Official Review Virtual Reality Updated

Aces of Thunder GBAtemp review
Virtual Reality

Name: Aces of Thunder
Item: Aces of Thunder
Rating: 7.5
Author: KiiWii

Product Information:

Release Date (NA): February 3, 2026
Release Date (EU): February 3, 2026
Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
Genres: Simulation
ESRB Rating: Teen
PEGI Rating: Twelve years and older
Also For: Computer
Official Store: https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10007306

Game Features:

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

Review Approach:

A fan of the Ace Combat series, this is a whole new animal.

Simulation overload: fly planes, shoot stuff, and explode things on the PSVR2!

Aces of Thunder was announced in 2023 by the developers, Gaijin Entertainment. When I first saw the aesthetic and all encompassing atmosphere they were aiming for I truly looked forward to this wondrous virtual reality experience, getting to fly period planes and have at the the enemy ingress.

Stalling somewhat, Gaijin looked to expand their ideas and add another layer of photo realistic polish to an already brilliant looking concept. Finally in 2026, we got to encounter this epic title in all of its glory, but is it everything I imagined? Is the Sky the limit? Is it ready for take off?

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Steep Learning Curve, Missing Guidance

From the beginning, the simulation and reenactment feel of this game is palpable. The game features a nine mission strong single-player campaign, 15 scenarios plus a mission editor and free flight modes, plus a robust multiplayer mode that drills home the anarchistic thrills of World War I and World War II era dog fighting.

You begin the game as a pilot looking at his plane in a field. It's an odd opening as there is no explanation, no directions and no sense of whether you're in a strange interactive menu or just waiting for something to happen. As it turns out, bringing your hands into view displays a flight card in your left hand.

Within the card you have access to your missions, free flight, editor and multiplayer modes. From here you can opt to play alone or with up to 16 players online. The majority of the game involves you escorting, destroying or defending, but each scenario and the variety of vehicles involved keeps you engaged and looking out of your cockpit to see what you can discover next.

It's worth noting that there are no tutorial modes, and nothing to really point you in the correct direction, even from the very beginning.

As you select a mode, you are thrown into the plane you pick and are somehow expected to pick up how to prepare it, start it up and then fly it around while gunning or bombing. I found this quite jarring at first, but gradually you get into the groove and feel like a semi-accomplished pilot within about half and hour or so.

Starting the vehicle and getting off the ground is taxing but achievable with a little time and effort, but mastering the combat is where the game really takes flight. Dogfights have been something I have enjoyed ever since I first played Starwing on the SNES. Following it up with Star Fox 64, I massively enjoyed the Katina mission in particular, with swarms of bogies flooding the arena and the arduous yet gripping task of eliminating as many as possible, opening up over the Independence Day-like pyramids.

Aces of Thunder is far more realistic placed within the theater of war, but the battles emerge just as organically. For example in the battle of Midway, you experience naval warfare so there is no land to be seen for miles, and Japanese carriers are firing at you while launching their own aerial fighters into the skies for you to engage. Targeting the Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu carriers, you must defend the airspace while attempting to sink them deep into the waters of the Pacific ocean.

There are no UAPs or UFOs in this game just pure, historically accurate vehicles and aircraft. There are over 20 planes to experience, including the P-51C-10 Mustang, P-47D-22 RE Thunderbolt, P-63A-5 Kingcobra, SB2C-4 Helldiver, Bf 109 F-4, Bf 109 G-2/trop, Fw 190 A-4, Bf 110 G-2, Yak-9T, Yak-3, La-5FN, Il-2M (1943), Spitfire Mk Vb, Typhoon Mk Ib, Mosquito FB Mk VI, Firefly FR Mk 5.
Japan: A6M3 Mod.22 Zero, J2M2 Raiden, Ki-61-I-tei Hien, and the D4Y3 Suisei.

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A Variety of Control Options, Nuanced Menus

Controlling the game is quite intuitive once you know where to press and what to do. In-game you use the two VR2 Sense controllers to grab, pull, tilt and click things around you, but you also have the option to just use the analogue stick instead of grabbing and pulling back on the flight stick/yolk.

There are options to use HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) too, but that kind of control is far beyond anything I, a rather casual gamer, would ever dream of investing in. The concept is great though, its the aerial equivalent of buying a wheel and shifter for Gran Turismo 7; I imagine the immersion would only ramp up, and aviation enthusiasts could have an absolute field day living out their retro aircraft fantasies.

The only area where control goes out the window is with the tiny menus. You're meant to point and tap with your gloved fingers, but honestly, unless I'm doing something exceptionally wrong, the scale is out of whack (far too tiny) and its rather hit and hope when jabbing at the wall of text-like buttons and toggles.

As a side note, you cannot walk around your aircraft either, it's a rather underwhelming and static affair before you select a mission or mode.

Another thing I noticed is that there is no feedback as to whether your bullets have hit something, or missed. The promotional images for the game display explosions all around you, but in reality, or rather virtual reality, I saw nothing resembling this level of action. In one example, I was firing down on a convoy of trucks in a jungle-infested island, but I rarely saw what I was hitting, and there was very little acknowledgement of completing tasks, hits landing, or explosive action; until the level ended all of a sudden.

While the haptic feedback is a nice indicator of when I take a hit, I would have liked to have some form of endorphin inducing sound effect or banner fill the screen to confirm a kill or something. Anything would have been better than the dull tone of the voice over coms saying "that's one thing ticked off the list".

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Graphically Excellent for Vehicles & Cockpits

Visually, the game is insanely good-looking. With small details like dials and buttons enumerating the dashboards, altering weather conditions, tracer-like bullets flying far and wide, and the fully working rear view mirror keeping you on your toes, the sense of enthrallment is utterly all encompassing thanks to the level of application this game is subject to.

I have heard the elucidation banded around that Aces of Thunder is the Gran Turismo of the skies. I would say that yes, it is in terms of its attention to detail, realistic graphics and vehicular features and characteristics, but graphically, it feels a little weak when you look closely at textures and objects in the scenery. Some textures on the ground in particular are extremely rudimentary like terrain geometry and as a good example for all players to look at; when you're standing in the first field about to take off. I suppose the idea is that you fly hundreds of feet up and they look great, but up close they're definitely questionable.

Where Gran Turismo on PS5 nails immersion through realism and unwavering graphic strength, Aces of Thunder nails immersion but only hits graphical prowess at about 80% of the je ne sais quoi that makes GT7 a near perfect realistic experience.

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Captivating, Exhilarating, Punishing

Overall I feel that Aces of Thunder is a tricky game to get into, but a great game once you have the basics under your belt. If there was a tutorial mode, and more story-like introductory sections that lead you into the main crux of it, players would have less head scratching and be funneled into the action far more succinctly.

Combat feels good if a little slow-paced over all. I guess if you get good at this genre of strafing and circling you'll get better at the tactical element of aerial warfare, but for beginners it can feel like a slog to first find a target, and then attempt to unload your entire arsenal into it. Quite often, I found myself lost, stalling, losing a wing or two, and ultimately plummeting into the land or sea, more so than successfully vanquishing the invading forces, which is aggravating.

For me personally, I really enjoyed it as a simulation experience, however I far prefer more contemporary flight and action of games such as Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, though sadly Sony has not seen fit to give it a PSVR2 upgrade, even seven years after release. Aces of Thunder is a fantastic title that is more than worthy of your time, but it feels slightly lacking in user experience polish, which could come via updates very easily.

Verdict

What We Liked ...

High fidelity graphics and intricate details for the interiors.
Genuinely thrilling with immersive game play when you get into the throws of air combat maneuvering.
Variety of control styles.
Haptic feedback is nice.

What We Didn't Like ...

Needs a narrator and a tutorial mode to ease you into the action more smoothly.
High barrier to entry due to needing to discover how to pilot planes.
Menus are small and difficult to navigate.
Quite difficult to progress quickly, it's a tough nut to crack!
No damage to the cockpit glass, only wings or propellers.

Gameplay

Learning to fly, honing your skills and mastering the skies holds a steep curve, but the variety of content, the visceral charm of the game makes it overwhelmingly playable throughout its plethora of modes and options.

Presentation

Incredibly gorgeous to watch, even better to play, but the menu system is so minute and fiddly that I got ticked off with it very quickly. The planes interiors look fantastic and the skylines look great overall.

Lasting Appeal

Mission editors make for massive longevity, and the 16-player multiplayer mode makes each skirmish feel different and organic.

7.5

out of 10

Overall

The core of the game is here, but the overall package feels unfinished or missing the fundamentals to make it a rounded experience. Add in a charismatic narrator to guide you into the game, as well as some tutorials or a license mode and it could help to make the game more accessible for beginners.

Reactions: k66, console, Exnor and 1 other person

codezer0
Feb 18, 2026

If war thunder is any indication, this game will need a protocol for the amount of redditors shoving (still) classified military blueprints and trade secrets into their inbox as a means of "getting it right" to win their internet arguments.

Reactions: KiiWii

i really want to like VR, but damn the motion sickness gets me if I don't do it every day to get used to it.

KiiWii
Feb 18, 2026

GengarsGhostlyGiggles said:
i really want to like VR, but damn the motion sickness gets me if I don't do it every day to get used to it.

I honestly didn’t feel motion sick with this one, it never even occurred to me to mention it in the review.

Subside on the other hand :wacko:

Reactions: GengarsGhostlyGiggles

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Product Information:

Game Features:

Review Approach:

Steep Learning Curve, Missing Guidance

A Variety of Control Options, Nuanced Menus

Graphically Excellent for Vehicles & Cockpits

Captivating, Exhilarating, Punishing

Verdict

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