Ace Fight 8: Wings of Theve flies on the tailwinds of its predecessor, which introduced life again to the collection in 2019. But it additionally dips deep into the collection’ wealth of mechanics and themes – wingmen, enormous mission areas, memorable rivals – to forge what feels just like the ace of aces, and one of many collection’ finest entries.
Within the wake of an invasion of your homeland, you go down in a dogfight with Sotoa’s elite Shadow squadron alongside the “Wings of Theve,” a folks hero for the FCU that you simply uncover is a bit more tall story than dwelling legend. You don his identification and turn into the brand new “Wings of Theve” to assist maintain the conflict effort alive.
Although Ace Fight is actually no stranger to tales about conflict, politics, and their impact on the world at giant, Wings of Theve takes it to a brand new top because of its focus in your wingmen and the crew of your provider, the Endurance. Over 30 missions, you construct a small band of surviving fighters aboard your meager fleet, all hoping to make it to the battle’s decision. Out of your Joker Squadron and sister Queen Squadron to enemy aces and crew aboard the Endurance, the solid is each packed and memorable.
Although there are nonetheless some odd story wrinkles, particularly when asking for an arbitrary button press to advance the scene, and the voice of the previous Wings pilot Cope chatting with you from the past lays on somewhat thick at first, Ace Fight 8’s story soars because of its new first-person perspective and give attention to the squadron round you and different members of the Endurance. Large moments in missions hit that a lot tougher whenever you’ve frolicked round these pilots, seen their struggles up shut, after which need to desperately battle alongside them in your life within the skies above.
Every mission is a brilliantly laid-out field of goals and duties, a formidable feat given the number of what Bandai’s Aces group asks you to perform. In a single, you soar throughout an enormous desert, taking out strategic reserves of energy, ammo, and hangars filled with planes to whittle down an invasion power’s sources. In one other, you jet towards an island at excessive speeds and low altitudes to keep away from radar detection; then, a number of missions later, you are trailing large cargo planes within the sky, following their contrails as a result of radar jamming masks their actual place.
A wealth of planes and weapons can be found, and all really feel implausible to fly. The jets really feel somewhat heavier than in Ace Fight 7, nevertheless it’s heft; within the midst of a high-G flip, it appropriately feels such as you’re wresting the nostril of a large mass of metal at sonic speeds. You may also pack two particular weapons at a time, which helps you to specialize extra and opens up extra choices in your hangar for every outing. I nonetheless discovered myself beelining straight for the F-35C, however loved a number of of the opposite choices as properly; one particular part involving an A-10 bomber was a very enjoyable break from the whiplash-inducing missile rodeo of different missions.
It is not simply missiles the enemy will throw at you, both. Get used to listening to “Rail Gun Warning” in your headphones, as Sotoa’s fleet of land battleships and different terra-naval items make floor forces particularly troublesome in Ace Fight 8. Sotoa’s Lux Lunae, or the Shadows as your squad calls them, are additionally a spotlight. From their modern black paint jobs and open-comms chanting as they enter the battlefield to their mid-air maneuvers, the Shadows regularly push you to the sting and past. Besting the Lux Lunae’s aces was a constant supply of enchancment and achievement as a digital pilot.
Multiplayer pushes even additional, with modes for many who similar to to chase excessive scores and people who wish to dogfight different human pilots. Modes the place your four-flier squad compete for rating, both alongside or in opposition to an enemy squadron, make up the majority of multiplayer playtime. The star attraction is the emergency sorties: particular missions that fireside up every now and then for all gamers, pitting them in opposition to Ace Fight superweapons just like the Arsenal Hen. It is a strong base with room to develop for future assist, although a whole lot of menuing, grinding for particular aircraft improve wants, and beauty monetization choices put velocity bumps on my playtime extra usually than I might have appreciated.
Ace Fight 8: Wings of Theve completely represents why fliers have caught with this collection. A implausible marketing campaign, full of missions I wish to replay over and over, is buoyed by a compelling solid and story, wonderful flight controls, explosive dogfights, and encounters you possibly can’t wait to scream by way of at supersonic speeds. Ace Fight 8 proves the collection isn’t any museum piece; Wings of Theve soars with the most effective of the most effective, and it is a blast to play time and again.
