Sid Meier's Ace Patrol brings WWI aerial combat to iOS

We recently took a look at Sid Meier's (creator of the Civilization series) upcoming World War I, tactical, aerial strategy title: Sid Meier's Ace Patrol. In it, you take control of a squad of Allied fighter pilots on missions to destroy German targets during the battles of WWI. The turn-based strategy starts you off as a rookie pilot flying simple missions solo, but eventually will promote you to commander of your own squadron--quite the ascension, right? As you progress through the leveling system you'll enhance your aerial move set, learning how to pull off tactically essential rolls, loops, and ace maneuvers. You can also upgrade your squadmates and earn new aircraft to destroy your enemies with.

The simple touchscreen interface allows you to easily select your next move and command your squadron using on-screen icons. As you progress through the missions, you'll gain new squad members that can also learn new moves and abilities as you gain experience. If a pilot is shot down, you could potentially lose that character permanently--clearly taking inspiration from Firaxis' squad member permadeath in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

Outside the single player campaign, Ace Patrol offers asynchronous multiplayer played over wi-fi and a "pass-and-play" local multiplayer mode for keeping you busy on road trips. While you might need to wait a while to play the next XCOM or Civilization game, you'll be able to get your hands on Sid Meier's Ace Patrol much sooner. The iOS game launches--for free, mind you--on May 9.

Check out the following slides for additional images and more information.