Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Uses First-Person Perspective to Tell a More Personal Story
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve ditches the series' traditional narrative distance, plunging you into the cockpit and war room alike through first-person cutscenes and meaningful choices. By replacing a legendary ace and commanding your squadron, you're no longer watching a war unfold—you're living it alongside pilots whose fates depend on your decisions.
Four colorful fighter jets fly in formation against a hazy sky, showcasing vibrant liveries and sleek designs.
With Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, developer Project Aces has changed its approach to storytelling to create a more intimate and emotional tale than previous entries in the series. The game brings you closer to the desperate attempts of the Federation of Central Usea's battered navy to fight off the invading Sotoans, and the many characters fighting that war.
The biggest change is that you play a fighter pilot silent protagonist who is, nevertheless, a major character throughout the story. The game opens with a cutscene in which you're found floating in a life raft after a battle by the Endurance, one of the FCU's last remaining aircraft carriers.
After you're aboard, you're sent up as navigator for fighter pilot Jan “Rex” Cope, whose job isn't to engage in battles but to serve as a propaganda tool. He's known as the Wings of Theve, a legendary fighter ace named for the FCU's capital, but you quickly discover that Cope isn't the incredible ace he's portrayed to be on social media. His instructions are to run from every fight, but when the two of you are shot down, Cope is killed in action.
The Wings of Theve is too important to the struggling FCU to go out that way, so you inherit Cope's call sign and secretly replace him. As the new Wings of Theve, you have a central role in the war effort, and your skills help bolster the propaganda—for better or worse.
First-Person Cutscenes Put You in the Story
Previous Ace Combat games have told their stories through detailed cutscenes, but in Ace Combat 8, those cutscenes are mostly presented from a first-person perspective, putting you in a room or on the deck with other characters. The story unfolds as if you're living it both in and out of the cockpit, rather than having it narrated to you. Haptic feedback in the DualSense controller helps make those moments feel realistic and intense, especially in the heat of battle.
While your character remains silent, you occasionally get to answer yes-or-no questions by pressing left or right on the DualSense's D-Pad, and you can interact during cutscenes by looking around with the right analog stick or responding to prompts at key moments by hitting Triangle or Square. Through these minor interactions, you can shape Rex as a person, and the other members of Joker Flight, your squadron, will respond to your decisions.
Becoming Part of the Squadron
Ace Combat 8 puts strong emphasis on all its characters, especially the members of Joker Flight. You spend almost the entire game with them—during cutscenes between missions that expand on the plot, sitting through briefings where they chime in with comments or information, or listening to them over the radio while you take down enemy aircraft.
This focus on characters makes the story of the FCU's battle to repel Sotoa feel immediate, personal, and harrowing. You're not just running a series of disjointed missions; you know the stories of the pilots risking their lives to complete them, and you know what's at stake if you fail.
You get frequent chances to make small decisions that influence your squadron's perception of you. In one early mission, you encounter an allied group of pilots who are also a famous rock band—and a member of your squadron, Coster, is a big fan. When he asks if he can briefly leave your formation to help them, the choice is yours, and Coster appreciates it if you let him lend his guns and missiles to protect his heroes. These moments help create a bond between you and Joker Flight.
You can issue orders to your squadron with the D-Pad, sending them to engage targets independently, calling them back to formation to attack your target, or asking them to cover you. Since your squad feels like able pilots you know personally, it encourages you to use their skills strategically and rely on them during the story, as well as help them when they get into trouble in the skies.
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A War Effort Full of Individuals
The radio is a huge part of Ace Combat 8's storytelling. Throughout missions, you communicate with commanders and squadmates via radio as they provide key information and comment on what's happening. The sound design accompanying the radio does a great job of selling what it feels like to take part in missions. When a mission to retake FCU territory turns into an ambush by Sotoan forces, you hear the struggle and fear of your ground forces as they yell into their radios, reporting their situations or begging for help from the Wings of Theve.
The radio also gives you chances to shape your story. If troops on the ground call for your aid and you respond, they acknowledge it—and often, those same characters might show up on later missions. The legend of the Wings of Theve affects more than just social media engagement, and while the story doesn't branch based on your decisions, those character moments with people fighting alongside you make your contributions to the war effort feel important.
Through its approach to Story Mode, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve pulls you into the FCU's struggle in a deeply personal, often intense and emotional way. You can fly the skies of Strangereal yourself when Ace Combat 8 launches on October 2 on PlayStation 5.
