A flamenco guitar, a sky full of missiles, and a mercenary judged ten years after the fact.

The community's first reflex: on instinct, Ace Combat Zero only gets ahead of 29% of games. Low. And yet the detail tells another story. On the desert island question, it climbs ahead of 80% of titles, which is rare for an aerial war game. Its soundtrack sits ahead of 90% of games, on few votes, to be confirmed, but the instinct is clear. Controller feel and fun both hold the middle. Attachment and art style stay a notch below. There is the tension: a game you would happily take with you, whose music stays with you, but that does not land as an immediate favorite.

Against austere flight simulators, Ace Combat Zero always chose dramatized arcade, opera in a fighter jet. That blend is what makes it a cult favorite, and it is also what makes it hard to defend in a single click.

So, who is it for? For you if you like sharp flying, theatrical rivalries and a soundtrack that follows you around. Much less so if you want a story you bond with character by character.