Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve - Journal of an FCU Pilot in Training

Well, it seems I've been drafted for the FCU air force.

From what I understand, our military needs all the help it can get, and I'm only too happy to lend a hand.

I've been studying the history books for a long time; from the Belkan War of '95 to the Lighthouse War back in 2019, I've pored over every detail multiple times. I almost feel like I was part of the action myself.

This time, I really will be. I've always hoped to fly after hearing all those legends from past conflicts; maybe kids in the future will be telling stories about me.

But I shouldn't get ahead of myself. First up, I'm told, is some basic simulation training. I guess it'd be too much to fly this early, but at least I can get a sense for what to expect. I'll write more when I get there.

Day 1

It's all very secretive. There's talk of NDAs, embargoes, and so on. I've never had to sign my name so many times in one sitting.

The other recruits and I were told to meet, and we'd be taken to the training facility. It's hard to get information from anyone, and there's a strange anticipation hanging in the air.

Large black cars arrive, and we're taken to goodness knows where. The journey isn't long, but any sense of direction is gone amid the excited chatter from my fellow flyers.

We're led through to a musty room; two desks, two officers. When I reach the front, I state my name, and I'm told I'll also need a codename for the duration of the training. "Islander" I say, without really thinking.

We're marched up some stairs for a briefing on what's to come. It seems the action will really get started tomorrow, but we're shown what to expect from the training simulation, and it looks seriously impressive. It seems the name of the programme is Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.

It's interesting to note this is the eighth iteration of the FCU's training software; I imagine it must be state-of-the-art. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Day 2

We're all back at the training facility, this time led into a large hangar.

Under fluorescent lights and the watchful gaze of the ground staff, I find my assigned station among many, all neatly organised on either side of a runway-like floor.

Time to begin at last.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, as it's known, is the latest in aerial warfare training tech. It's being run on what looks like a pretty substantial PC rig, though I'm handed a DualSense controller in order to engage with the software.

A few things strike me within the first few minutes:

• I wasn't expecting a narrative featuring fictitious figures to play out. On that front, it seems Ace Combat 8 is going all-out; it's an interesting way of easing you into training.
• Efforts have clearly been made to help new pilots find their wings. An early mission establishes the basics of flight far more substantially than anything I've seen or heard of before.
• Visually it looks a cut above any civilian software of the same ilk. I'm told it's running in Unreal Engine 5 and uses proprietary tech to render clouds; I don't really know what that all means but the result looks stunning.
  • Cloudly, as the tech is called, allows for fully 3D volumetric cloud models that not only look extremely realistic, they react to what's going on; I recall seeing large explosions dispersing clouds around them.

Let's get into the training missions themselves.

Missions 1-4

As mentioned, the first training module took me through the basics in some detail, all the while receiving chatter on comms from distinct characters like Tasha, a former stunt pilot enlisted into the air force, and Professor, my right-hand man.

After getting used to the flight controls, I was instructed to make a landing on the Endurance, the aircraft carrier upon which this simulation centres. However, the order is cancelled, as enemy fighters come into view. It's time for action.

I'm sure anybody who's been through this before knows the drill; bogeys in range can be locked onto for missile fire, with gunfire possible if you're close.

Of course, enemies will be doing the same to you, and so you need to be just as skilled at evading missiles as firing them. Fortunately, the simulation's controls are intuitive, and feel very well-refined.

The action is simple, but between the smooth movement, great visual feedback, and booming sound design, it all feels a cut above. The DualSense controller in my hands even reacts accordingly, rumbling convincingly with every explosion.

Further missions have us defending the Endurance, taking on enemy forces as it comes into port at North Point, and making an attack on fleets before they can retaliate. The variety of mission types even at this early stage is quite impressive.

I also played a fifth mission, but it's highly classified and I cannot disclose what I saw, even in my journal.

As Day 2 reaches its end, I have a few notes I want to reflect on:

• The atmosphere is chaotic; amid piercing explosions and hectic scrambles for air superiority, near-constant radio chatter adds urgency, but it also holds valuable information on the current mission.
• Missions are strung together by so-called cutscenes, which convey a narrative arc of sorts between sorties. These are viewed from a first-person perspective which, alongside the impressive visual fidelity, makes for quite an immersive experience that really puts you into the story.
  • You have a degree of control in these segments; you can look around with the right stick, and even push a button to interact at certain intervals, to shake someone's hand for example.
• In this simulation, the Wings of Theve is a legend spun up to heighten morale in the war effor. It seems you take up this moniker, and it's important you keep the legend alive; a fun conceit for the training simulation.

Day 3

Day 3 has us back in the same hangar at the same stations, only this time, the simulation missions are slightly different.

Missions 4, 9, 11

In this session, we're given clearance to test a wider selection of aircraft of different classes — fighters, attackers (bombers), multirole, and electronic. The latter seems like a great support option with some interesting special weaponry that can disrupt the enemy, while the others are more self-explanatory.

I try mission 4 again, only with an attacker aircraft specialising in air-to-ground offences, and it works like a charm on my seafaring targets. Something to point out: while selecting aircraft for yourself, you can also outfit the rest of your squadron, either manually or automatically.

Additionally, the simulation places you as squadron leader, meaning you can issue certain commands to your wingmen, telling them to focus on the enemy you're targeting, disperse and attack at will, or defend you from incoming attacks. This adds an element of strategy that I really appreciated.

Mission 9 is unlike anything I'd yet seen in Ace Combat 8. It was an aerial assault on something called a land battleship, a huge ground unit outfitted with enormous railguns.

This proved to be the toughest mission of the simulation; not only was I tasked with taking out its caterpillar treads, I had to do so while dodging rail gun fire, enemy fighters, and skyscrapers. It was perhaps the most intense part of my training. I hope never to encounter one of these land battleships in active service.

Mission 11, meanwhile, introduced me to the Podarge, a similarly massive unit, only airborne. This is a transport ship I needed to take down, except there wasn't just one, there were several.

An impressive feature of the simulation was on display in this mission. If I attacked a Podarge at a higher altitude, the debris that falls from it could strike its fellow aircraft below, dealing a huge blow or even taking them out altogether. It's a great example of how dynamic Ace Combat 8 is as a simulation.

As fast as the inaugural training began, it ended. Once Day 3 came to a close, we were all sent home, and told to await further instructions.

Fortunately, it seems we'll not be kept in the dark for too long; Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve will be issued on 2nd October, 2026, allowing us to really get to grips with the simulation on our own terms.

I'm excited to get back to it. I found it to be a great crash course that seems geared towards new recruits as well as those with a little more experience. If the FCU wanted to, I imagine it would be quite popular if released commercially. Perhaps that's the plan.

The presentation is superb, it feels wonderful to control, and there's a real sense that this is a confident product from a team that knows exactly the kind of simulation it needs to make. Anybody also eager to enlist has a lot to look forward to.