The demoralized Leasathians hastily withdraw towards Griswall, the occupied capital of Aurelia where the Leasathians have established a defensive ring with Meson Cannons capable of firing particle beams. The player has two choices on the strategic level: One is to destroy the enemy Skylla unit by surprise and face Meson Cannons (at full or half potential) in Griswall. The other is to sneak under the enemy radar jamming coverage, destroy their Meson Cannon components and instead battle the enemy units outside Griswall perimeter. By the time Griswall is liberated, however, Navarro has escaped, but the turn of the battle changes irreversibly. Albert Genette and the Aurelian intelligence discover the true motives of the war: General Navarro is revealed to not only be Leasath's commanding officer, but also in control of the country's arms industry. Before the war, Navarro stole foreign aid sent by Aurelia to Leasath, and millions in arms deals during the war to fund the development of Fenrir, a next-generation advanced prototype V/STOL multirole aircraft, simultaneously claiming to Leasath's populace that Aurelia was taking advantage of them, turning public opinion against Aurelia. Following Leasath's expulsion from Aurelia, Navarro continued production in Archelon Fortress on a group of islands off the coast of Leasath. In the advance towards the Archelon fortress, the player has the choice of either preventing enemy elite pilots or a cargo of high-power microwave weapons from reaching the fortress. Depending on the player's choices, the siege of Archelon Fortress can end two ways: Either the Aurelian army destroys the fortress while Gryphus One destroys the last Fenrir prototype, or Gryphus One destroys a shock cannon mounted atop the fortress resulting in its destruction. With the world having witnessed the Battle at Archelon, and Genette's publication exposing the war's true nature, Leasathian citizens, infuriated by Navarro's deception, kill him in a mob, or he flees the country before they arrive. Soon after, the war officially ends. Reception Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception received generally favorable reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Notes References 2006 video games Bandai Namco games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Portable-only games Combat flight simulators Video games developed in Japan Video games set in 2020 Video games set in a fictional country Multiplayer and single-player video games Ace Combat spin-off games