Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve comes out on October 2, but it’s already making a lot of noise. And not just because it’s flying low over residential areas and we all know the noise that makes. With a spectacular 88 on Metacritic, it has become one of the highest-rated games of the year, competing with gems like Resident Evil: Requiem, Mewgenics, or 007 First Light. And it’s not just critics who are loving it: those who have already tried it in early access say it’s everything we could want and more.
But what’s the reason for its popularity? In part it’s its longevity, but that longevity is due to the enormous quality of the games and how they’ve evolved over time. But that’s something we’re going to explain to you. Because the story of Ace Combat is that of a franchise that may have flown under the mainstream radar, but not under that of most players. Being a franchise loved by a great number of players who support it fervently. And that you shouldn’t overlook.
Arcade roots that have always remained
Ace Combat was born as a franchise in 1993 with Air Combat, a Namco arcade game that put us in the shoes of a pilot in a fighter jet who must face a series of missions to put an end to a terrorist organization that wants to destroy the current world order. With a greater emphasis on precision of control than on realism, seeking to reproduce as accurately as possible real planes and the feeling of being in flight, the game doesn’t try to recreate how a fighter jet is flown, but what it actually feels like.
With a frantic style, where every encounter is potentially lethal and where turning our plane takes a long time, unless we master our ability to take advantage of gravity, the game maximizes the feeling of being in the air in a machine that shouldn’t be capable of flying, but does. Creating an astonishing and addictive experience.
Something that has remained in most entries in the franchise, just as fighting other nations and terrorist groups in a fictional version of Earth has remained. Called Strangereal, it’s an alternate world that bears similarities to ours, like the existence of five continents, but it has technology far beyond our own, with experimental aircraft, railguns, giant aircraft carriers, and laser weapons, among other things.
With the exception of Ace Combat: Joint Assault, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, and Ace Combat: Infinity, all entries in the franchise take place in Strangereal. This has allowed the franchise to have an intriguing narrative that runs through them, but has also allowed much more intense and dramatic encounters to play out, which go beyond plane duels, by introducing giant vessels and experimental weapons of every kind that have become iconic combats and encounters over the years of this legendary franchise.
A franchise with multiple entry points
Adored by fans, the franchise has had eight main entries, two spinoffs, four handheld entries, and three mobile entries. It has become the leading franchise of arcade games centered on aviation and aerial dogfights. But that doesn’t make it a franchise that’s difficult to get into.
Although which ones are the best and what the best gateway into the franchise is is open to discussion, one of the best is, without a doubt, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. It’s not just the latest entry before Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, but it perfectly combines the classic Ace Combat style with overwhelming current-generation graphics and an exhilarating feeling of really flying a plane. A good alternative is Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, a brilliant combination of the mechanics of Ace Combat 4 and 5 with one of the most celebrated narratives in the franchise. And it’s included with the Day One edition of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.
Outside of that, although it takes more effort, the most celebrated game in the franchise is Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere. And it takes more effort because it’s not just a first PlayStation game, but also one that has to be played in its Japanese version. Because in the West a very cut-down version was released that, fortunately, fans have taken it upon themselves to restore with their own translations to make it accessible to players outside Japan.
Now, with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, it’s the perfect time to dive into one of the most beloved franchises in the world of video games that, while it hasn’t received as much love as other more openly mainstream ones, holds an important place in gaming. Because it may well end up being one of the year’s big releases. And who knows, maybe it’ll be your new favorite video game.
