Ace Combat has always occupied a slightly strange space between flight simulator and arcade action. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve doesn’t attempt to change that, but rather become the most complete edition of the Ace Combat 8 franchise.
The campaign takes place in 2029, with the Federation of Central Usea largely occupied following an invasion by the Republic of Sotoa. You begin as an unknown pilot rescued at sea and brought aboard the ageing aircraft carrier Endurance, before being given the identity of the legendary “Wings of Theve” and becoming a symbol of hope for the remaining forces.
If I’m honest, I didn’t initially pay much attention. I’m in a plane, and I’ll shoot the bad guys! But I was surprised how personal the story feels, and this is aided by between missions having first-person sections aboard the carrier where you can spend time with your squadron and get to know the people you’re fighting alongside and really ‘live’ the character.
Some of it is cheesy, but by the end I genuinely cared about my squad mates. It could easily be Top Gun 3. Of course, the flying is what really matters, and thankfully it’s excellent. Ace Combat 8 remains firmly on the arcade side of aviation. You’re not spending twenty minutes learning how to start an engine or worrying about realistic missile capacity. Flight Simulator, this is not. You get a choice of two control systems, then get into the air, find something that needs destroying and fire missiles at it.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no depth. Positioning yourself behind an enemy, timing a missile correctly and then immediately banking away as the warning system tells you something is locked onto you is incredibly satisfying. Some of the larger encounters are just insane chaos; with missiles, aircraft and explosions seemingly everywhere. It can be overwhelming – the HUD gives you a green box around most things, so there is an awful lot to pay attention to until you’re used to it.
There’s a good selection of aircraft to unlock as you progress, along with different weapons and upgrades. I found myself experimenting much more than I expected, particularly when replaying missions where a different aircraft or weapon could completely change my approach. The ability to change the colour schemes of planes (in multiplayer) is good as well, as you can forge your own identity in the sky.
The mission variety is another highlight. You’re not simply shooting down identical groups of fighters repeatedly. There are enormous aerial battles, ground attacks and missions built around specific objectives and environmental conditions. The campaign constantly finds new ways of putting you under pressure.
Jump into the multiplayer though, and it’s moves up a notch. In an open ‘lobby’ area of a military base, you run around with other players and reach areas (which can also be accessed via menus) to launch different modes, or customise planes. Team Deathmatch does what it says on the tin, but there are a variety of co-op and PvPvE modes which replicate the excitement of a campaign, but with your mates. A progression system sits across modes here, meaning there reasons to keep playing and crown yourself the ‘Ace’ of the sky.
Visually, it’s spectacular. On Series X, the aircraft themselves look almost photorealistic at times, but it’s the sky that impressed me most. The clouds are incredible, particularly when you’re diving through layers of them while trying to escape an enemy missile. Condensation covers the cockpit as mist obscures your view. The weather and lighting can completely transform the atmosphere of a mission too.
Combined with the soundtrack – which becomes suitably enormous whenever the game decides something dramatic is happening, which is quite a lot – some battles genuinely feel like playable scenes from an action film. On more than a few occasions, I’ve had to take a deep breath.
There are some frustrations. Certain missions rely a little too heavily on throwing huge numbers of targets at you, and failing towards the end of a longer mission can be annoying. Unlocking everything also requires a fair amount of grinding, particularly if you want some of the more expensive aircraft and upgrades.
The story won’t work for everyone either. Ace Combat takes itself incredibly seriously while simultaneously asking you to accept completely absurd situations. But then, if you’ve seen Top Gun, this would fit in perfectly fine.
By the time the credits rolled, I had really enjoyed the campaign. Ace Combat 8 doesn’t reinvent the series. Instead, it takes everything Ace Combat already did well and makes it bigger, prettier and considerably more cinematic.
It’s ridiculous, dramatic and over the top. But when I’m flying through the clouds, missiles streaking past the cockpit while the soundtrack is going absolutely mental in the background, it’s hard not to recommend this to anyone.
Reviewed on Xbox Series X
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