Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve could soar higher than ever in series history

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In late May, TopMob Gaming got a chance to play Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve in Paris. After about five hours of gameplay across different missions, we were really impressed with how the game looks and how fast-paced the action is, though some aspects weren’t quite perfect.

Wings of Theve takes place during a conflict where the Republic of Sotoa launches a lightning attack on the Federation of Central Usea (FCU). This invasion causes the FCU to break apart into separate, independent countries.

Although the game begins with a dramatic splash – the main character immediately falling into the ocean – the opening is surprisingly gradual. The story is explained through new, dynamic cutscenes, which are a significant upgrade from the static images used in Ace Combat 7.

Visually, this game is seriously impressive! The characters mostly look fantastic, although like a lot of Unreal Engine games, the hair can sometimes look a little jagged. But honestly, the planes, maps, and especially the clouds are gorgeous. The developers, Bandai Namco Aces, even built some custom stuff into Unreal Engine 5 just to make the clouds look perfect, and it really shows. It’s a beautiful game to fly through.

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Players familiar with the series or flight simulators might find the beginning a little slow. You start by observing rather than flying, and the initial missions are fairly basic. Luckily, you can progress through these quickly, and the gameplay soon becomes much more exciting. New players will appreciate this gentle introduction, and the game offers plenty of difficulty options to customize the experience. We preferred the Expert controls, as we found the Standard controls less natural to use.

Once you get the hang of the game, it really picks up speed, becoming challenging but in a rewarding way. Luckily, you’re not alone – you can command a team to either defend you or launch attacks, which helps balance the difficulty.

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As a player, I sometimes got to choose how my pilots would react in certain situations. Honestly, though, with how quickly we moved from one mission to the next, it was hard to tell if those choices actually mattered to the overall story. It left me wondering if I was really making a difference!

The characters were inconsistent – it was difficult to follow their growth because the story jumped around a lot. Tasha Seversky, specifically, came across as annoying, similar to some of the overly quirky characters in recent Disney movies.

But when the action ramps up, it becomes easy to ignore.

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We had a critical mission: stop a massive Sotoan warship from destroying Theve, the capital city of the FCU. Flying an A-10 Warthog, we made low-level bombing runs, weaving between skyscrapers and rooftops to disable its tracks. It was an amazing experience, with drones filling the air and a full-scale battle happening on the ground.

This mission puts you in the role of a pilot tasked with finding and destroying massive cargo planes concealed in the clouds. Enemy aircraft will try to disrupt your radar, so you’ll need to rely on spotting their contrails to track them down. Taking out the engines one by one feels like something straight out of a classic 80s or 90s military anime, similar to shows like Paltabor 2. It’s particularly rewarding to create a chain reaction by destroying the lead plane and watching it fall onto those below.

Amidst the chaos of missile alerts, constant radio communication, and surrounding explosions, a strange calm can descend. The intense aerial combat transforms into a captivating and almost hypnotic spectacle.

If you’ve enjoyed rally racing games and getting a feel for the turns ahead based on the pace notes, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve offers a similar experience – but with way more action and explosions.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theves tackles thought-provoking themes, like how stories about war can differ from the actual events, but some of its content feels a bit too similar to current real-world conflicts, which is unsettling.

Okay, so this is a really cool detail – after your wingman, Cope, tragically dies, you still hear his voice guiding you through missions, like a ghost! I spoke with the developers, Kono and Shimomoto, and they explained they were really interested in exploring what makes these pilots tick, their bonds with each other, and what they leave behind even after they’re gone. Honestly, whether Cope is actually a ghost is up for debate, but knowing how much crazy tech and sci-fi stuff is already in the Ace Combat universe, it feels like it could be something way deeper than just a haunting.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is looking like a fantastic addition to the Ace Combat series for fans. It boasts improved flying controls, a polished presentation, stunning graphics, and a compelling story.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launches 2 October for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Authors

Cole LukeFreelance Writer

Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video creator who works with TopMob Gaming. His work also appears in publications like Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, and Network N.

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2026-06-04 17:05