Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Developer: Bandai Namco Aces
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: Xbox Series X (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PC
Release Date: October 2, 2025
Price: $69.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
When it comes to games about flying around, there are very few out there that aren’t either simply shoe-horned mechanics into an open-world game, those that are entirely on-rails, or even the occasional flight sim that allows players to fly all over the world. There is a drought in games that offer players a chance to step into the cockpit of a fighter jet and take to the skies and dogfight other pilots or take on ground forces and only Ace Combat has stepped in to fill that role, but even then it has been quiet for seven years. After seven years of silence, Bandai Namco’s Aces are looking to bring back that same feeling of fighter jet combat that fans have been hoping for with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Offering a lengthy and visually gorgeous campaign and a slew of multiplayer options, is this everything fans could hope for?
Story
The player finds themselves floating on an inflatable life raft alongside the only other surviving member of their escape helicopter, a mechanic named Jenkins and the player, who never speaks but is assigned to eventually be a pilot once again as the Federation of Central Usea (FCU) is all but destroyed and the aircaft carrier that has saved them, the FCU Endurance, is the last known aircraft carrier to their knowledge alongside a few destroyers. With the FCU being steamrolled by the Republic of Sotoa thanks to their use of orbital weaponry known a Tonitrus Spears and blitzkrieg invasion, the FCU has crumbled and they need every hand, even if they may still be injured, meaning players are assigned to the weapons management of Jan Cope, better known as Rex, who flies under the mantle of the Wings of Theve.
Almost immediately the player is informed that the “Wings of Theve” is simply a title and nothing more, something that is meant to serve as a piece of propaganda to help what remains of the FCU feel like they have a winning Ace pilot out there somewhere protecting the skies and taking the feight to Sotoa. Upon setting out on a mission to try to obtain supplies at a neutral nation and being turned away as the FCU isn’t seen as an established country anymore, Cope and the rest of his squad, Joker Team, catch a distress call from a passenger plane evacuating refugees being pursued by elite Sotoan Shadow pilots. Sending the rest of the squad ahead as protection for the innocents, Cope tries to serve as a diversion only to end up being shot down and killed in action. Despite the player’s best efforts to rescue him, the best they can do is recover his dog tags before being fished from the sea by a rescue chopper.
Upon recovering from the crash, the XO informs that the Wings of Theve does not die, he simply lives on as a new pilot and it is time for the player to take up that mantle, donning the pilot helmet marked Rex and callsign Wings of Theve as the team leader of Joker squadron. This secret is kept from all civilian members on board outside of Tasha, a trick pilot who happened to be aboard the ship when it was forced to flee the invasion. This thrusts players into being the crux of the FCU’s plans to take back what they can of their land, since while Cope was an excellent pilot, he never was a combatant and now that the player is at the stick, it’s time to take down anything in their way. All while Cope’s ghost speaks in the back of their mind, living on as a specter with unfinished business and plenty of vague hints for the player throughout the lengthy story.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve takes a different approach from the previous entries by placing players behind the shoes of an entirely unnamed protagonist who is only shown through a first-person perspective during cutscenes. In these cutscenes players can look around, zoom in, and various other aspects while listening to characters talk, but not talk at all for themselves. The only optional dialogue comes in the form of simply replying Yes or No to questions or command over the radio during combat. These can range from simply giving the player’s wingmen some encouragement, giving them the freedom to support another squadron, or even warn them that they were nearly killed if the player manages to save them. This is a bit of a disappointment as the crew of FCU Endurance and Joker Squadron are a delight when they are talking to one another.
Every character has a backstory and reason to keep fighting as players learn throughout the story, even if they have no direct input themselves. This creates an interesting storyline where players care about their team surprisingly easily considering they aren’t directly interacting with them outside of combat. This is especially true since every single one of Joker squad has their own story arc that takes place over the course of missions and some of them are quite impactful, showcasing the horrors of war and loss, or overcoming one’s fear of fighting. Of course, the core storyline of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is both as ridiculous as the franchise can be and grounded in some form of reality by showing the desperation of a nation at the brink of annihilation struggling against a far superior force and their literal superweapons. Players will face off against everything from land battleships to dodging railgun shots that can decimate them in an instant or even working to throw kinetic weapons from space off course and avoid total destruction, all while still taking on enemy pilots and ground units.
One thing that is interesting to note, that while it may not play a major role in the storyline, how well players protect some units in certain battles or how well they perform will be mentioned or discussed in later missions. For example, protecting enough landing craft while providing air support for a land invasion can lead to the ground forces praising the Wings of Theve for protecting them with high morale, or in the same mission it is entirely possible to have only one landing craft make it, with side-characters and ground units either dying altogether or simply complaining that they can’t trust the Wings for anything. This is a small but interesting detail especially since it encourages players to do their best or give their wingmen freedom to act when needed as it often results in the best outcomes rather than build resentment in the team or lose dialogue during missions.
If there is one downside to the story it is the fact that despite players having plenty of time in the air with their squad and even a first-person perspective in cut-scenes as they talk aboard the Endurance, there is never a chance to actually walk around or initiate dialogue of any kind with them and considering the amount of detail that went into writing these characters and the design of the ship itself it is a bit of a disappointment players are never really given an option to throughout the story.
Gameplay
One of the key aspects of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is that players have two different styles that they can approach controlling their jet. With Standard controls players will have an easier time maneuvering the aircraft and performing various dives, pitching up, and even zero-g turns without losing control of their aircraft or trying to fiddle with every aspect. On the other hand, Standard mode does limit some player controls as well and makes it so other advanced maneuvers such as acrobatic flight or even inverted combat are impossible unless players swap to the more complex Expert controls. The latter is definitely recommended only for veterans of the genre as it can be quit difficult to keep an eye on everything during combat while keeping the aircraft steady or ducking and weaving lock-ons, deploying limited flares to avoid a missile strike, or an enemy on the player’s six.
Before every mission players will be able to select a fighter jet from any that they have unlocked, equip it with various special weaponry such as long-range air to air missiles, multi-lock missiles, bombs for ground targets, or even air to ground missiles. Players are always given an infinite amount of machine gun ammo but will have a limited amount of ammo for their special weaponry and even standard missiles. This can mean that if players are careless or over-extend themselves that near the end of a mission they may be running entirely on machine guns to eliminate ground forces or dogfighting enemy pilots. In many ways players will need to pay attention to their mission briefing as before every sortie they can customize their aircraft loadout to fit the conditions. Highlighting long range air-to-air missiles allows players to take quick decisive strikes at an enemy formation early before they come into contact, while air-to-ground missiles can safely dispatch ground force such as AA guns, howitzers, tanks, etc. without catching flak fire, lock-ons, or smashing into the ground.
In a similar but more limited fashion, players can also select the jets that the rest of Joker squad will be flying though they cannot customize what parts will be added onto the jet nor the special weapon that will be equipped. As for these parts, they are various unlocks players obtain through the upgrade tree utilizing MRP (Mission Report Points) that are obtained at the end of every mission and awarded for taking down various enemies including non-target foes, clear time, damage level, and any deductions for having to restart from a checkpoint. MRP is used to unlock parts that can increase things such as missile reload speed, lock-on speed, maneuverability, decrease the effectiveness of radar jamming, and the biggest part of all, unlocking brand new aircraft to fight in. It is worth noting that players will need to buy four of the same jet if they want their entire team to fight using the same type, though the initial cost drops significantly after unlocking it, but that isn’t required nor preferred as jets come in four different types. Pure attack types, multi-purpose, ground target, and support planes that all offer different benefits in combat.
Once players are actually in the air they will be tasked with any manner of objectives depending on the mission. Most tend to have objectives that continue to update as players progress through them, such as shooting down one enemy squadron only to have to deal with the next, or providing air support for a ground unit that is coming under fire. Assaulting and destroying enemy planes is fairly simple in practice but can be quite challenging depending on the target and the player’s flying ability and weaponry. Obviously the best way to take down an enemy aircraft is a properly locked on pair of missiles but they can also be downed through machine gun fire if close enough, though larger planes can afford to absorb more damage and higher level opponents can deploy flares to send the player’s missiles careening off course. The enemy will also do their best to dodge incoming fire or circle around and get on the player’s six and this is where team work and maneuvering comes into play.
During story combat players can give three different orders to their wingmates in Joker squad or let them fly as usual. These three orders are to focus fire on a specific target, focus on protecting the player and targeting any enemies trying to get onto their rear or obtain a lock-on for a missile, or disperse and let them run wild along the field, staying within range of the player still for support. The allied AI is actually quite intelligent and can hold up for themselves in combat, often being able to take down ground facilities and even shooting down enemy aircraft on their own, including a few more challenging aircraft that players fight against, though they’ll often tend to line-up the shot for the player instead, either chasing a target into the player’s killshot range or damaging them enough that the next strike will send the opponent into the sea. Players can also dictate when their allies can begin to use their special weaponry in a fight and when to hold off with the tap of a button and allies will warn players when they are getting low on ammo for their special weapons.
Outside of the standard missions with specific objectives this entry also brings back the destruction focused missions though these are only few and far between in the actual story. These missions involve destroying as much as possible within a time limit, even being able to resupply if needed at the cost of time. These missions are some of the best as it gives players complete freedom of where they want to target and full control of their plans. The opposite of these are super weapon battles where things are taken to the extreme. Players must do battle against super weapons that can unleash devastating attacks and absorb insane amounts of damage, often only being able to be damaged after certain points and really putting the player’s skills to the test.
When not in the game’s story mode it is interesting to note that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is attempting to offer the most extensive online gameplay that the series has ever seen, including a literal arcade experience when players aren’t up in the skies fighting it out. This includes arcade cabinets that contain Pac-Man, Galaga, and even Rally-X and apparently are meant to rotate every season of online play. As for the actual online mode, this is where player customization does come into play as players will be able to customize their own avatar to run around the ship that can apparently hold up to a hundred other players at the same time. The online save data is completely separate from the story save data so players will need to unlock new aircraft, weapons, aircraft parts, and even skins and logos for their favorite aircraft all through competing and completing missions with and against other players.
As a mercenary pilot players will work their way up through the ranks in cooperative missions and competitive battles. This includes Co-Op Assault, a PvE mode where two teams of four players will be set loose onto a map to complete as many objectives and destroy as many targets and aim for the highest score, with the winning team receiving more rewards. On the other side of the coin we have the Co-op Warfare PvPvE mode that sees four players on each team face off against one another with allied and enemy NPC forces assigned to each team. This mode is all about taking down other players and destroying their allies, working to build up their “Threat Level” to aim for an Ace status that will award a slew of bonus points if obtained, but also reward the enemy a large boost in points if they manage to shoot the player down. Both of these modes are set to timers with the winning team being the team that is leading at the end of the fight, and it is great to see so much focus on PvE content, even mixed in to the PvP mode, for fans who aren’t quite as skilled as some longtime hardcore fighter pilots might be.
Alongside these two main modes players will also be able to take part in random Emergency Missions that will allow eight players to team up at once to take on a superweapon from a past game in the franchise and while we weren’t able to test out a fight like this in our time with the online mode, if it is anything like facing off against a superweapon in story mode it is sure to be a chaotic firefest, especially with seven other players as wingmen. Alongside this there are regular “Event Missions” such as Team Deathmatch and standard Deathmatch as well where it is either 4 on 4 or all eight fighters aiming for supremacy but these modes are also apparently always available as we never were able to try them during the review period.
Audio & Visuals
As one would expect from Aces at this point, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is an extraordinary looking game. With over thirty different aircraft players can eventually unlock and use in combat, every single one of them is replicated after their real life counterparts down to the finest details and this is clearly shown from the inside cockpit view which even has its own special effects as players lock onto targets or are locked onto, including having rain drops gathering on the jet’s canopy and obscure their vision. Of course, even when using the outside camera view from behind the jet, players will still be treated to similar water blindness if flying too quick through rain or flying through heavy clouds. So much in fact that in some levels players will need to watch out or they’ll end up flying through clouds and pancaking right into the side of a mountain they couldn’t see.
Dog fighting and combat against ground forces look absolutely wonderful with plenty of explosions and destruction to be had, especially since players can now damage and take out most enemies simply from hitting them enough rather than targeting a weak spot, unless it happens to be a “super weapon.” This is especially true during night missions or those that take place during a storm as fighting during the night and seeing the spectacular blossoms of flame and carnage are a real highlight. Outside of the combat the game’s graphics are also outstanding as all of the character models players see in cut scenes are extremely detailed, down to the point that even the german shepherd that is only here and there is modeled better than most enemy wolves in other games, nevermind how expressive the faces of the character can be.
Speaking of these characters, it is great to note that the voice work is handled exceptionally well throughout the game, whether it is during cutscenes or radio calls during combat. These can even include chirps from allied units calling for assistance, wingmen calling out shots, or even enemies crying out as they are shot down. Another area that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve excels at is the soundtrack. While some missions may have only a standard action background track going to it, many of the more impressive missions feature incredible sounding voiced music that fits the action perfectly, especially with how tense some fights can end up being. In fact, even the enemy Ace Pilots have their own theme song they come blasting in over the radio waves, trying to intimidate the team, serving as both an effective portrayal of psychological warfare alongside great music at the same time.
Overall
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the best dogfighting game a fan could ask for. Not only has Bandai Namco Aces managed to offer the largest roster of planes to use in combat with various roles, it also delivers an emotionally grounded storyline even if it takes things to the extreme at points with how ridiculous the enemies end up getting as players face off against impossible superweapons. It also helps that it delivers epic feeling moments such as battling it out above a blazing city in a night sky while rock music blares over the radio to honor fallen comrades, delivering some of the best scenes a fan of this genre could ask for.
Between this and an online mode that offers tons of replayability and isn’t afraid to give players more ways to work as a team than simply shooting each other down, though that is certainly an option in the other mode, means that this title has a huge sky ahead for the players to spread their wings and take to the skies, aiming to shoot down any enemy in their path.
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