Ace Combat: Northern Wings brings Ace Combat to the retro top-down shooter genre. Players take control of Grendel 1, a pilot serving the secretive Kingdom of Nordennavic. The country officially maintains neutrality throughout the events of past Ace Combat games, but sends Grendel 1 to covertly influence their outcomes. Developed on Java, Northern Wings is the second Ace Combat game playable on mobile devices after Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion.