Back in the early to mid 90s, 2D platformers starring a cartoony animal mascot with attitude were all the rage, thanks to the popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog.  One of the more prolific ones was Aero the Acro-Bat.  His game got a sequel, a spinoff starring one of the antagonists (Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel), and an enhanced port of the first game on Game Boy Advance many years later.  I actually rented the first one back in the day, and I honestly didn’t like it that much.  I didn’t remember much about it except the goals were a bit unclear.  But at the time, I was getting pretty tired of all those mascot platformers (I didn’t even like a lot of the Sonic games), and I really only got back into those kinds of games once Klonoa came around on the PlayStation.  Plus at the time I was more into 16-bit RPGs (it’s kind of the opposite now).  But I’m willing to give Aero the Acro-Bat a second chance, because now you can play it on all modern consoles (reviewed on PS4 here). I think this is the Super Nintendo version because of the Mode 7 bonus stages.   The cool thing is that later this year, we’ll be able to play the other games in the series on modern consoles, too!

So as Aero, you can run and jump like any mascot platformer.  While in the air, you can perform a drill attack up or down diagonally to defeat baddies and get some extra air in your jump.  Pick up power-ups like food items for points, an umbrella to glide down after a fall, the ability to fly for a short bit, throwing stars, and invincibility.  In each level you are tasked with a specific goal.  It might be to land on certain star platforms, jump through hoops, save your girlfriend Ariel, etc.

So did I like this game any better after giving it a second chance?  Unfortunately, no.  The goals are still a bit unclear and the hit detection with your drill attack is spotty at best.  Plus the game relies too much on instant death spikes for challenge.  However, even though I still don’t like the game, I did really like this port of it.  How?  Well, for starters, the cheat menu lets you have infinite lives and health, which is handy for those annoying and tedious challenges.  You can even give yourself unlimited drill attacks and basically fly through the levels!  I also really liked all the in-game artwork you can view.  Fans of the Aero character will love that.  Plus you get a full scan of the instruction booklet, which is handy for figuring out the controls and level goals.  I really miss when games had instruction booklets in them.  It really helped to have them when reviewing games.

Even though I didn’t like the first Aero game, I hope I get to review the rest of the series when they come out later this year.  I would like to see how they improved, because I really did like the circus theme and music and such.  And I think Aero could use a reboot or brand new game, too, with modern gaming sensibilities that could help iron out those problems. For instance, maybe a radar to find out where to go next to complete the goals in the levels (bats can use echo location after all).  So don’t give up on your creation just yet, David Siller! I think it still has potential.

Kid Factor:

Aero the Acro-Bat is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence and Mild Blood.  I didn’t notice any blood.  You can drill into enemies to defeat them, but they just disappear when you do.  Aero has all sorts of Looney Tunes style animations when he gets hit, but I grew up playing these types of games and I turned out OK.  Reading skill isn’t needed, but younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews