Here is Game*Spark’s review of *Ace Combat 8: Wings of the Sea* (hereinafter referred to as *ACE8*), the latest installment in the popular flight shooter series from Bandai Namco Entertainment, set for release on October 2. Please be aware of spoilers, as this review delves into the game’s content.
Please note that for this review, we received a PC game key from Bandai Namco Entertainment. We completed one full playthrough of the campaign using a PS5 controller, with Expert controls and the “Pilot” (Normal) difficulty setting.
*ACE8* was announced at The Game Awards in late 2025. Not only does it utilize the UE5 game engine, but it also employs “Cloudly,” a proprietary engine capable of rendering volumetric clouds. The game features cinematic scenes where players can look around to gather various information, as well as one of the series’ largest online modes.This is the first new entry in the series in about seven years, following the 2019 release of *Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown* (hereinafter referred to as *ACE7*).
Because the scope of this game is unprecedented, this review has turned out to be quite lengthy. Before diving into the main topic, let’s recap the developments leading up to this release.
The previous title, *ACE7*, was released in January 2019. *ACE7* marked a return from the real world to the “Strange Real” setting, telling the story of “Trigger,” a pilot in the Osea Air Force, as he battles the Kingdom of Elzia on the western edge of the Eurasia continent.
At launch, it was well-received—thanks to it being the first numbered title in a long time and its stunning graphics—even though the missions were challenging.
However, as fans delved deeper into analyzing *ACE7*, they began pointing out imbalances in battle mechanics and the storyline—such as frantic dogfights, boss invincibility frames prioritized for cinematic effect, the puzzling nature of certain scenarios, and high-G turns that were overly powerful due to their low risk.
Furthermore, DLC for aircraft and missions was released in 2019, a new *Ace Combat* project was announced in 2021, and a Nintendo Switch version of *ACE7* was released in 2024—so it’s not as if there were no developments in the series leading up to the release of *ACE8*.
One of the longest, most intense, and most comprehensive stories in the series’ history
The story begins when the Republic of Sotoa launches an invasion of the Euria Continent—separated by the sea—using land battleships and satellite weapons.
Amid this brutal war of aggression, the player takes the place of the fallen Lieutenant Colonel Jean Coope—known as “The Wing of Shev”—and fights on as a symbol to bring this war to an end.
Brand Director Kazutoshi Kono has stated that this game’s story will be the largest in the series to date. The game features over 20 missions, rivaling the previous title, *Ace Combat 5*. It took over 20 hours to complete a single playthrough, including both missions and cutscenes.
Furthermore, while some missions are as short as 10 minutes, others take over 35 minutes to complete, resulting in an unprecedented level of content.
Furthermore, there are numerous cutscenes that delve into the characters’ inner thoughts, making the narrative experience in a single playthrough far more immersive than in any previous title. Despite the sheer number of cutscenes, every single one is relevant to the main storyline—not a single one is superfluous.
In the story, alongside the aircraft carrier Endurance, you’ll fight a lone battle while evading the land battleship, gathering supplies, and rallying the surviving troops as you aim to recapture the capital, Seev.Although the first recapture operation ends in failure, the second landing operation—carried out after reassessing the situation—is successful. Along with recapturing the capital, you also neutralize one land battleship in a subsequent operation. However, the war continues as the Sota Army expands its control over the Euria Continent.
Of course, while the story of the “Wings of Sheev”—struggling through countless trials to become a beacon of hope for the people—unfolds in parallel, what sets this game apart from previous *Ace Combat* titles is that, although the recapture of the capital is indeed a major turning point, it does not mean that the entire situation has improved.
Previous titles, such as *Ace Combat ZERO*, were somewhat optimistic—with the situation improving and a counteroffensive against Belka’s homeland beginning—while *Ace Combat 6* featured a mood of impending peace following the recapture of Grace Melia.However, in this game, aside from skepticism toward the “Wings of Sheva,” dangerous and grueling missions continue to unfold one after another as operations to prevent a renewed invasion by the Sotoa military are carried out.
Ultimately, the game focuses on the question: “How can we end this war of aggression?” Although the players succeed in numerous operations and thwart the Sotoa Army’s ambitions, there is no sign that the enemy is losing its will to fight, leading to a sense of resignation—the realization that they have no choice but to expand the conflict further.
Amid this relentless succession of dangerous missions, the characters lose comrades along the way; this sense of loss is evident in the characters, and their physical and mental exhaustion becomes increasingly palpable as the missions progress.
The story of this game thoroughly explores every element introduced. Whether it’s the characters or the enemy factions, nothing is left underdeveloped, and every narrative arc is properly concluded.
It truly feels like a story that was executed with 100% effort. In particular, the way the ending is presented felt like the appropriate content and expression to convey what comes after the player has brought a grueling, painful, and long war of aggression to a close.
Given the current state of world affairs, this is a harsh and serious question that is difficult to answer, but as a game in the military genre, it deserves praise for not shying away from the issue and providing a proper answer.That’s precisely why it makes you wonder why this kind of portrayal wasn’t possible until now. It’s safe to say that this was such a difficult challenge that it took roughly 25 years—from 2001’s *Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies* all the way to *ACE8*—to overcome.
The story, which carries such a weighty theme, is supported by a cast of unique characters. The Joker Squadron, to which the player belongs, consists of three members: Baxter, the team’s leader; Tash, a volunteer soldier who defies conventional norms; and Coster, who supports the team behind the scenes.
While Baxter and Coster are characters who seem like modern reinterpretations of those from past *Ace Combat* games, Tasha, in particular, stands out from previous characters as a civilian fighting as a volunteer soldier. Perhaps because of this, she often steps in to offer incisive commentary on the various events unfolding on the battlefield.
She is a character who speaks her mind bluntly to anyone—friend or foe—who acts in an ethically bankrupt or destructive manner. As a result, she serves as a stabilizing force; without her, the team might lose their sense of reality amid the harsh battles.Portrayed as a spirited young woman in her 20s—including the voice actress’s performance—she comes across as someone who could actually exist in real life.
In particular, the performances of the characters appearing in the cinematic scenes were all superb, reaching a level of realism that truly lived up to the genre’s name, “dramatic flight shooter.”
Furthermore, unlike the interlude cutscenes in previous games, the cinematic scenes focus on the protagonist, Rex, and those around him.The perspective never shifts to the Sotoa military or FCU citizens; instead, it remains focused on the crew of the aircraft carrier Endurance until the very end. This focus exclusively on the protagonist’s immediate surroundings is a stylistic choice reminiscent of *Ace Combat 5*.
Furthermore, since players can look around the surrounding scenery during cinematic scenes, there are moments where you can gather a wealth of information from unexpected angles. There are also many instances where interacting with the environment triggers the display of an interaction button, leaving the course of action up to the player.
One element I’d like to highlight here is the presence of Lieutenant Colonel Jean Coope, who has taken possession of the protagonist, Rex. Lieutenant Colonel Coope provides the player with apt comebacks to the characters’ conversations and explanations of the situation, serving as a key figure in Campaign Mode who identifies both enemies and allies.
However, he remains strictly a supporting character and does not function as a substitute for the silent protagonist. It’s worth noting that this game continues the series’ tradition of featuring a silent protagonist.
Apart from “controlling the player character,” the protagonist’s only means of communication are YES/NO choices and deciding whether or not to press a button that occasionally appears when the player directs their gaze during cutscenes. In other words, not only does Rex remain silent in this game, but the situations in which the player can express their will are also quite limited.
Given these limited options, it feels somewhat jarring when, during intense battles where Tasha and Coster’s fighting spirit is crushed and they rely on the player to rally them—after selecting “YES” or “NO”—they bounce back in the blink of an eye without any further dialogue.
This moment also highlighted the limitations of a silent protagonist—an issue that has been discussed in various ways within the community. The sentiment is, “If you’re going to go to this extent to establish a distinct personality, it might as well be a character who speaks.” It makes me feel that, like Lieutenant Colonel Bishop, the protagonist of *Ace Combat: Assault Horizon*, there’s a need to take on the challenge of creating a protagonist who speaks again at some point.
However, such dialogue scenes amounted to only one or two throughout the entire game, and while this is a minor issue given the game’s overall high quality, I couldn’t overlook the fact that a problem from the past had resurfaced here.
While these past issues were faintly visible, the story itself did not shy away from or evade the harsh realities of the modern world, but instead confronted them head-on. I’m genuinely happy to be able to say that the game not only tackled difficult themes but also saw them through to the very end, resulting in a truly remarkable and complete narrative.
