, the story is great, the mission dynamic is awesome and somehow stress free despite all the chaos due to all the ressulpy lines you are encoraged to use.
You can just take a 6 minute break whenever you want and you are rewarded both for planning your route and using the practically infinate ammo wisely.

I've nothng bad to say, truly.

nyaos
nyaos

S ranked all the main campaign on Ace huh? Think you're hot shit huh? Prepare for the Dark Souls of Ace Combat. ACE COMBAT: PREPARE TO DIE edition. All 3 levels are great and challenging. I appreciate the coherent short story told over the trilogy. AC7 was great on its own but was clearly lacking a more coherent vision for its story. It felt incredibly rushed in the last 1/3 to the point where it was difficult to follow why things were even happening. This DLC has none of those issues.

ElmersHotWheelsCar
ElmersHotWheelsCar

For those who have the japanese dub on

Rage: AAAAAGH!

Count: YATA TRIGGA!

Scream: RAGU!

My honest reaction: (smug look here as i see scream go crazy.)

On a serious note, the voice acting, its so good! props to namco

the entire belkan air force
the entire bel…

You either destroy everything within 4 minutes by spamming ground pounders or you spend 3/4 of the mission dodging the 5 billion VLS launched missiles screaming towards you while trying to shoot down a single drone

Blue
Blue

Just like DLC mission 1, it was amazing! Gave me Aegis fleet flashbacks!

Pretty challenging though compared to the first one Could only score rank A with the F-15C
but challenging in a good way! The ships CWIS really shred your plane fast if you're not careful :D
And storywise this mission drops alot... Not gona spoil anything but I was happily? surprised.

akisrs
akisrs

Now i must wait 1 more f@cking month to get what i paid for from the first place

EDIT: 5 euros for 10min mission is a new whole lvl of greed. Good job BAMCO you gave me +1 reason to never buy a game from you

Chief Zuma
Chief Zuma

Another absolutely incredible mission. So far this little trilogy has managed to be the most narratively compelling story of any Ace Combat game I've played through, and both missions have been two of the best ever for Ace Combat.

This mission plays a lot like "Invincible Fleet" in Ace Combat 4, but also calls back to another great mission in Ace Combat 2 that takes place in the same location. You'll be facing a lot ships and ground targets and the mission seems set up in a way to encourage you to try it with different tactical approaches.

My only disappointment is the knowledge that there is only one more of these fantastic missions after this.

Belkan
Belkan

Invincible Fleet on steroids.

Very challenging, involving and intriguing mission, with a lot to add to the lore. Action is gripping and so is the dialogue. As always, the soundtrack is impeccable, and this DLC adds four new tracks to the Skies Unknown collection.

If you liked Unexpected Visitor, then boy do I have good news for you. That mission was the exposition, this one the rising action and Ten Million Relief Plan will certainly be the climax. Thank you, Project Aces!

Gojastag
Gojastag

*SPOILER ALERT*

Random developer: "Hey chief, I've got an idea for DLC5."
Chief: "I'm all ears."
Random developer: "It's like invincible fleet from AC4, but we juice it up."
Chief: "So far so good."
Random developer: "I mean, REALLY juice it up."
Chief: "I get it."
Random developer: "Instead of taking down one fleet, why not two or three?"
Chief: "... Why not indeed?"
Random developer: "And how about a couple of missile command centers with Star Wars proportions of AA cannons as defense?"
Chief: "Ooooh ..."
Random developer: "It'll also have the classic burst missile section with the special UAV that acts as guidance."
Chief: "Nice!"
Random developer: "And let's have those two new aces serve as boss fight."
Chief: "Got any ideas for the boss fight?"
Random developer: "Oh boy, do I! They have jammers so it won't be easy to lock unto them. Not only that, the lock on will disappear just as the first missile has been fired. Their missiles take time to activate the player's missile alert mechanism, so the player has only a split second to dodge. AND the burst missiles and the UAVs keep coming."
Chief: "Good job, Jimmy."
Random Developer: "Oh, Oh, I forgot to say, We'll add more insane lines for Torres. Everyone loves that luny."
Chief: "THIS, THIS is why we hired you. You get a promotion and a raise."

Seriously guys, This DLC mission takes all the best missions of previous games, and mashes it all together in one big, fat, juicy burger. I can't recommend it enough. Imagine yourself on your deathbed. THIS mission has got to be among the memories that keep flashing before your eyes.

It's that freaking good.

BlackBaron1945
BlackBaron1945

This DLC mission takes place in Anchorhead Bay. The objective: Sink Erusean ships in the harbor. If you expect it to be a simple Pearl Harbor recreation without resistance, you're in for a grand surprise. This mission is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish with twists and surprises.

My opinion (small spoiler) :

Holy shit. Missile alerts won't shut up and tracers are flying everywhere. I haven't had this much excitement from a ground attack mission since Closure in AC5, and that's around a decade ago. The plot twist is predictable, unfortunately. In the end we'll never know what GRGM stands for.

Teletha Eliberl
Teletha Eliberl

Why Erusea can't raise an effective defence force at Farbanti or space elevator? Because Trigger kill every last of ACEs combat experienced COs well trained CIC and Anti-Air crews at Anchorhead Bay! Every! Last! Of! Them!
After operation Domino, Erusea lost all anti-air crews that can shoot down missile and planes, lost almost all expert and ACE pilots that know how to dog fight, lost every experience fleet sailor that acknowledge how a combat ship work.
Osea Black Water Crop`s two best pilots got killed too.

If Project Ace made AA, CIWS guns and missiles can shot down bombs, player will be a dead meat, every Erusean who know how to fight is here at Anchorhead Bay.
I had a question when play DLC4 how Project Aces end this much of story just in 3DLC, well NPCs fade away so fast, I don't even think you can put so much information in 20mins like and not fuck it up like recent year TV animes. Learned!

Since we have VF-47 with Swarm Missiles now, can we get VF-31 VF-23 DLC at future? Too advance? Than VF-1?
Or at least, AC7 made ACE Combat great again, can we get AC8 at 2023? It's a good year to clarify why 2033 mega crops waging war, and did Erusea princess, no! INSE queen go to space with Usea people.

Mathematicus
Mathematicus

Product Received via Season Pass

What the other comments say are true. This is Invincible Fleet (from AC4) on steroids. I've never seen another Ace Combat mission give me blisters attempting to S-Rank on Ace. Definitely test of your skills.

There are 3 return lines. I've had to use it 3-5 times to S-rank it. Have fun!

Echo2k96
Echo2k96

Having played both missions, This is CLASSIC Ace Combat !! Amazing Amazing music, better than Unexpected Visitor, Amazing mission design and the final battle is out of this world. Had a blast (Literally) playing this and cant recommend this enough. The story of this mission and Unexpected Visitor is better than the story of the main game. There's a lot of replay value. If you liked Ace Combat 7, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET THIS. I can't justify enough how good this mission is.

Three Strikes
Three Strikes

This is *that one mission*. Very classic Ace Combat. Think The Liberation of Gracemeria (multirole, going all over the place), with a dash of Zero (unique boss), Sea of Chaos (lots of ships), and of course, Invincible Fleet.

The music, the mission, the difficulty (especially if you don't bring LASMs or cluster munitions), and the dialogue - all of it is absolutely top-notch. If you're on the fence about the DLC missions, it's very much worth it for this one.

Spaceboi Scaphandre
Spaceboi Scaphandre

It's been a month since we got SP Mission 1, now it's time for SP Mission 2: The Anchorhead Raid

Now just like before, it's just one mission for $5. You're basically getting about an hour's worth of gameplay with that, assuming you play it first for the initial playthrough, and then trying to S Rank it on Ace. I've already given my opinion on $5 just for one mission and nothing else, so instead I'll judge the DLC on the mission itself.

So since Unexpected Visitor was a classic hairball, Anchorhead Raid is a classic AC6 style "BLOW EVERYTHING UP" mission, and they really want you to blow everything up to the point there are THREE return lines and the AWACS constantly encourages you to cross it even if you haven't used up all your ammo yet. And honestly, Long Caster is right. You wanna get a high score on this mission, cross that line as much as possible, as you're gonna need all the special weapons you can get your hands on.

This mission gives you so much to attack. You got docking facilities, squadrons of planes and drones, and most of all lots and lots of ships to sink. However there's another target special for this mission: MV-22 Ospreys carrying key senior Erusean naval officers. Periodically throughout the mission you'll be given air strike requests to assassinate these officers before they escape. Do so, and you'll be awarded with a lot of points.

The Alicorn makes an offscreen appearance as a hazard. After the halfway point the Alicorn will start firing it's signature weapon at you, which are AA burst rounds fired from railguns. The burst rounds use drones as a guidance system to hit their targets, which is a new and great new superweapon hazard. The drones will chase after you and try to get next to you so the burst round will do the most damage. To avoid the shots, you can either try to outmaneuver the drones, or shoot them down before the rounds reach you.

Now as great as this shooting gallery is, it's got some serious problems. Firstly, the mission needed more time. You only have 15 minutes to reach the required score, and the majority of the targets are ships that have an absurd amount of health and pretty much will only go down easily if you use SP weapons. This is why there's three return lines as you are pretty much forced to use so many SP weapons since the SP reserves are so small, and makes the mission annoying as you have to constantly break away from the action just to get more bombs or Air to Ground missiles.

The other problem is the special VIP targets. The score requirement is so high if you want to make it before the last minute, you'll have to shoot down at least three of them. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact NONE OF THEM HAVE A TGT MARKER ON THEM! The only way you can tell who is a VIP target or not is by either A. Changing targets and finding an Osprey with the target's name under it, or B. Noticing a little blip on your radar far away about to escape. Highly likely it's gonna be B which means you're gonna have to fly away from all the action just to chase this guy and kill him, then go back. A minute wasted just to shoot down one Osprey. Why the hell Project Aces did not mark them with special markers so we wouldn't have to do this tedious BS is beyond me, especially since the Alicorn targeting drones have special markers to warn you who is who!

This mission is stressful to complete on the first run, let alone S Rank it on Ace difficulty. But it makes it worth it in two ways: Firstly: CAPTAIN TORRES SELLS THIS MISSION! Armen Taylor has done an amazing job with his performance as the crazy genocidal submariner. He has all the best lines, and his delivery is so good Torres is pretty much the best character in all of Ace Combat. Throughout the entire mission he's taunting you as he shoots more and more railgun rounds at you, laughing like the madman he is that everyone who plays this mission can't help but smile and laugh with him, All of the mission's shortcomings, Torres makes up for them.

The other reason is the Mission Update boss fight against the Mimic Squadron Rage and Scream. While the crazy siblings were irrelevant in Unexpected Visitor and pushovers, their boss fight this time makes up for their lame cameo last mission. They are a tough boss with a special ESM gimmick. When you lock onto them their planes will jam your lock on capabilities and make missiles very difficult to track and hit; not impossible, just very very hard. They also have very special QAAM style missiles that have stealth and cause your missile warning to glitch, as they can still be tailing you even after the warning goes off, so always keep an eye on your six.

So the verdict on the mission? It has problems, however these problems are more just annoyances and the mission is still good despite these. And of course, it's more Ace Combat, which is what we all want. I'll see you next month for the conclusion of the Alicorn Trilogy and the verdict on the DLC Campaign as a whole.

Atheoff
Atheoff

Absolutely incredible. Project Aces have simply outdone themselves with this latest DLC mission. It's amazing that they have managed to squeeze this much out of just a little over 30 minutes of solid gameplay. Incredible music, intense dog fighting, and a surprisingly difficult boss section. Even the ground targets were proving to be quite the nuisance. They simply have to keep making these beyond the final DLC mission.

Beesechurger
Beesechurger

Probably the best mission in the game

HinaKoi
HinaKoi

God this is so sad. *ALEXA PLAY THE INVINCIBLE FLEET*

in all seriousness tho, this mission was a ton of fun and challenging in the best possible way. Highly recommended

Scourge_86
Scourge_86

Crazy mission
Entertaining script
Suprising difficulty

10/10
Would 'Shit, my cola' again

~Niemand~
~Niemand~

This is a super super super upgrade of the Mission 15. So many fleets and so many aircrafts to be destroyed. I personally recommend F-15 E as the chosen jet. You can destroy all the fleets and ground targets in ONE round with SFFS and change the SP weapon into 6AAM to engage in the air combat, resupply again when there is nothing left in the sky and then deal with the boss. The score is sky high after you clear the entire map (I personally get a 74000 destruction score). Super enjoyed it.

Randoom™
Randoom™

So far this is one of the best, and i'd also say one of the most difficult missions in this game, and surpassing the previous DLC by quite a bit; so many ways to go about it with so, so many targets... Music is even more stellar than usual and the final part is very awesome. Extremely well worth the 5$

Caldari Ghost
Caldari Ghost

Not a fan of Air-to-Ground but the dogfight at the end is worth it.

WODENRIC
WODENRIC

I'M SO SORRY ANCHORHEAD BAY PEOPLE THAT I "DISTURBED" YOU WITH MY FALKEN AND FAEBs.

P.s: SALVATION!

Saint☆Oneesan.JP
Saint☆Oneesan.JP

Hrotti

>

FormidableLG
FormidableLG

SP Mission 2 is packed with a seriously challenging battle with naval and air forces. Chilling dialogue, great voice acting, and breathtaking soundtracks layer the battles with intensity, making this mission an absolute adrenaline rush from start to finish. If you have this game and have not bought the DLC missions, I would highly recommend doing so. They made an exceptional effort to make these DLCs worth the $5.

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undefined_variable

The 2nd entry in the White Sheets trilogy.

Features a healthy offering of ship, ground and air targets, it's like your favourite buffet course! The enemy aces from Unexpected Visitor are back too with a more catchy rock soundtrack reminiscent of Ace Combat 2's OST.

The best mission of the three DLC missions, in my opinion.

Ciocolici
Ciocolici

This second DLC felt too short as well as the first one, but fun and challening (for me at least, as I even died some times until I realised it would be a good choice changing the plane xD) gameplaywise, and pretty interesting storywise.

deoxir
deoxir

Using the Anchorhead landscape for a full-on daytime assault. This is Farbanti 3.0.

Also, music for it is absolutely fantastic. Some of the best themes in the entire OST. Up there with Daredevil and Archange.

◐︎Simple Pie◑
◐︎Simple Pie◑

The best mission out of the 3 DLC missions and probably my favorite mission in the entire game! It has the perfect balance of ground and air targets and has a very satisfying plot. I used the FALKEN with its FAEBs for the first half and the 4AAMs for the latter half. Without spoiling anything, this mission has a terrific dogfight scenario that keeps the player on their toes and having to utilize great situational awareness in order not to get blown up. Depending on how you go about doing this dogfight, the fight will actually change! That's pretty cool.

Fahmi4869
Fahmi4869

This is the hardest mission in the whole Ace Combat game I've ever played.
I died like 50 times. Maybe I'm bad at it, but still amazing and intense mission

Psychii
Psychii

Perhaps the most exciting and explosive DLC mission that continues the story from SP1.

Think Pipeline Destruction, but with even more things to destroy. It truly is a buffet just like Longcaster says. You can start off with the appetizers such as container boxes and small ground units. Or you can go straight for the main courses and destroy the naval ships before they even know what happened. This whole mission is a "There's so much to choose from, but everything will satisfy you, so it's a matter of which one you prefer to 'dine' first".

This mission has my favorite track which kept me really excited the whole way, but the trumpets...I love the trumpets.

ULTRASMURF
ULTRASMURF

How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man!?

Criarino
Criarino

This mission is kinda pain in the a**. Too many enemies, too many points, too many missiles, too many... everything, and if you die before getting the massive amount of points (while dodging millions of missiles, burst explosions and MORE MISSILES) guess what? Have to start again from the beginning, even if you are literally 100 points away. That's why I f**ng hate this kind of mission.
The other 2 DLCs are fine, but this one is the only one I skipped

samus789
samus789

Best mission in the whole game

閃光
閃光

Buy stocks in salvage company while you can!

schzeimpvachk
schzeimpvachk

me: enjoying dramatic moment while fighting mimic squadron
SLUAV: OJAMA SHIMASU !!!!

Mr.Intervention
Mr.Intervention

One of the best Ace Combat 7 Mission. That feeling when the music kicks in is epic and exciting at the same time.

Wiawyr
Wiawyr

The mission itself is so-so, although the mechanics of having UAVs chase you for AoE attacks and getting unclear notifications about priority targets escaping is somewhat lacking. To make it worse, the writing and voicework are absolute cringe. The mission is a bit more fun when you mute the voices, which is a shame. The AC series previously had solid voicework even if some of the lines were campy, but for this DLC they emulated a 13 year-old's overly-edgy Sonic slasher fiction - complete with unnecessary screaming and unhinged characters laughing about how evil they are.

JaggedMallard
JaggedMallard

Absolutely incredible. Great music and incredibly fun gameplay.

TheAmerican76
TheAmerican76

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, DLC: Anchorhead Raid - 7.5/10

The Anchorhead Raid is your classic point destroy mission. The only new mechanic is really incorporates is that there are many new supply bases and that there is a recon team that will scout out targets for you. Taking down these targets will get you additional points to your objective.

There's another fun and exhilarating boss fight with this one. While it isn't as good as Unexpected Visitor, still a worthwhile purchase at 5 bucks.

asparashos
asparashos

killed a lot got a lot of mrp 10/10

Gregorius Piscus
Gregorius Piscus

This and mission 11 (Fleet Destruction) are by far the best missions in the game

cetacean
cetacean

Overall I felt this was a repeat of a lot of the gimmicks from the main quests- AoE attacks from out of your range, missiles made to limit or prevent successful evasion, lock-on jamming and HUD disruption to make you aiming less effective while leaving NPCs untouched.

Happyama
Happyama

I scraped my knee on the edge of the aces you fight in this DLC

Lavian
Lavian

If Ace Combat 7 was a TV series with a unfocused, poorly-considered, storyline that's carried by the big action sequences in it, then the three DLC missions (all together) are the movie that takes all the big action of the TV series, cranks it up, and manages to tell a more more focused, and thus more entertaining, side story, given that viewers have already watched the TV series and are familiar with the characters.

This is part two of three.

Structurally, this is probably my least favorite mission of the DLC set. It's a score attack where you blow up a bunch of enemy ships and defenses while taking on a whole lot of fighters trying to stop you. Three of the edges of the map are resupply/landing zones, meaning the mission is largely a matter of scrambling around the map, bombing/shooting down a lot of stuff as fast as possible with SP weapons, and then landing/launching to reload and repair as necessary. The pure level of destruction is kind of fun, but the idea that the mission is designed for you to land repeatedly to resupply really breaks up the flow of the mission.

That said, this mission probably has the best boss fight in all of Ace Combat 7, and that certainly helps carry this part.

Cogboi
Cogboi

The OST is an absolute banger! The mission is moderately difficult and Torres get's more lines! 10/10

schwarze
schwarze

It's a good mission of all 3 dlc's mission in my opinion, and the music just great as the mission, but it's getting cringy when fighting Mimic squadron. Their voicelines are so cringe unlike a real psycho (like Crimson 1 from Project Wingman) they are so childish and the time you kill one of them (especially when you kill Rage first) their voicelines are getting more annoying. But in contrary, I think the idea about jammers are good enough for a 'Boss Battle'. It gives me some challenges, especially when I'm fighting near the targeting drone. Overall personally I think this mission rates 10/10 without Mimic Squadron voicelines.