Ace Fight 8: Wings of Theve is without doubt one of the best video games I’ve played in 2026, and there are many the reason why. It has hermetic flying controls, includes a variety of thrilling missions, revitalizes a collection that’s been silent for years, and occurs to be one of many best-looking video games of this console technology. However probably the most astonishing factor about Bandai Namco’s aerial motion recreation is its music. For my cash, Ace Fight 8 doesn’t simply have the most effective online game soundtrack of 2026. It could have the most effective online game soundtracks of all time.
That declare will solely come as a shock for those who’re not aware of the Ace Fight collection. Lengthy-time followers have all the time identified that the Ace Fight collection’ music is one in every of its finest qualities. That’s thanks partially to composer Keiki Kobayashi, whose hovering orchestral compositions give the collection’ aerial missions a way of grandeur. This time round, Kobayashi labored alongside Ryo Watanabe and Mitsuhiro Kitadani to create the collection’ finest rating but.
Don’t take it from me. Take six minutes to hearken to the sport’s most important theme, “Everflow.” Although be warned that it’s going to make you’re feeling like you may run by means of a wall.
The phrase “epic” will get overused so much in online game tradition, however it’s actually the one approach to describe the compositions in Ace Fight 8. Each feels huge in scope, crammed with choirs that really feel impossibly massive and string sections that drag a bow throughout your coronary heart. They get your blood pumping throughout tense missions, however additionally they are emotionally charged sufficient so as to add some actual weight to the battle you’re combating. It evokes the blockbuster sounds of the Metal Gear Solid soundtrack.
My favourite element is its wonderful use of musical motifs. All through the story, you encounter a rival squad from the Sotoan air power, the Lux Lunae. You all the time know once they’re approaching, as a result of the pilots have a definite chant that they set free when charging into battle. It’s a bit humorous at first, like a chorus in an Think about Dragons music, however the composers seamlessly weave that easy vocal melody into a lot greater compositions all through the sport. That culminates within the astonishing “Hortus Regis Alti,” a masterful payoff that brings your entire recreation collectively by means of music.
Arguably, none of what I’m describing is even the most effective a part of Ace Fight 8’s soundtrack. On prime of the emotional orchestral items, it additionally options some rock and roll heaters that can get you amped past your wildest goals. A recurring bit all through the marketing campaign is that your squad is actually right into a band referred to as Purple Magic. They’re a kind of butt rock outfit within the Ace Fight universe, and your crew likes to throw on their songs throughout missions to get pumped up. Hearken to “Time Are Altering” and also you’ll perceive why.
These songs rock, however I particularly adore the best way the music crew seamlessly weaves them into the sport’s orchestral parts. It’s that feeling of watching a film trailer that borrows a contemporary pop music and builds round it with authentic rating parts, executed to perfection in Ace Fight 8’s soundscape. I’m undecided that I’ve ever heard a online game soundtrack pull that trick off this effectively.
Even for those who don’t have the abdomen to play Ace Fight 8, I extremely suggest poking by means of the full soundtrack to get a way of the musical heights it climbs to. It precisely captures the emotional journey of combating within the Sotoa-Usea Struggle with out all of the queasy barrel rolls.