The Ace Combat franchise has earned its place in gaming with highly-rated and memorable titles, and before 2026 comes to a close, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve undoubtedly continues the series legacy with an immersive campaign, brilliant gameplay, and impressive sound design. If you’re already an Ace Combat fan, a high-quality game was to be expected from the team at Project Aces, but Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve still finds ways to surprise you and keep you locked in for many hours, as I’ve gladly discovered in this review.
The story of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is set in the year 2029, 10 years after the events of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. You’re a nameless pilot from the Federation of Central Usea’s Navy who’s stuck on a lifeboat alongside FCU Air Force maintenance officer David Jenkins. When the two of you are rescued, you quickly realize that the FCU is in very dire straits. The FCU has been invaded and occupied by the Republic of Sotoa, and to make matters worse, Sotoa has incredible orbital weapons capable to fueling intercontinental war campaigns with little possible resistance. With very little manpower, the remnants of the FCU resort to enlisting anyone capable of fighting back against Sotoa.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Immerses You in the Desperation of War, and Its Optimism
Enter Joker Flight, an FCU Navy air squadron who carries the nation’s remaining hope on its back. D.D., a liaison for the tech corporation Enso Order, is a hype man of sorts who’s elevating the status of Commander Jan “Rex” Cope, the ace pilot known as the “Wings of Theve,” through social media. He’s essentially doing PR in order to spread the good name of what little resistance remains, but when you actually become Rex’s co-pilot, you realize the hype is simply just hype. Cope is killed in action with you just managing to survive the ordeal in the waters of the FCU once more. With Cope’s dog tag in tow, you inherit his Rex callsign and leadership of Joker Flight. Now, it’s up to you, the player, to live up to the Wings of Theve’s legendary name, and strangely, Cope’s soul is along for the ride after being unable to move on to the afterlife.
The premise of Wings of Theve is incredibly interesting to me from the get-go. As the Wings of Theve, the game puts serious expectations on you to live up to that name in the story while D.D. glamorizes it for clicks and views. The pressure of living up to the war hero’s legend never really lets up in the narrative, since you’re always expected to overcomes all the odds no matter the risks. As a result, you can sense how desperate the FCU and its soldiers really are. Despite that, there’s a strong sense of camaraderie with the members of Joker Flight—Baxter, Coster, and Tasha—and other allied forces.
Joker Flight is basically a ragtag bunch, and although they’re skilled, they’re naive, with Baxter being the most professional and experienced of the crew. If anything, it makes them grounded and realistic, and their character development is remarkable to say the least. Joker Flight is really put through the ringer in their missions, and the story is incredibly memorable with each mission really standing out. I didn’t expect the story to be as emotional as it was, but honestly, I won’t elaborate more on that, because it’s worth experiencing for yourself.
From missions to the dialogue and first-person scenes outside combat, Ace Combat is more cinematic and immersive than ever before. While UI elements are largely very similar to those of the previous game, the overall presentation of Ace Combat takes a step up in nearly all departments. The story puts you at the center of attention as you get mission briefings or talk to other members of Joker Flight and the FCU Navy, and as the player, it definitely begins to mean more to you as you play. Throughout the game, you’ll be able to respond to your crewmates and enemies with “Yes” or “No” prompts, and although this is mostly an illusion of choice, the dialogue you receive by making those choices will stick with you.
The game’s character designs are really memorable, the music is always on point with a surprising amount of range, and the sound design is impeccable. While we all have our preferences, this is a game that a great pair of headsets can elevate even further for you. From the flight system and Electrosphere-like debriefing music to “Everflow” and “Times are Changing,” the sound design and soundtrack don’t miss a single beat whatsoever. This is all while having a campaign with a lot of variety in its missions, making each sortie feel unique and personable to the situation you’re in with the story.
Ace Combat to its Core
Gameplay is the heart and soul of Ace Combat, and once again, it’s just brilliant in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Ace Combat is a series that seems daunting to get into on the surface, but once you take off that runway, you’re locked in for good. The arcade-style gameplay is easy to get into while still feeling enough like an aircraft simulator, making it feel realistic and thrilling to play. Gameplay feels really responsive, and you can tailor each aircraft a bit more into your playstyle thanks to various unlockable parts. As I mentioned previously, the mission variety is also really great, so you’ll have the opportunity to try out plenty of aircraft in combat scenarios that suit them.
In addition, you can finally have two special weapons equipped, making each aircraft more versatile than ever before. If you so desire, you can just choose one special weapon in order to have more ammo for it, which can also stack with upgrade parts that further increase your payload capacity. You can acquire upgrade parts and aircraft by spending points earned in missions in the Aircraft Tree. There are a ton of unlockables and an unlockable Ace difficulty, so if you want to get everything from the Aircraft Tree, you’ll definitely need to play through the campaign a couple of times.
The campaign is the clear highlight of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, but there’s also Ace Combat Online, a separate game mode that essentially serves as the endgame here. You can create your own avatar and join a hub with up to 100 players at once. In the hub, you can customize your aircraft, adjust settings, matchmake into various game modes, squad up with other players, and even play some classic arcade games like PAC-MAN and Galaga.
There are a variety of PvE modes, such as Co-Op Assault and Co-Op Warfare, which typically involve you being placed into teams in order to compete for the highest score. It’s essentially what you’ve been doing in the campaign already but more tailored to online across a variety of maps. PvP modes, including Team Deathmatch, will appear during limited-time events. As you play these modes, you’ll naturally level up your aircraft and progress an Ace Pass, which is just a battle pass with free and premium tracks. The online component is a bit formulaic, and for the most part, shooters have very similar modes and progression systems, with Ace Combat’s gameplay being the aspect that really sets it apart.
If you’re hooked on gameplay from the campaign, online will likely keep you hooked if you don’t mind leveling up a battle pass. There’s a lot of fun to be had, but Ace Combat Online is also missing some key features that would have made this game a total masterpiece. For example, there’s no custom matches or private lobbies, which can be a let down for groups and communities wanting to gather up and have some fun sessions together in Ace Combat Online. I also noticed some connection issues from time to time. Of course, these issues can be resolved with post-launch updates.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the New Pinnacle of the Series
There are plenty of missions and moments to pick from throughout the Ace Combat that will resonate with you, but as an overall package, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is at the pinnacle of the series right now. From the stellar sound design to the varied campaign missions and the impressive storytelling, Project Aces went above and beyond to make this game an aviation spectacle. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a celebration of the series and builds immensely on the world of Strangereal, setting the groundwork for what could be a very interesting future for Ace Combat.
While the online component may leave something to be desired from other contemporaries in the multiplayer space, the gameplay of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a labor of love, enticing you to keep playing, perfecting your skills, and unlocking the most enigmatic of aircraft. The campaign was enough to move me and leave me in post-game depression. That’s the sign of an utterly fantastic game that completed its mission and left an impact.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a real treat for Ace Combat fans and newcomers alike, and it sets a new standard going forward for the series going forward. It’s also an important turning point for the series, and I’m curious about how the future of the franchise will look like as we get closer and closer to Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere on the timeline as we know it. For now, I hope Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve gets the same love and long-term support that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown received after its launch, because it’s a special game that more and more gamers should give a shot.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launched on October 2 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Final Weapon previously published a preview of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve and an interview with developers Manabu Shimomoto and Kazutoki Kono.
Disclaimer: Bandai Namco provided a Steam key of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve for review purposes.
