Art director Tadahiko Kawaguchi is celebrating the 18th anniversary of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War today, sharing commemorative artwork from "A Blue Dove for the Princess."

Described as an homage to the end of the 19th century, Kawaguchi was placed in charge of the the allegorical fairytale's story and illustrations, which appear during cinematic cutscenes and inform the lore of Bandai Namco's 2004 combat flight simulator for PlayStation 2.

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Music Collection by Namco Sounds was formerly on streaming platforms. The four-disc compact disc release currently ships from domestic distributors CDJapan and Play-Asia. Music for the game is by Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Junichi Nakatsuru and Hiroshi Okubo.

Two years ago, Kobayashi performed a piano arrangement of the main theme as a surprise for the fanbase, which can be viewed via the Ace Combat Youtube channel. "A Blue Dove for the Princess" is read aloud in a 20-minute video uploaded to the same channel, as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the franchise.

Apple Music - Ace Combat 5 The Unsung War - Original Soundtrack

YouTube Music - Ace Combat 5 The Unsung War - Original Soundtrack

ACE COMBAT 5 Happy 19th anniversary!

エースコンバット5
発売19周年おめでとう！

『姫君の青い鳩』は私の代表作のひとつとさせてもらっています。
ありがとう。

こちらは2020年に描いた絵
この絵も今年の個展で展示予定です🦄✨#acecombat #ACE5 #エースコンバット #acecombat5 pic.twitter.com/azoLcxSKnr

— 川口 忠彦🌛 Tadahiko Kawaguchi (@HESOMOGE) October 21, 2023