Now that Ace Combat 8 is available in early access, I thought I would add some more of my thoughts about the game following my review .

Obviously, the following is quite spoiler-heavy , so you have been warned.

In addition to the FA-36 Game , you also have an electronic warfare variant called the EA-36 Barricade. This is actually quite handy to have your wingmen fly, as their use of SP weapons can give you a useful lock-on boost.

The FA-36 Game is also a variant of the XFA-36 from Ace Combat 3 . While that has a closed COFFIN cockpit, the FA-36 has a nice bubble canopy. If I am honest, I prefer the design and styling of the X-02S Strike Wyvern from Ace Combat 7 , but the FA-36 is a great fighter and, crucially, can be deployed from both an airfield and an aircraft carrier.

This brings me to the all-new X-40 Nightmare (shown above), which again has an Ace Combat 3 connection, as it appears to be the partial precursor to the X-49 Night Raven with its similar double-wing setup. I initially thought the X-40 was designed by Ikuto Yamashita, as it looks like one of his designs from Yukikaze , but he’s not listed in the game’s credits. However, Studio Khara is listed, but they apparently only worked on storyboarding some of the game’s cutscenes.

This is a Latin phrase that translates to “the garden of the high king”, which is mentioned by Moon 11 in the game’s penultimate mission, and has special significance in the game’s finale. However, what’s more noteworthy is that it is also the name of one of the best musical tracks in the entire game.

What’s interesting is that the main melody from this track is used by the Shadows to announce their arrival, and is sung in a quite brutish and gruff way. Over the course of the various missions, this song is eventually orchestrated, and you get to hear more of its composition in a clearer way.

By the end of the game, and used to wonderful effect in the game’s end credits, you get the original nomadic vocal version, which is a lovely way of showing how the pure intentions of the Sotoans were hijacked and twisted by Enso Order .

If anything, this vocal track reminds me of the Bulgarian song Kaval Sviri , as there’s a lot of luscious close harmony and almost alien-sounding vocal tricks used.

In short, Hortus Regis Alti is probably my all-time favorite piece of music from any Ace Combat game, ever.

One of the big things about Ace Combat 8 is how it sets up a lot of really cool narrative aspects seen in Ace Combat 3 . While we had a few nods to the General Resource company in Ace Combat 7 , on shipping crates and the like, Ace Combat 8 finally clarifies where this company came from and how it rose to such prominence.

Specifically, in the game’s end credits, we’re told that Enso Order was effectively liquidated and General Resource took over their remaining holdings. This explains why they are so dominant by the time Ace Combat 3 comes along, and how they got their hands on the X-40 Nightmare (shown above).

As for Enso Order, the way it’s described as some kind of decentralized corporate structure, hiding the real creators of the war between Sotoa and the FCU, makes me think there is a strong Belkan involvement here.

This was overtly stated in Ace Combat 7 , and it is also the origin of a lot of various super technology, and Enso Order does behave in a decidedly Belkan way.

In any case, Ace Combat 8 helps to fix (most) of the later Strangereal timeline leading up to Ace Combat 3 .

There’s a lot more to talk about in Ace Combat 8 , but I think I will wait a bit on that as more people get to play and enjoy the game. If you haven’t done so already, feel free to check out my review of the game , as it is genuinely excellent.

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