Soaring Higher Than Ever

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve flies on the tailwinds of its predecessor, which brought life back to the series in 2019. Yet it also dips deep into the series' wealth of mechanics and themes – wingmen, huge mission areas, memorable rivals – to forge what feels like the ace of aces, and one of the series' best entries.

In the wake of an invasion of your homeland, you go down in a dogfight with Sotoa's elite Shadow squadron alongside the "Wings of Theve," a folk hero for the FCU that you discover is a little more tall tale than living legend. You don his identity and become the new "Wings of Theve" to help keep the war effort alive.

Though Ace Combat is certainly no stranger to stories about war, politics, and their effect on the world at large, Wings of Theve takes it to a new height thanks to its focus on your wingmen and the crew of your carrier, the Endurance. Over 30 missions, you build a small band of surviving fighters aboard your meager fleet, all hoping to make it to the conflict's resolution. From your Joker Squadron and sister Queen Squadron to enemy aces and crew aboard the Endurance, the cast is both packed and memorable.

Though there are still some odd story wrinkles, specifically when asking for an arbitrary button press to advance the scene, and the voice of the former Wings pilot Cope speaking to you from the beyond lays on a little thick at the start, Ace Combat 8's story soars thanks to its new first-person perspective and focus on the squadron around you and other members of the Endurance. Big moments in missions hit that much harder when you've spent time around these pilots, seen their struggles up close, and then have to desperately battle alongside them for your life in the skies above.

Each mission is a brilliantly laid-out box of objectives and tasks, an impressive feat given the variety of what Bandai's Aces team asks you to accomplish. In one, you soar across a vast desert, taking out strategic reserves of power, ammo, and hangars full of planes to whittle down an invasion force's resources. In another, you jet toward an island at high speeds and low altitudes to avoid radar detection; then, several missions later, you're trailing massive cargo planes in the sky, following their contrails because radar jamming masks their exact position.

A wealth of planes and weapons are available, and all feel fantastic to fly. The jets feel a little heavier than in Ace Combat 7, but it's a good heft; in the midst of a high-G turn, it appropriately feels like you're wresting the nose of a giant mass of steel at sonic speeds. You can also pack two special weapons at a time, which lets you specialize more and opens up more options in your hangar for each outing. I still found myself beelining straight for the F-35C, but enjoyed several of the other options as well; one special section involving an A-10 bomber was a particularly fun break from the whiplash-inducing missile rodeo of other missions.

It's not just missiles the enemy will throw at you, either. Get used to hearing "Rail Gun Warning" in your headphones, as Sotoa's fleet of land battleships and other terra-naval units make ground forces especially troublesome in Ace Combat 8. Sotoa's Lux Lunae, or the Shadows as your squad calls them, are also a highlight. From their sleek black paint jobs and open-comms chanting as they enter the battlefield to their mid-air maneuvers, the Shadows continually push you to the edge and beyond. Besting the Lux Lunae's aces was a consistent source of improvement and achievement as a virtual pilot.

Multiplayer pushes even further, with modes for those who just like to chase high scores and those who want to dogfight other human pilots. Modes where your four-flier squad compete for score, either alongside or against an enemy squadron, make up the bulk of multiplayer playtime. The star attraction is the emergency sorties: special missions that fire up every so often for all players, pitting them against Ace Combat superweapons like the Arsenal Bird. It's a solid base with room to grow for future support, though a lot of menuing, grinding for specific plane upgrade needs, and cosmetic monetization options put speed bumps on my playtime more often than I'd have liked.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve perfectly represents why fliers have stuck with this series. A fantastic campaign, filled with missions I want to replay over and over again, is buoyed by a compelling cast and story, excellent flight controls, explosive dogfights, and encounters you can't wait to scream through at supersonic speeds. Ace Combat 8 proves the series is no museum piece; Wings of Theve soars with the best of the best, and it's a blast to play again and again.