Hour Zero Gives Ace Combat 8 a Live-Action Runway With Holloway, Routh and Tomita
Josh Holloway, Brandon Routh and Tamlyn Tomita star in Hour Zero, a four-episode live-action prequel to Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve starting Tuesday, Sept. 15. The short film series arrives just over two weeks before the game, according to Variety.
Holloway plays a pilot with nowhere to land. Routh plays a doctor who saved his enemy. Tomita plays a news anchor silenced for telling the truth.
The three are strangers. They are surviving the opening days of a fictional war, the Republic of Sotoa's invasion of the Federation of Central Usea. It is a prequel, meaning the story takes place before the main game. It is made in live action, meaning with real actors on camera rather than game animation.
The story is told in reverse. That choice runs the events backwards from consequence to cause. It sets the stage for the Campaign Mode narrative in Ace Combat 8, Campaign Mode meaning the game's single-player story missions.
Bandai Namco Entertainment, the game's publisher, describes Hour Zero as a short film designed to introduce both long-time fans and newcomers to the Ace Combat series, in a company post on its news site. Holloway discussed the project and his role in an interview with Variety. For viewers who need a guide, Bandai Namco's listings connect Holloway with Lost and Yellowstone, Routh with Superman Returns and Tomita with Cobra Kai.
What makes this stand out is the structure. Three separate lives. One invasion. Told backwards. For newcomers, it is a way to familiarise themselves with the world before picking up the controller.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is set for release Oct. 2 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. The official game site describes intense aerial combat with powerful weapons and a campaign built around high-stakes missions, according to Bandai Namco.
Hour Zero will roll out in four instalments beginning Sept. 15 and concluding ahead of the Oct. 2 launch. That gives audiences a 17-day window to watch the full prequel before the game arrives.
