Over 40 realistic-looking aircraft
With a story penned by New York Times best-selling author Jim DeFelice, the backdrop of Assault Horizon is set in the year 2015 and revolves around tracking down and eliminating a Russian splinter group called the New Russian Federation, who has developed a super-weapon called "Trinity," which harnesses the power of a small nuclear bomb.After a nearby city is destroyed by the Russians you're called into action under the guise of Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop, leader of Warwolf Squadron. From here on in, missions generally involve intercepting bombers, defending bases and circling the skies in an attempt to bring down the threat posed by this dangerous organisation.
The storyline is predictable and it's clear from the outset how things are going to pan out. As a result, the narrative feels a little generic, though it does provide a decent-enough backdrop to some intense action in the skies. And the characters you meet are believable, representing people that you could imagine leading such a violent assault, while voice acting is strong and cut-scenes worth watching for their mid-to-high production values.
The action in Assault Horizon largely boils down to choosing your preferred aircraft, taking to the skies and shooting down the bad guys. In terms of the craft on offer, there's plenty of variety with the likes of fighter jets, bombers and helicopters, all of which boast various attributes that affect facets such as manoeuvrability, power and weapon choice.
There are over 40 different craft on offer and from the cockpit you can view the skies from a good variety of viewpoints, switching from first-person to third-person mode at any point during the battles. Nonetheless, variety is restricted in terms of performance with seemingly not much difference between aircraft in the same class. Even so, aircraft handle well, planes and helicopters are impressively detailed, and the accessible control scheme ensures that everyone stands a fighting chance.