Bandai Namco Aces’ long-running melodramatic arcade combat flight sim series returns with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.
2019’s Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown was a return to form for the series, which had its start way back in 1995 on the original PlayStation. The 2019 game also returned the series to its traditional setting of an alternative version of Earth, with different countries politics and geography. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve serves as a sequel to the 2019 game, following the events of the 2029 Sotoa-Usea War.
The player takes on the mantle of the titular Wings of Theve, a supposedly legendary ace, who gets replaced when the current incumbent, Jan Cope, is KIA as part of a morale-boosting PR exercise. The Maverick lookalike, Cope, lives on, though, in your head, offering a gruff voiceover narration to the proceedings, a la Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077.
Flights operate out of the aircraft carrier FCU Endurance, which seems very similar to a US Navy carrier. Having adopted the moniker of the Wings of Theve, you and your fellow wingmen of Joker Flight are the last hope for the Federation.
Aerial sorties are punctuated by sometimes long-winded and overly dramatic cutscenes. You’ll either find them riveting, or you’ll be reaching for the skip button, depending on how you find his sort of over-the-top storytelling.
Thankfully, the flying is a lot less complex than the plot. Despite the otherwise alternative-Earth setting, players can take many real-world jet fighters into battle. There are over thirty planes that unlock as you proceed through the campaign.
Whilst the story may be overblown, the game takes itself very seriously. It is more of an arcade game than a flight simulator, but it still offers a realistic gameplay experience that simmers should find impressive.
The list of rather dry tutorials gives players a series of drills explaining the flight controls, dogfighting and evasive manoeuvres. Most impressively, the tutorials emphasise the importance of clouds, their use for cover, the effect of missile lock, and aircraft performance.
Each sortie has an extensive briefing, both advancing the story and providing essential information on the mission. Successful missions can be replayed as either combat sorties or free flight.
Selecting loadouts and the plane for each mission offers a unique combat experience that you can tailor to your play style. New aircraft, equipment upgrades and munitions can be unlocked as you progress, granting even more options when preparing for battle.
The combat is exhilarating with a real feeling of speed. The planes feel weighty, requiring piloting rather than just pointing in the right direction. There are three views showing the cockpit, a clean full screen and a more dynamic arcade view. The arcade view gives you a nice follow cam view of your aircraft, but it does bank in an odd way that takes some getting used to.
Being able to command your wingmen is vital when you are (frequently) overwhelmed. Not only do you get to choose your own plane and loadout, but you also get to choose that of your squad.
Between sorties, as well as sometimes lengthy cutscenes, you sometimes get to walk around, interacting with your team, in first-person. I found this to be an interesting way of keeping the player engaged in the story, beyond just flying planes.
As well as the campaign, the game comes with access to Ace Combat Online. This allows players to fly co-op missions with other players around the world. It’s a separate game mode with its own advancement. The lobby is an airbase that serves the same function as similar community areas in the NBA2K games and, most recently, EA Sports FC 27.
Currently, Ace Combat Online has two mission modes. The co-op assault mission pits two teams of eight players against a common enemy to see which team scores the highest, whereas co-op warfare has two teams of eight up against each other in player-vs-player dogfights. Best attempted after the campaign, it’s a great way to extend the game and get humbled by the airmanship of some of the true aces across the globe.
All of this is wrapped up into a polished package with visuals that are guaranteed to leave you smiling. The game looks breathtaking. Breaking through the cloud into sunlight, your canopy covered in water droplets, as you chase your target, is next level.
The game uses Epic’s Unreal Engine 5 to produce a photorealistic dogfighting experience and CGI movie-level character models and animations. The level of detail in the aircraft is exquisite; the airframes even get dirty following sorties and need cleaning.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve combines arcade dogfighting with simulation-level attention to detail tied together by a grounded, but still quirky, sometimes melodramatic story. This is another great entry in the long-running series that should impress existing fans as well as newcomers.