Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

The game's title in the foreground. A pilot can be seen stood near a fighter jet in the background.

Seven years after the previous game in the franchise, Bandai Namco is back with a sonic boom with the recent release of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve! Dubbed as a “combat flight simulation” title, I’m sure we can expect lots of dogfights, impressive aerial manoeuvres, and some tricky to master controls!

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is out now and is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Take to the Skies in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve!

Despite this being the ninth mainline entry, I’ll admit I’m not all that clued in with the franchise. I played a few of the PlayStation 2 games, but my history with Ace Combat is pretty limited. Nevertheless, I was pretty excited to earn my wings in this one!

Do you have a favourite game in the series to recommend? If so, let me know in the comments below. But for now, this review is clear for take-off!

Story

The player's fighter jet fires two missiles towards an enemy in the distance. An explosion erupts above a mountain range. — Great shot kid, that was one in a million!

You might assume that Ace Combat 8 lacks a compelling narrative.. Or, at the very least, a throwaway one. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as the dedicated campaign tells a rather gripping tale of war, and all the emotion, propaganda, and philosophy that surrounds it.

Set in the alternate universe of Strangereal, two opposing forces, the Republic of Sotoa and the Federation of Central Usea, are at war. Set 10 years after Ace Combat 7 (although prior knowledge isn’t necessary to enjoy this one), you play as silent protagonist Rex, as they take up the mantle of the legendary “Wings of Theve” pilot. The only issue is that this legend is a mere fabrication. Propaganda to boost troop morale. Turns out the previous pilot wasn’t much of an ace after all…

Without going into too many spoilers, it’s clear pretty much from the get-go that the narrative is more than just “blow up x and shoot down y for freedom”. As I mentioned, it gets more into the human side of war. Although, it can be a little convoluted and nonsensical at times.

Gameplay

A first-person view inside a jet's cockpit. The sun is setting as the player is flying high above the clouds. — It’s a shame there’s a war on, because this is quite peaceful.

Being airborne has never felt better than it does in Ace Combat 8. Each fighter jet handles differently from one another, but they all feel great to pilot. This is thanks to the incredibly tight, responsive controls that make flight immensely satisfying. Both of the two control schemes (one’s more beginner-friendly in relation to turning) work great, so it’s really just a matter of taste or building yourself up to the “Expert” input method.

Over the course of the campaign’s 30 missions, there’s a surprising amount of variety when it comes to what you’ll actually be doing. Sure, the majority of the time you’ll be engaging in tense dogfights, slicing through the air and shooting down enemies. Other times, you’ll be taking out a specific target hidden in the skies, or combatting a battleship that travels on land. Yes, really, and it’s awesome! You’re not always alone, though, as you’ll issue commands to your squad when you need them to do something specific. There are some less enjoyable missions, such as the dreaded stealth sections, and objectives aren’t always clear. But, I never found myself bored, and the campaign as a whole was genuinely exciting to play through.

There’s also a multiplayer aspect, with an online lobby to wander around, and two co-op-based modes that were surprisingly fun. Assault has two teams of four take out computer-controlled enemies, competing for the high score. Warfare is more of a PvPvE, where the other squadron can also be fought against. A little sparse, maybe, though the steady influx of new unlocks tied to progression at least lets you mix things up a bit. There’s also a battle pass named the “Ace Pass”, but I didn’t feel like I was missing much by ignoring it. It’s definitely fun with a few friends, but I hope Bandai Namco expands the number of game modes down the line.

Graphics & Audio

A menu showing various options to customise the players jet. In the background, three aircraft can be seen parked close to a runway. — Suit up, and sortie!

In a word, Ace Combat 8 looks stunning. There’s an incredible amount of detail inside the cockpit when viewed in first-person, for starters. Planes are meticulously crafted and look phenomenal when viewed either up close or at a distance. Environments are equally as impressive, and I’m not just talking about the cityscapes and vistas you’ll see below you. I never thought I’d be this blown away by clouds of all things! Not only are they gorgeous to look at, but they also factor in to the gameplay. Fly through them with a missile on your tail, and there’s a good chance it’ll lose track of you. Linger in there too long, however, and risk ice building up on your plane, potentially causing it to stall. It’s a true graphical powerhouse, and perhaps most surprising of all, I had no issues with frame drops or graphical bugs of any kind.

Aside from looking like a movie at times, the sound design is also top-notch. The immersive sounds you’ll hear throughout perfectly compliment Ace Combat 8‘s visuals. In addition, the soundtrack alone is enough to get you pumped during each flight. Overall, the presentation is pretty much perfect; the only minor issue I could find is that some of the music can drown out the radio chatter mid-mission.

Longevity

The campaign alone will last players around 20-25 hours. With 30 missions to complete, as well as the option to replay them for higher scores, there is a good amount of single-player content. A standard playthrough won’t see players unlock everything, either. If you’re set on adding every aircraft to your hanger, earning all the customisation and weapons options, and earning every medal, then Ace Combat 8‘s solo content will last a fair while.

Then of course, there’s the multiplayer. Which could potentially keep you engaged indefinitely. Time will tell if players stick around to keep lobbies full. But for now, I will absolutely be jumping back into the cockpit to share the skies with my fellow pilots.

Final Thoughts

The player targets a land battleship making it's way through a city, leaving a path of destruction. — Get in the sea!

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve really impressed me. Although some of the missions were duds, and the multiplayer is a little light on modes, this is air combat at its best. Fluid controls, incredible visuals, and one hell of a campaign make this a game I can easily recommend. If you’ve been clamouring for something in the air combat genre, then you need look no further!

With all that said, I’ll be giving Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve the Thumb Culture Gold Award!