Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, Review

In a gaming era awash with shooters and an Indie scene overflowing with repetitive Roguelikes- the arrival of the new Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, is a great pallette cleanser for gamers. With all the speed, campiness and explosions needed to blow ya hair back and brighten your day.

Ace Combat games sit in this perfect genre niche, somewhere between the arcadeiness of Star Fox and the simulation attention to detail of DCS, with a sizeable dash of the larger than life Fast and the Furious movies. I have played most of the Ace Combat games over the last 15 years and Ace Combat 8 stays true to form…it’s big, fun and a tad silly. 

Ace Combat 8 has this stark contrast, between its military hardware source material and its very Japanese narrative engine. I suspect gamers new to the series will probably find it all a bit jarring. The Japanese developers at Bandai Namco Aces have crafted beautifully detailed Western and Russian fighter jets, with all the supporting seriousness of war and military assets, like aircraft carriers. But they are being flown and supported by a cast of characters ripped from a cheesey anime series.

Even as an avid consumer of Anime, this camp and overacting has always been my major gripe with all the Ace Combats. I would far prefer a modern military narrative for these games. With real world scenarios, and a traditional “Call of Duty of the skies” story, to give me more of a Sim-lite experience with Ace Combats proven approachable flight systems. 

Flying fighter jets fast, chasing a flashing red square across the screen.

Alas no, and these types of real-world-esque approachable flight games are rare, so beggars can’t be choosers I guess. And considering this is a Japanese developed game, I understand why Ace Combat takes the form it does. 

So, I go in with my eyes open. I have to say too, the cutscenes, characters and aircraft are beautifully detailed. I would argue this is one of the best-looking games of 2026. Well until GTA6 comes out at least….

The cutscenes and briefing videos create scenarios for what each flight will be dealing with, and in classic Ace Combat form, the Radio chatter after take-off is just as important. Be it teammates having a moment of introspection in the cockpit, or verbal barbs being slung by the opposing pilots over the comms, there is a constant stream of information coming at you. If anything, when the music swells, the mission is at its height and mid-mission pivots are being posed by teammates, there is sometimes too much going on.

Ace Combat 8 can be information overload at 20,000 feet!

Ace Combat 8 has two major offerings in its package. A 30-mission Campaign with a skill tree and aircraft unlocks to build into. Then a Multi-Player suite which is based on PvE and PvP modes, with a shared social space like a compact PUB-G lobby. Where custom Pilots run around in outrageous garb. Visiting shops, mission terminals, matchmaking computers and quest givers.

The online offering is extensive. I played a 3 way competitive PvE mode, taking down enemies in my team of 4, but all teams working together to win the wider fight. I loved the loading screens when each teams flight lines up in the sky, with all their unlocked aircraft bling, decals and paint jobs on show. 

Mechanically Ace Combat hasn’t changed in 10 years, and if you enjoyed Ace Combat 7 you will love Ace Combat 8. It has identical mission structure, menus and systems – I would have liked to have seen some sort of iteration since 2019.

I accept that the traditional aircraft green phosphor display aesthetics are imbedded in the source material, but I had hoped for some changes to some of the other systems. Even the unlock and upgrade tree appears identical to Ace Combat 7, some creative flare wouldn’t go a miss after all these years.

I ran Ace Combat 8 on a RTX5070 PC at close on high settings across the board, and it ran smooth as butter. Not a frame dropped, not a pixel out of place and not a crash to be seen…aside from me ploughing into the odd hill that is.

Ace Combat 8 is Top Gun: Maverick with a Japanese narrative flavor. Its an overall fantastic package with a unfettered, bombastic approach to a good time in the skies, that I can’t help but respect.