ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Review – Taking Flight Again

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE has a difficult job. For newcomers, it needs to be an exciting introduction to arcade-style aerial combat. For longtime fans, it needs to capture that familiar ACE COMBAT feeling while giving us enough new content to make another trip to the skies worthwhile.

After spending a lot of time with it, I think it manages to do both.

ACE COMBAT 8 doesn't completely reinvent the series, and honestly, I don't think it needs to. Instead, it takes the formula that has worked for years and expands it with a longer campaign, more aircraft, more weapons, new situations to deal with, and a story that gives the player more time with its characters.

The result is a game that feels familiar almost immediately, but still gives longtime fans plenty of reasons to keep playing.

The ACE COMBAT Formula Is Still Here

If you've played previous ACE COMBAT games, you know exactly what happens when you hear that first radio transmission and take off into the sky.

You pick a target, lock on, fire a missile, pull away, hear the warning tone, turn back around and immediately start looking for your next target.

It's simple, but it works.

ACE COMBAT 8 continues to focus on accessible arcade-style flight rather than trying to become a realistic flight simulator. You don't need to spend hours learning how to fly a fighter jet before you can have fun. Within minutes, you're performing tight turns, locking onto enemies and chasing targets through the clouds.

But there is still enough depth underneath that simplicity for experienced players to get much more out of it.

Knowing when to use your standard missiles, choosing the right special weapon, managing your positioning and understanding the strengths of different aircraft can make a big difference, especially as the missions become more demanding.

That balance has always been one of the best things about ACE COMBAT, and it remains one of the biggest strengths here.

A Campaign That Finally Has Room to Breathe

One of my favorite improvements is the campaign itself.

ACE COMBAT 8 gives the story more room to develop instead of constantly rushing from one major battle to another.

You play as REX, a pilot caught in a conflict between the Federation of Central Usea and the Republic of Sotoa. What starts as another military operation gradually becomes something much bigger, with your character becoming increasingly important to the conflict.

The story follows a familiar ACE COMBAT structure, combining serious military situations with the series' larger-than-life characters and dramatic moments.

And yes, longtime fans will recognize that particular style immediately.

There are radio conversations happening constantly, characters reacting to what's happening around you, unexpected developments during missions and those moments where everything suddenly becomes much more dramatic than you expected.

That's part of the charm.

What I particularly enjoyed is that the longer campaign gives the characters more time to develop. Your squadmates don't simply feel like voices telling you where the next target is. Their relationships and reactions help give the campaign more personality.

The story isn't going to surprise everyone, and some of its dramatic moments can feel familiar if you've been playing ACE COMBAT for years, but I still found myself wanting to see what happened next.

And that's what matters most.

The Missions Keep Things Interesting

One problem that can affect aerial combat games is repetition.

At first, shooting down enemy aircraft is incredibly satisfying. But if every mission eventually becomes "destroy these 20 fighters," the excitement can wear off.

ACE COMBAT 8 does a good job of avoiding that.

The campaign regularly changes what you're being asked to do. Some missions focus heavily on air-to-air combat, while others involve ground targets, larger threats or situations where simply rushing toward every enemy isn't the best approach.

There are also several encounters designed around the huge scale of the world and the technology you're fighting against.

These moments are some of my favorites because they capture something ACE COMBAT has always done extremely well: making you feel like you're part of something much bigger than your aircraft.

You'll have moments where you're surrounded by dozens of enemies, moments where you're flying through difficult conditions, and others where a massive target completely dominates the battlefield.

The game understands that these moments are supposed to feel spectacular.

Choosing Your Aircraft Actually Matters

The aircraft selection is another major reason to keep coming back.

ACE COMBAT 8 gives you a large selection of fighters to unlock and experiment with, and longtime players will immediately have their favorites in mind.

But the fun isn't just collecting aircraft.

Different planes can completely change how you approach a mission.

Some are better suited to air-to-air combat, while others can be configured around ground attacks or specific special weapons. This encourages you to actually experiment instead of simply finding one aircraft you like and using it for the entire campaign.

I also really enjoyed the progression system.

Completing missions gives you the resources to unlock additional aircraft and upgrades, which creates a nice reason to replay missions and try different setups.

There's something satisfying about going back to an earlier mission with a completely different aircraft and realizing how much easier or sometimes harder, the same situation can become.

Weapons Add Another Layer

The aircraft are only half of the equation.

The special weapons are where things become particularly interesting for returning players.

Choosing the right weapon for a mission can completely change how you approach it. Instead of simply relying on standard missiles, you can build your aircraft around a particular role and take advantage of the weapon that suits the situation.

This also adds replay value.

You might finish a mission thinking you've already seen everything it has to offer, then come back with a different aircraft and weapon combination and approach the same battlefield completely differently.

It's not a revolutionary system, but it gives the campaign more depth without making the game unnecessarily complicated.

The Wingmen Make a Difference

Your squad also plays a bigger role this time around.

The people flying alongside you aren't simply there to fill the radio with dialogue. Their presence helps make the battles feel more like actual operations rather than a one-person war where you're somehow responsible for destroying an entire military by yourself.

You can also give your wingmen orders depending on the situation.

It's a small addition, but it adds another layer to the missions. When you're dealing with multiple threats, deciding where your squad should focus can make the battlefield feel more dynamic.

I would have liked to see this system pushed even further, but I still appreciate the additional interaction.

It Still Feels Like ACE COMBAT

This is probably the most important thing I can say about ACE COMBAT 8.

Despite all the additions, it still feels like ACE COMBAT.

The radio chatter.

The music.

The ridiculous scale of some of the battles.

The dramatic encounters.

The feeling of being completely surrounded by enemy aircraft.

That moment when the warning tone starts screaming while you're trying to get behind an enemy.

And, of course, the satisfaction of lining up the perfect shot.

These are the things longtime fans come back for.

ACE COMBAT 8 understands that.

Rather than changing the series into something it isn't, it builds on the identity that made the previous games so memorable.

A Visual Upgrade Worth Noticing

The presentation also benefits from the move to newer hardware and technology.

The aircraft look fantastic, with plenty of detail on the jets and weapons. The environments are also impressive, especially when you're flying through different weather conditions or watching massive battles unfold below you.

There are moments where the scale is genuinely impressive.

Flying through clouds while missiles are flying past you, watching huge structures in the distance or approaching an enormous enemy target can make you forget that you're playing what is essentially an arcade flight game.

The soundtrack also deserves praise.

ACE COMBAT has always understood how important music is to its atmosphere, and ACE COMBAT 8 continues that tradition. Some missions become significantly more memorable simply because the music, radio dialogue and action all come together at the right moment.

Difficulty and Replayability

The game also gives experienced players plenty of reasons to return.

Once you've completed the campaign, there is still a lot of fun in replaying missions with different aircraft, weapons and difficulty settings.

For longtime fans, this is where the game becomes more than just a campaign you finish once.

You start thinking about your loadout before a mission.

You start remembering which aircraft you prefer.

You start trying to complete missions more efficiently.

And eventually, you stop playing simply to see what happens next and start playing because the actual act of flying and fighting is fun.

That's a very good sign.

What Could Be Better?

ACE COMBAT 8 isn't perfect.

The biggest issue for longtime players is that some of the formula will feel very familiar.

The game improves and expands the series, but it doesn't completely redefine what an ACE COMBAT game can be.

The story also has moments that feel predictable, especially if you've already experienced the series' more dramatic storytelling over the years. Some characters could have benefited from even more development, particularly considering how much time the longer campaign gives them.

I also think some of the newer systems could have been taken further. The wingman mechanics and aircraft customization are enjoyable, but there's room for even deeper squad management and more meaningful choices during missions.

Still, these are more about wanting more from the game than fundamental problems with what is already here.

Final Verdict

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is a great reminder of why this series has remained so enjoyable for so long.

It doesn't try to turn ACE COMBAT into a completely different game. Instead, it gives longtime fans more of the things they already love: fast and satisfying aerial combat, dramatic missions, memorable music, huge enemies and plenty of aircraft to experiment with.

The longer campaign is particularly welcome. It gives the story more time to develop, lets you spend more time with your squad and gives the aircraft and weapon progression more room to matter.

For newcomers, this is an easy game to pick up and enjoy.

For longtime fans, it's a comfortable return to the cockpit with enough new content to make the journey worthwhile.

There are familiar elements throughout, and I would have liked some of the new ideas to be pushed further, but when the core gameplay feels this good, it's hard to complain too much.

ACE COMBAT 8 doesn't need to reinvent the skies.

It just needs to give us a reason to stay in them.

And for me, it does.

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Game score: 8/10

Reviewed by: Ruba Jaiousy

Reviewed On: PS5