SUMMARY: Fantastic, easy recommendation for a free game.
This game leaves a fantastic first impression in its style in both visuals and music, and the music is very nicely done. The mixture of 3D environments and 2D anime characters is well done, and the clean, angular characters move so nicely in gameplay. I'm not a music reviewer, but I liked the music in the game. The game has quite a few flaws it needs to iron out (primarily in its UI), but the developers have been updating the game with the feedback given, so only time will tell if those issues will be fixed. Overall, the game is WELL worth the money (that being $0 as of writing),

Has helped me with my 4th grade fractions homework since 2012.

It is simply amazing how a game made by three people can stand side by side with a triple A game. As much as I'd like to review Project Wingman without referring to Ace Combat, that would be missing the point of the game--it's essentially an Ace Combat fangame. Not that it is unfriendly to newcomers (aside from the lack of a proper tutorial); the mechanics are simple to intuit, yet rewarding to learn; and the story requires no background, unlike Ace Combat 7, the game that directly rivals Project Wingman.. And while the story might be lacking due to an absence of cutscenes, I still found it quite engaging--The characters are entertaining and likable, and most of the voice actors do a great job selling their lines, down to the background chatter. Special notice must be given to the music, as well; however, I do not know how to review music, so I can only reccomend that you look up songs from the soundtrack yourself (try King's Court and Presidia).
The missions aren't quite as tightly choreographed as Ace Combat 7's missions, for better or for worse, and the lack of checkpoints can be a real pain. Even with the limitation of no mid-mission cutscenes, however, some of Project Wingman's missions outdo some of the greatest missions of the Ace Combat series, such as Cold War, a pure moshpit of planes amidst a clear blue sky. And with PW's longer-lasting trails, it ends up looking like a genuine tangle of yarn in the sky. The final boss is also an amazing, harrowing experience (aside from a final phase that goes on for a bit too long). On top of the sheer awe these two levels inspire, they both do it without ever once taking away control from the player. It needs no manufactured cinematic sequence to sell it--the point of this game, along with its inspiration, is to give the player full control of the sky from the comfort of a gamepad.
The controls are a part of the game that should be clarified, however; I played through the game with a gamepad (specifically, a DualShock 4), as I did with the rest of the Ace Combat series. This means that I do not know how the game handles mouse/keyboard or HOTAS controls. This is an unrealistic game likely created with gamepad controls in mind, so there may be problems if you buy this game looking for a sim experience. Same goes for people who bought the game for its VR features first--you cannot fly the jets using VR movements, you must use a controller.

In summary, this game should be a certain purchase for fans of Ace Combat, but is still worth the $25 even for those new to the series. Seriously, the price is outstanding--the quality and quantity of content in this game is remarkably close to Ace Combat 7, yet it's less than half the price.

The Ace Combat series of games are just an absolute joy to play through. I've played through Ace Combat 3, 4, 5, and Zero beforehand, and 7 holds itself to the standard set by those games, while advancing in other aspects, such as the stunning graphics. The planes are stunningly smooth, shiny, and cute, the landscapes are beautifully varied, and the clouds are wonderfully done.
The gameplay has the same wonderful realistic yet arcade-y quality as the ps2 games, which means that the planes are just such a JOY to fly. I never would have thought that I could enjoy a plane so much, but Ace Combat just has such a perfect feeling to its flying and combat, with no gimmicky automated controls (unless one chooses Novice controls). There isn't any of the strange fiddly stuff that actual flight sims require, and not adhering to the actual amounts of weaponry that real planes would have cuts the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ between the fun flight moments. Planes explode in a grand spectacle, and it encourages personal growth in skill. Beyond the flying, all of the missions are amazingly crafted, pushing one to think about how to attack an area beyond simply "shoot target no thinking".
The story is certainly the weakest part of this game. The concepts of the story are great, and I'd say it is enjoyable (if not as good) for people who have played through the other games and understand the style and references in the plot. For a first time player, though, the overall plot is fine at best. AC7 depends on background knowledge of the game world more than other games in the series, with the motives of a few plot vital characters based on previous events, and some other characters seem to just sorta disappear for a while (or the rest of the game). This isn't to say that the story is incomprehensible, but many qualities of it are lost. Plus, issues in development led to quite a few hasty changes. However, AC7 still executes the tradition of making one feel both feared and respected quite well, and the story still has enough to convey a sense of awe and motivation that pushes you to overcome its challenges.
The music of the series is an absolute spectacle, and AC7 is similarly stunning. I don't know what I can say about the music, as I don't know enough of the terminology to really describe why it's great. It's simply awe inspiring.

In short, Ace Combat 7 is a game made with an incredible amount of care, and it shows. The game simply FEELS good. It's challenging, rewarding, and pleasing. A few months ago, I couldn't tell a jet from a helicopter. Now, I'm finding the F-22 to be really, really cute.
Remember, use Expert controls, not Novice controls.