A while ago, I participated in a demo for "Ace Combat 8: Wings of Xylo" at the Bilibili "Game Preview" event. The demo included the prologue, Missions 1 through 4, as well as Mission 9 "Absolute Interception Line for the Land Battleship" and Mission 11 "Intercepting Land Battleship Supply Lines," allowing me to experience it for an entire afternoon.
The intuitive impression this work gave me was immersion. Because, unlike the series' tradition of using cinematic lensesCG to set up the world view, it chooses to let players embody the character first and feel personal emotions: The protagonist, Rex, has blurred memories due to post-war trauma, and like us, knows nothing about what happened in this sea area. Furthermore, the addition of a first-person rotatable perspective narrative in this work deepens this sense of immersion.
The opening is a shipwreck. As the protagonist, a fighter pilot, drifted at sea in a lifeboat, he was rescued by the old-style aircraft carrier Endurance (Endurance) rescued him. With the home country's navy nearly annihilated, this old warship carried civilians away from the front lines.
I later learned from others that the protagonist's home country, the United Yuktobanian Federation, suffered a blitzkrieg invasion by the Sotoya Republic. The remaining forces were scattered and unable to organize resistance. However, among the members on this ship was the last legend of the nation, a pilot with a record of shooting down a hundred enemy aircraft: Wings of Xylo·Koup.
Boarding Koup's plane, we took off from the deck, the jet engines roaring to life as the aircraft pierced the clouds... As dew condensed on the cockpit canopy, my senior began the flight training—
Lesson One, you must survive;
Lesson Two, Lesson Two, from now onThe aircraft carrier Endurance is your mother;
Lesson Three, Lesson Three, Wings of Xylo is merely propaganda; this title has never shot down a single enemy aircraft. It was created to give hope to the citizens of our homeland, so the specific number of kills can be whatever they want it to be.
Then, the air battle erupted. Before I could process this information, enemies from the Sotoya Republic proved my senior's words true. The protagonist, who had just regained his flying senses, couldn't provide much support to Koup with his cannons and could only watch helplessly as Wings of Xylo was shot down by enemy aircraft. The scene shifted, and I sank into the sea once again.
The above constitutes the publicly revealed plot content. But when all of this unfoldsbefore your eyes—The lingering exhaustion in my senior's voice came through the radio. Enemy planes darkened the sky like clouds, while the old, decrepit Endurance, carrying the spark of our homeland, drifted alone in the turbulent seas—a sense of mission in a desperate situation arose spontaneously.
In my opinion, a good game opening is crucial. "Ace Combat8: Wings of Xylo" uses just thirty minutes of first-person narrative to seamlessly complete background setup, basic gameplay tutorials, and narrative twists. More importantly, it imbues the entire journey with grand significance from the very beginning: the fabricated legend is a cruel lifeline in despair—and we will use actual actions to turn it into the true "Wings of Xylo."
Everyone should know,The past game modes of the "Ace Combat" IP were somewhat arcade-like, inserting CG broadcasts between missions for players to accept and execute tasks. However, this time, even though the game continues this tradition, the addition of first-person narrative gives it the quality of a high-spec blockbuster. I am no longer just participating in individual missions but living, growing, and feeling alongside the protagonist and the team, and contemplate the meaning of this war.
For example, Tasha, who recently gained significant attention, was originally a stunt pilot responsible for air shows. The fact that she joined the military indicates excessive troop losses, forcing recruitment of volunteers from civilians. The other two teammates in our squad are also remnants of scattered units. This setting of a desperate, isolated force reminds me of a TV series I used to love, "My Chief and My Regiment," which portrays the cruelty of war while also focusing on individual fates within the broader environment.
Therefore, there will be more daily life displays during first-person narrative sequences. For example, soldiers on the aircraft carrier Endurance complain about the unpalatable food, another teammate reveals he was a math teacher before the war, Tasha is still pursuing her studies and reviews lessons and takes notes after lunch. Although the protagonist doesn't speak much, these descriptions of life scenes subtly build understanding and trust between me and my comrades. This trust ultimately feeds back positively into the gameplay experience—this work elevates the wingman system to an unprecedented level of importance. As the squad leader, I can use the direction keys to issue instructions to the wingman formation, including Tasha. Their support, cover, and firepower delivery will help us cope with various combat situations and help players turn danger into safety.
For example, in MissionMission 4 "Raid on Enemy Port." This mission has two ways to conquer it: either eliminate the enemy's air power first to gain air superiority, or take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to quickly raid the port, sink the fleet there, and withdraw rapidly. If we choose to raid the port and withdraw quickly, completing the task with just one aircraft is almost impossible—Therefore, issuing reasonable commands to wingmen is particularly important. If strategies are executed well, there is hardly any need to engage in dogfights with enemy aircraft; you can simply leave after the job is done.
From here, everyone can see that by MissionBy Mission 4, our primary objective is no longer just to preserve our forces; we can organize surprise attacks and launch counteroffensives against enemy-occupied zones. This was the greatest sense of achievement I gained from this demo. When the enemy attacked the aircraft carrier Endurance, forcing us to fight back, I had to changethe strategy continued by Senior Koup. As a result, I found that the enemies were not as invincible as portrayed in the background story.
At this point, the title of Wings of Xylo truly became a symbol of hope. My teammates believed that following me would help the soldiers on the Endurance regain their courage. Although the demo version did not show the intermediate story, I can reasonably infer that it was precisely because the people of our homeland saw the flag we raised that a spark turned into a prairie fire, leading them to offer support and respond.
As missions progress, the Endurance's hangar continuously expands—I think,This is also a reflection of the combination of gameplay and narrative. Among them, besides air-to-air types"F-16C Fighting Falcon," and ground-attack type "F-15E Strike Eagle" such robust and sturdy aircraft, this time even the tailless stealth aircraft "FA-36 Game" was announced for the first time. Readers who follow Chinese and international air shows should understand the value of such aircraft; its design and performance can rival real-world sixth-generation fighters.
So, in order to ignite this playersense of mission to "restore the glory of the United Yuktobanian Federation," the gameplay must match up. From the initial experience, "Ace Combat 8: Wings of Xylo" inherits the air combat immediacy refined over the series' 30-year history, as well as the experience of maneuvering various fighter jets to sweep through enemy aerial dogfights. However, to match the narrative atmosphere of the weak challenging the giant in the story, two major changes were made to the game content.
Firstly, this work will feature an even more exaggerated number of superweapons. For example, in MissionMission 9 "Absolute Interception Line for the Land Battleship" and Mission 11 "Intercepting Land Battleship Supply Lines." Originally, for a game with a relatively realistic simulation theme, such a Land Battleship resembling "Attack on Titan" might seem absurd at first glance. However, it intuitively demonstrates the oppressive power of the Sotoya Republic. The battleship rampages through the cities of our homeland, not for conquest, but simply because the city blocks its path.
Facing such giant enemies, the gameplay is no longer limited to aerial dogfights. Instead, it resembles a monster resistance battle where everyone gives their all. Our squad strives for goals at different stages, while others in the city have their own tasks, such as pinpoint demolitions, destroying tracks, and luring escort formations: the fierceness of the battle means warriors are practically throwing themselves into the fray one after another.
Secondly, it adds chain destruction elements to deal with large enemies. If the wreckage of downed enemy weapons collides with other weapons during their fall, it will produce chain-type destruction—meaning that in this work, aircraft rarely burn and explode as in previous titles, but instead fall as blocky part wreckage, which then collides with other superweapons.
This point is most evident in Mission 11Mission"Intercepting Land Battleship Supply Lines", is most evident. At this time, the Land Battleship has been repelled by us and is hiding to recuperate. Our mission is to cut off its supply lines to prevent the behemoth from awakening again after receiving resource replenishment. Therefore, in this mission, similarly exaggerated giant transport aircraft formations become the targets. Their armor is thick, and destroying them individually is laborious. However, the addition of the chain destruction mechanism makes the challenge possible. By slightly applying geometric knowledge, a small destruction can cause scattered parts to trigger a fission-like explosive reaction.
In other words, "Ace Combat8: Wings of Xylo" makes enemies stronger while also providing players with corresponding solutions. Facing opponents who seem invincible at first glance, continuous harassment, striking weaknesses, and gradually dismembering them finally results in a collapsing series of explosions. This design, not only bringing freshness to the gameplay but also fitting the theme within the atmosphere established by the story. When I fully immersed myself in the protagonist's mindset, knowing that the frontal battlefield was failing repeatedly and resistance seemed hopeless, repeatedly hunting down superweapons as the weaker side ignited my bloodlust and greatly vented my emotions.
In subsequent interviews, we learned that this work was written by award-winning film academy directorwritten by "Naohiro Katayama," depicting "Ace Combat 7:Unknown Skies" approximately10 years later, "Ace Combat 8: Wings of Xylo" will possess the richest story content in the series' history.
Therefore,Admittedly, this work inherits the series' arcade-style challenge difficulty—Even on the default Normal difficulty of the demo, the enemies are as ruthless and merciless as depicted in the background story. However, the immersion and narrative depth shown in just a few hours, combined with the easier difficulties to be released in the future, convince me that even if you've never touched the air combat genre, it's worth stepping into this sky. In the desperate situation of occupied territories, turning a false lie into a true banner of hope—this cannot be judged simply by "whether the plot is good or not," but is a game-driving force that makes your blood boil and supports players in continuously challenging themselves.