by Charlie WacholzI felt just about everything but the Gs as I zoomed in and out of clouds, picking enemies out of the sky in Ace Combat 8’s exciting demo.
The first few hours of this game kept things fun, intense, and fast from the moment I hopped in the cockpit. I walked away not only wanting more, but genuinely impressed with both the dog fighting and the chunks of story I saw in between sorties in my first Ace Combat experience.
Having never played another game in the series, nor am I caught up on any story or lore. I’m just a fan of dogfighting in games like Star Fox and Star Wars Squadrons. Plenty of other writers have explored a veteran’s take on this demo. This is through the eyes of a possible new fan.
I went into the demo with admittedly very cynical expectations about Ace Combat 8: The Wings of Theve. In a world ravaged by unjustified war, largely driven by imperialism, I just don’t really gel well with realistic games about war. Frankly, many of them feel gauche. From Call of Duty: Warzone calling its revival death match zone “The Gulag” to Battlefield 6’s too-close-for-comfort story setup, I feel like most of them miss the mark. Ace Combat 8 checks some of this baggage at the door by setting things in a somewhat fictionalized world. It’s a cheap trick, and it’s still easy to peer through the veil and find who represents who, but it works for what the story seems like it’s doing.
In that way, it’s kind of like Top Gun. Make no mistake—Maverick and co. are undoubtedly American, but their enemies are nameless and faceless. The Cold War era blockbuster encourages audiences to fill in some blanks, rather than explicitly slapping a hammer and sickle on the would-be commies’ planes. In Maverick, too, these bogies could be anyone from anywhere. It’s a narrative device I think I’d generally feel weird about that just works in this application.
From the outside looking in, Wings of Theve has a similarly vague setup, with two massive forces going at it. But the story set within this world seems far more compelling than I expected. I watched enough opening cutscenes to get a taste for this story before really getting my hands dirty with the combat. After a crucial cog in the Federation of Central Usea’s propaganda machine gets shot down, you’re thrust into his position and ordered to take up his mantle: The Wings of Theve. While the old Wings was no ace, you quickly live up to the title’s legendary mystique in the public eye. It’s a really cool idea and I’m excited to see where it goes, but let’s be honest: We’re all here for the airborne action.
The veteran team behind Ace Combat 8 nails the delicate dance between simulation and arcade-y action with grace. With an intuitive control scheme that empowers you to take masterful control of your aircraft, clicking almost immediately. I had so much fun blasting through its aerial battlefields, but never felt like I was controlling a toy. There’s proper weight, speed, and oomph behind every turn and exchange. I loved flying low to get the jump on enemies from below, or bursting through cloud cover, surprising my prey with a volley of missiles and lead.
These were the first few levels (from a still-in-progress version) of the game, which introduced me to different mechanics well. Once I got the hang of locking on to fire missiles, then I learned to do G-turns or use special, multi-target missiles. Maybe it’s just because I’m new, but none of this felt handholdy or patronizing, giving me full freedom to mess around and do fun stunts in between waves of enemies.
I left my demo of Ace Combat 8: The Wings of Theve humming Danger Zone to myself. I had so much fun poking holes in my enemies and soaring through detailed battlefields. I’m sure things are only gonna get more intense and exciting, but if the first three levels are any indication, Ace Combat 8 will be an absolute blast. This demo defied my expectations in just about every way possible. I might need to check out 7 to scratch my newfound itch as I wait for Ace Combat 8’s October 2 release date on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
