History YMMV / AceCombat5TheUnsungWar

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: While the anti-war message can get a bit preachy at times (See {{Wangst}} below), the game provides a fairly powerful message on the dangers of obsessive hatred and inability to forgive. Some of the game's most violent and horrifying moments come from allies and enemies alike who refuse to consider peace or deescalation, for example when [[spoiler: Adler tries to redirect the Arkbird to the nearest landmass and '''''detonate its entire nuclear payload''''' just to spite Razgriz Squadron, who were trying to stop them in the first place because they intended to bomb a civilian city in Yuktobania to prolong the war between the Yukes and Osea. Belka itself also falls into this category as they were the ones who engineered the war between Osea and Yuktobania in the first place as revenge against the two countries for its defeat 15 years ago.]]

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* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: One of, if not THE best soundtrack of the series. [[AwesomeMusic/AceCombat Which is saying quite a lot!]] ''[=AC5=]'' favors a more Western-inspired orchestral score over the rock/electronic tracks in the previous games, all of which is composed by many signature composers of the Namco Sound Team. This entry is also significant for being the game in which Keiki Kobayashi became the main composer of the series, a position that until that point had Tetsukazu Nakanishi (although he still played a major role). Other composers were Junichi Nakatsuru (the main composer of the ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series), Hiroshi Okubo, and even new assets like Katsuro Tajima and the ''[=ACE COMBAT5=] Chorus Team''. All of which performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Throw in a few of the classic synth/guitar segments from the previous games, some OminousLatinChanting, and an OscarBait theme song performed by Creator/MaryElizabethMcGlynn to boot, and you get pure distilled ''awesome''. Some highlights:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgNGtGI-XbM "First Flight"]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnY7oO_5Ozc "Supercircus"]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdQ_cttZ8g "Open War]] (not to be confused with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3g6YxS6LSA "Open the War"]])
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Qkzj5bStU "The Unsung War"]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrQrkZtg-mo "The Journey Home"]]
** It was about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWRdMX1VaZA#t=140 this]] point in the trailer, mixed with the awesome visuals, that made fans decide this was the best game yet, maybe in all the series.

** [[spoiler: Chopper’s death in “The Journey Home” is regarded by many Ace Combat fans as perhaps ''the'' biggest TearJerker in the entire series.]]
** [[spoiler: The sinking of the Kestrel]]
** [[spoiler: The anti-war Osean and Yuktobanian squadrons joining up with the Razgriz in the intro to “Aces”]]
* SignatureSong: [[TitleDrop The Unsung War]]

* SignatureSong: [[TitleDrop The Unsung War]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The anti-war stance the game takes has some think it is a commentary on UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush and TheWarOnTerror. While there may be a grain of truth in there, if anything it is closer to the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.

** The F/A-18 family in Ace Combat 5 is considered to be one of the best plane families for a One-Plane/One family run in Ace Combat 5 because it has great Special Weapons, great manouverability, and it can be used in Carrier plane only missions.

** [[ControllableHelplessness Final Option]]. It's an interesting enough mission the first time, but unfortunately you can't skip it on future replays. You're forced to fly [[spoiler: an unarmed trainer plane]] though a decently long level in order to escape [[spoiler: a Belkan squadron]], and you're following instead of leading for once so there's no real freedom on how you fly.

*** "8492! 8492! Is that all you people have to say? There is no X in our Y with that number!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Osean high command's exasperated answer at [[CassandraTruth Wardog Squadron's insistence]] that Grabacr squadron does exist.[[/labelnote]]
* ThatOneLevel: Four Horsemen, which requires you to coordinate with your wingmates to take out four radar stations at exactly the same time. You have to fly at just the right speed to be in position for your strike, and you have to account for the time it takes your missiles to travel as well. Also, randomly, Chopper's radar will malfunction or Grimm will fall out of position and you have to break off and line up the attack again, which will probably mess up your timing. And if you get any of this wrong, you have to start the whole mission over again. Even worse is that this mission is COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE.

* DemonicSpiders: Yuktobanian (and [[spoiler: Belkan]]) Mig-31 and Tornado fighters take three missile hits to take down, instead of the usual two. This makes them annoying especially in missions where there are large concentrations of enemies and the player's missiles need to be conserved.

** The last/second to last mission of the game, Aces, qualifies as well. You recieve aid from several squadrons from [[spoiler: [[BigDamnHeroes BOTH global superpowers]], having finally set aside their differences to begin a joint assault on the control facility for the[[KillSat SOLG]] ]]. You then follow true Ace Combat tradition and [[spoiler: [[AirStrikeImpossible fly INSIDE the control facility, which is by far larger and more perilous than anything the[[VideoGame/AceCombat2 USEAN Rebels]] OR the [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies Eruseans]] managed to build in the previous entries

* GameBreaker: The Raptor or any fighter with [=XMAAs=] or [=XLAAs=] in the final mission becomes a literal example where the first fight can be finished in about ten seconds. It's supposed to last much longer, but get it right and the in game speech cannot keep up with you winning so easily.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It seems to be somewhat ambiguous as to whether or not the Razgriz squadron actually possesses any supernatural abilities. It sure seems like to their enemies though.
** A common interpretation of the game's theme is that [[spoiler:Blaze or the squadron as a whole are literally possessed by the Demon of Razgriz during the mission in the North Sea, titled - wait for it - "The Demon of Razgriz." From that point on, the squadron's trajectory matches the legend of the demon's perfectly. The level "Journey Home" is when the demon awakens; canonically the enraged squadron completely wipes the floor with the Yuktobanian attack after Chopper dies. After the level "Final Option," the demon symbolically dies and is reborn as a hero, ending the war as a hero after previously pursuing it as an inadvertent villain.]]

* ThatOneLevel: Four Horsemen, which requires you to coordinate with your wingmates to take out four radar stations at exactly the same time. You have to fly at just the right speed to be in position for your strike, and you have to account for the time it takes your missiles to travel as well. Also, for the last radar station, Chopper's radar malfunctions and you have to break off and line up the attack again, which will probably mess up your timing. And if you get any of this wrong, you have to start the whole mission over again. Even worse is that this mission is COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE.

* EvenBetterSequel: To ''04'', being about twice as long as any other game thus far, and also adding the new squadron control mechanics and a more character-driven narrative, this game often ends up as many fans' favorite. On the flip side, the same two attributes mentioned above are why some other fans dislike it.

** Even better if you take the FALKEN and its TLS to the final mission - one sweep of it through the enemy aces, a few minutes of uninterrupted monologue, and then ''cutting the goddamned SOLG in half'' with another sweep.

* {{Wangst}}: Your wingmen's constant anti-war belaboring can fall under this. While [[WarIsHell they're not wrong]] and the characters are likable regardless, the fact of the matter is that they're repeatedly whining about being fighter pilots, a job they ''chose'' to sign up for, and do so long before [[spoiler:they learn they're being had in a conflict orchestrated by an unseen third party]].