Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is lowkey one of the most exciting PS5 games on the horizon.

We've always been big fans of Bandai Namco's action-packed flight series, and judging by a new dev diary, the next entry is looking like it could be the biggest and best one yet.

By and large the gameplay looks similar to past games; you choose your fighter jet and head out into missions, engaging in dogfights and feeling like a superhero.

However, there are some changes and improvements in AC8.

The visuals are a significant step up; you see the new cloud tech they're implementing here, and the team also talks about using Unreal Engine's Lumen tech to implement realistic lighting across the board. Alongside much-improved plane and character models, the game is looking very nice indeed.

One change is to the way the narrative is delivered. In most of the past games, you watch cutscenes between missions that tell the story from a third-person perspective. In AC8, you'll experience these in first-person.

It looks like there's a greater emphasis than ever on capturing the downtime of you and your squad, sharing a meal together or walking through the aircraft carrier, which is pretty cool.

The developer seems to be focusing on making the game more approachable, too; it's adding more involved tutorials, as well as a training mode where you can practice all your moves.

Also mentioned is that, alongside the main single player campaign, AC8 will feature an online mode that's "the biggest in the series" — though we don't yet know quite what that entails.

All told, it seems Wings of Theve is going all out with higher production values and some cool additions that'll make it that bit more appealing.

We can't wait to climb into the cockpit and take to the skies ourselves. What are your thoughts on Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source blog.playstation.com]