Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve review: "Soars thanks to thrilling dogfights and a genuinely gripping Metal Gear-like story"

You know how whenever anyone plays a video game in a film or TV show, they move the controller around like wild and twist their head from side to side? It looks ridiculous, right? Well, as my recent batch of neck pains can attest, that's exactly the kind of behavior that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve brings out in me whenever I find myself engaged in an intense dogfight or performing a sharp turn in mid-air to stop myself from smashing right into the building an enemy anti-air emplacement was perched on.

Ace Combat 8 continues the series' traditions of breakneck speed, exhilarating flight combat, and having the absolute best soundtracks, but Bandai Namco's renewed focus on cutscene-heavy storytelling does make getting into the action a bit slower from the outset. But, as you fly through one of the series' biggest campaigns to date, the story gets its hooks in, and the pace quickly picks up as each mission offers up a brilliant burst of tight flight combat.

Rex gon' give it to ya

This time around your voiceless fighter pilot protagonist is Rex of Joker Squadron. And just like many an Ace Combat pilot, they're the best in the biz and are the greatest hope to stop the war. Rex takes on the role as the 'Wings of Theve', a legendary ace whose efforts are spread far and wide across the continent of Usea to inspire hope during the invasion from neighboring Sotoa. Except, the Wings of Theve is a fabrication drummed up through a misinformation campaign, and the real Wings – Cope – was killed in action before Rex took the stage.

I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first about the number of cutscenes. They're a big jump in quality from Ace Combat 7's slideshow style, shown most prominently by the dog not being a JPEG this time around. But, arcadey games suddenly going hard on making me watch a load of videos is usually a red flag, and given it took 45 minutes from booting up the game to finishing the game's first mission, I was a bit concerned. However, as the game goes on, the amount of cutscenes does lessen, and ironically my attachment to them grew thanks to an excellent cast of wingmen, the best rival since Zero, and a Johnny Silverhand-esque inner monologue from Cope to make up for our protagonist's silence.

I particularly love the metanarrative around taking up the Wings mantle – manufacturing a legend as a means of combat remains an undercurrent throughout the entire story. There's a hint of Metal Gear Solid to the themes of targeted social media misinformation campaigns, the roles corporations play in the war economy, and how they benefit from war no matter the victor, which feels especially pertinent in the modern day.

Strangereal love baby

Ace Combat 8 doesn't reinvent the wheel as far as its basics go; you play through a 30-mission campaign, choosing the best planes, weapons, and parts for what it requires, and get to work – if you played Ace Combat 7, you'll feel right at home with the controls. Where Wings of Theve shines is that mission variety. You'll need to battle through cities to help escort ground troops, one has you flee from the enemy in an underpowered craft, while others have you enact as much destruction to enemies' various base encampments in a time limit. And, of course, the Vergil fan in me loves the encounters with your rival above all.

It can get a bit overwhelming. Not only is there a ton happening on screen at once, but you'll need to keep an eye out for so many threats. One mission sees you having to engage in dogfighting with your rivals, taking out as many enemy anti-air guns as possible, all while making sure your troops can make their way into the city unharmed. You'll find yourself flying all around the battlefield, but rather than being frustrating busywork, the feeling of being stretched too thin is exhilarating and really emphasizes that Usea is down to its last legs.

Despite the stress, by the end of the game I've gone from wannabe flyboy to really feeling like the ace pilot I'm purported to be, with mechanical and narrative twists coming together to deliver some of the series' most bombastic final missions to date which even put the propulsive Top Gun Maverick to shame. Even now, I'm not sure how I made it through, and the memories of seeing relationships come through in these dire moments, in play rather than just cutscenes, makes this journey extra special. There's almost Avengers Endgame-level flair to some consequential moments, such as one that has me truly defying the odds in what feels like a suicide run.

If there's one thing you can bank on with an Ace Combat game, it's that it'll have a brilliant soundtrack. Thankfully Wings of Theve is no different, with what is probably my new favorite in the series alongside Ace Combat Zero. The missions feature a ton of epic orchestral numbers that perfectly punctuate the tense dogfighting, while the guitars and in-universe music add a good variety to it. The Shadows theme – already an infectious group chant that brings forth impending dread – kicking into full gear in mission 3, is perhaps the only time I can recall saying "oh my god" aloud because it was just that good.

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Finally, there's Ace Combat Online, the game's multiplayer component. Unfortunately, this was only available for a single day during the review period. What I did get to try was a fun selection of PvP and PvE missions, but with only a handful of game modes and a lobby system that locks you out of doing anything as you wait for a match, I don't know that it's one I'll return to much once the post-launch hype dies down.

Ace Combat 8 is a fantastic new entry in Bandai Namco's series. While a bit slow going at first, its story eventually soars thanks to brilliant characters and a looming metanarrative, while each new mission provides a blast of intense gameplay. Even with one of the longest campaigns in the series, it never overstays its welcome and is one I can see myself returning to years down the line when I need my G-force fix.

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