Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve makes a strong first impression. Its roughly 25-hour campaign contains 30 missions, offering a substantial solo experience before players even reach Ace Combat Online.
The online component has the potential to keep pilots busy for years, but its strengths are partly buried beneath awkward menus, rotating content and an aggressive approach to paid extras. Early access was limited to a few hours of playlist sessions with press and creators, so a fuller assessment only became possible once the mode opened to the wider player base and preorder customers.
For Australian players considering a dedicated setup, the game sits closer to a home flight experience than a traditional coin-op shooter. Our arcade news and gaming coverage explores similar ways modern games connect with classic arcade design.
A social hub that slows down the action
Starting Ace Combat Online can feel disorienting. After creating a pilot, you arrive in a social hub filled with other players and vendors. Missions, aircraft changes, challenges, equipment purchases and squad management are assigned to different non-player characters, making the layout difficult to learn.
A shortcut menu helps in theory, but common tasks still require too many steps. Editing an aircraft means entering the Hangar, selecting Online Aircraft Set, choosing a loadout and then navigating a further screen containing eight editing categories. Adding an emblem involves another eight-option menu before the actual emblem-selection screen appears. A useful hold-button command returns players to the lobby, sparing them from backing through every layer.
Other systems have the same friction. Challenges are divided into four categories, and rewards must be collected separately from each one. Launching a match is also needlessly indirect: select Mission, choose Select Mode, pick a mode, back out one level and then choose Sortie. Faster access to the aircraft and the squad would make a considerable difference.
Excellent flying once the menus disappear
In the air, the experience is far more convincing. Matches are tense without losing their sense of fun, and the combination of scenic skies and a strong soundtrack makes even an unsuccessful sortie enjoyable. The appeal is not limited to competitive performance; simply flying with other players can be rewarding.
Co-Op Assault places a squad in a single-player-style mission and asks it to destroy as many enemy weapons as possible while repelling attackers. The clock and final ranking encourage quick decisions, division of responsibilities and careful coordination.
Co-op Warfare builds on that formula by adding an opposing squad to the battlefield. These modes have been the standout experiences so far because they allow less accomplished pilots to make a useful contribution to the team.
Deathmatch is less satisfying at present. Rounds last only a few minutes, leaving limited time for the prolonged cat-and-mouse engagements that suit aerial combat. Much of a match can be spent travelling towards the opposition, meaning the action feels half-finished by the time the teams meet. As an ongoing service, the mode could benefit from sensible adjustments over time.
The cost of keeping a premium game running
Ace Combat Online uses a seasonal pass system. The free Ace Pass contains rewards across 100 levels, while a premium version offers additional items. Both passes are scheduled to run for about two months, although the way seasonal resets will work remains unclear.
The premium pass requires 1,000 Ace Coins, priced at $10. A Premium Pass Plus option costs 2,500 Ace Coins, but that exact amount is not sold as a bundle: players can buy 2,300 coins for $20 or 3,500 for $30. That structure makes the upgrade feel more complicated than it needs to be.
Ace Coins can also be spent on decals, pilot clothing and aircraft skins. Free currencies provide some unlocks, but the more frivolous customisation appears to be concentrated in the paid shop. The model resembles the approach used by major free-to-play games, except Ace Combat 8 itself costs $70. Paying a premium entry price and then encountering additional charges throughout the online mode leaves an uncomfortable impression.
A familiar live-service compromise
It is possible to ignore much of the store. Match earnings have so far covered aircraft and customisation purchases without requiring extra spending. Even so, the monetisation affects how the mode feels. Robust multiplayer increasingly arrives with battle passes and shops, while games that avoid those systems can launch with comparatively thin online offerings.
This is the difficult middle ground that premium multiplayer games have struggled to find. A package with meaningful content at launch, sensible updates and fewer layers of monetisation would be preferable to asking players to pay repeatedly for a mode attached to a full-price release.
Verdict
Ace Combat Online is at its best in the sky. Its cooperative missions provide exciting teamwork, approachable session lengths and enough depth to test improving pilots. The mode is also easy to enjoy casually, which gives it genuine potential as a regular multiplayer game.
That potential is held back by cumbersome navigation and a store that is difficult to overlook. Streamlined menus would help players reach matches faster, while a less demanding monetisation structure would make the overall package easier to recommend. For now, the flying is excellent—but this $70 game will not be getting any extra money from this pilot.
For readers building a dedicated gaming space, browse RETROCADE’s arcade machines or compare options in the arcade machine buying guide. A compact bartop arcade can also suit smaller Australian rooms.
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