Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve sports melodramatic story and excellent action

If Top Gun ever made you want to strap into a fighter jet and chase glory across impossible blue skies, Ace Combat is its videogame counterpart. The series built its reputation on blistering arcade dogfights, absurdly dramatic anime-style storytelling and the kind of military melodrama that would not feel out of place in a Hideo Kojima game. Wings of Theve keeps that formula intact, but wraps it in some of the most breathtaking skies the series has seen, while slipping a surprisingly pointed anti-war message beneath all the missiles, heroics and high-altitude spectacles.

Set in 2029, Wings of Theve returns to Ace Combat’s fictional world of Strangereal, where the Federation of Central Usea has been devastated by a lightning invasion from the Republic of Sotoa. You play an unnamed fighter pilot rescued by the aging aircraft carrier Endurance, one of the few remnants of the FCU military still standing. Thankfully, you get a big break flying with a decorated ace and legend of the skies only known as ‘Wings of Theve’, except he gets shot and you end up being fished from the drink once more.

Also, you find yourself in a Weekend at Bernies kind of situation where you inherit his call sign and legacy, and become the propaganda symbol for a nation desperate for hope, with a plot that raises important questions around morale, war and the manufacturing of legacies into stories, amplified by social media. 

Endurance is your home and immediately there are so many parallels to Battlestar Galactica on a world level — a lone mothership surrounded by enemies on all sides, with its own squadron of fighters.

The story unfolds as you, the unnamed pilot haunted by the Wings of Theve, realise that no part of the legend is true, and your squadron known as Joker Flight, is made up of a ragtag group of likeable but competent misfits. The story is great, but you need to get used to the long drawn out and often over-explained and emphasised plot beats.

If you are used to Metal Gear Solid or even Death Stranding’s storytelling style, there is a familiar beat that requires getting used to. There is a superb story at Ace Combat 8’s core that not only gets quite hammy, but also talks about the havoc war wrecks on a country and how social media can amplify hope. 

It is easy to mistake Ace Combat 8 for a flight simulator at first glance, thanks to its realistic aircraft and attention to modern military aviation. Underneath all that authenticity, though, is an arcade flight model that is wonderfully easy to pick up. Mission design is excellent with great pacing, and given the expanse of sky you have to traverse, there is never a boring moment as you are constantly checking, boosting and trying several aerial tricks to orient your jet as you get surrounded by bogies.

Ace Combat 8 has some, well, aces up its sleeve when it comes to the variety of missions on offer. Without spoiling too much, Joker Flight has its hands full with everything from traditional dogfights and bombing runs to defending fleets, liberating occupied cities, taking on stealth aircraft and even bringing down gigantic land battleships. Some missions also shift objectives midway through a sortie, forcing you to quickly rethink your priorities and loadout rather than simply clearing everything on the radar.

One of the best things about Ace Combat 8 are those quiet moments jetting over the clouds, and when you do fly through one, your jet shudders and beautiful droplets run over your canopy. Everything is cinematic, from its flight cameras and the way the shadows move as you fly your plane, to the mission completion screens where you can replay your entire mission from the seat of a movie director, as you cycle through action cameras. With your squadron being situated mostly over sea, the water looks gorgeous as well.

Ace Combat 8 scratches that itch to be a fighter pilot, Top Gun style, with excellent arcade flight sim mechanics and engaging missions with creative objectives to keep you on your toes. That said, the game is not just about dogfights, which it does well, but it sells the fantasy of being a fighter pilot through quiet moments flying through clouds and frantic moments evading incoming missiles.

The moment you are out of the cockpit though, is where the melodramatic storytelling comes in, which does take time to get used to. Do not hit that skip button yet, because the game spins quite the tale and puts some very good points forth.

Published – October 06, 2026 05:15 pm IST