1992 arcade debut
In 1992, Namco released Air Combat in arcades, a machine where players sat behind a joystick to engage in dogfights on a classic cathode-ray screen, with the score displayed at the top as the only reward. Ace Combat was pure arcade before it landed on consoles.Series foundation in 1995
Three years later, the PlayStation conversion, known as Air Combat in the West and Ace Combat in Japan, laid the foundation for what would become the series' trademark: a fictional universe called Strangereal, silent aces, radio briefings, and missions that emphasized the joy of flying over pure simulation.Return after seven years
Seven years after the seventh canonical entry, Wings of Theve returns to the joystick on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. We climbed into the cockpit of the PS5 Pro for the occasion.Atmosphere and visuals
Heading to the skies, from the very first minutes spent above the ocean, the atmosphere establishes itself. You take off from an old aircraft carrier, the Endurance, which serves as a refuge for what remains of the Central Usea Federation after the Sotoa invasion. On PS5 Pro, the Unreal Engine 5 engine pushes the detail of cockpits, condensation trails, and distant explosions to a level that makes the feeling of being alone in a vast sky almost tangible.Gameplay modes and controls
Until the last finger, on PS5 Pro, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve reveals all its arcade potential thanks to the DualSense, whose triggers offer a tangible resistance to acceleration (R2), deceleration (L2), and especially to High-G turns (both held), while the haptic feedback translates each impact, each passage through the clouds or each tight maneuver with remarkable immersion.Mission design and tone
The missions do not simply line up targets, they construct articulated scenarios with varied objectives that can be disrupted by unexpected events: a convoy that disperses under low clouds, a coastal city on fire viewed from above, a super-weapon emerging from the mist. There is a particular melancholy that the series has cultivated for a long time, between heroism and disaster.Multiplayer and cross-play
Rather successful multiplayer, the multiplayer changes the scale a bit. You create your mercenary pilot, you find him in a very stylish air base that serves as a hub, and you chain cooperative or competitive modes with players from other platforms thanks to cross-play. The confrontations remain true to the spirit of the series: fast dogfights, objectives to hold under fire, and that feeling of controlled chaos when several aircraft cross in the same volume of sky.Bonus content
A nice bonus for pre-orders, Namco Bandai slipped in an updated version of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, the 2006 entry that told the Belkan War through the eyes of mercenary pilot Cipher. The PS5 port retains the essence of what made the original strong: the three gameplay styles that change the tone of briefings and the ending depending on whether you play as a knight, a soldier, or a mercenary, duels against the aces of the Pixy squadron, and this short but dense campaign that remains one of the most memorable in the series.Final rating and considerations
Rating Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve: 8/10. The +: - The return of Ace Combat after seven years of absence - Visually very pleasant - Epic soundtrack - Gameplay with a lot of oignons for thrilling dogfights - Interesting scenario - Cool multiplayer not to be underestimated. The -: - A lot (too much) of chatter during missions - No French dubbing (but subtitles are present) - Some missions are sometimes very long, you need to set aside a bit of time.
