It says a lot about the 90s era of gaming that it is Aero the Acro-Bat got a sequel. Seriously, as much affection as I have for the original game, it’s objectively not very well done, as we recently discovered in a review of the modern port. She is clumsy on purpose, has a strange world even for that period (who was in love with calliope music anyway?) and the character is mostly forgettable. But there was something there that compelled SUNSOFT to say, “Yeah, let’s get on with this.” Maybe it was stubbornness, maybe it was just pure hope, and maybe there was a pile of cocaine on someone’s desk, but the fun continued. Surprisingly, it worked, and players got a better title, albeit imaginatively named Aero the Acro-Bat 2.
Maybe you didn’t like the original, but the sequel is here to completely derail the story. The plot continues exactly where the original left off, Aero he decides to explore further instead of returning to his carnival, and as a result, is drawn into a magical door. This door first takes him to an ancient castle, but will later throw him into the frozen tundra, into a musical nightmare, deep into a factory producing mad science experiments and beyond. Why? Why would you Aero did all that and exposed himself to additional risks? Maybe because of his sense of adventure and heroism. Maybe it’s to introduce a character from a future spinoff, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. But the real reason is to throw in that long-missing element from the first game: a hypersexualized blindfold to lust after.
It’s hard to sell this, because there’s nothing in it Aero the Acro-Bat 2 which would convert a skeptic into a believer, if you know what I mean. The game definitely brings a lot of improvements, including new movement mechanics, better world design, and a stronger selection of music themes. Since the biomes are different, there’s a lot more to see and attack, tons of secrets to uncover, and a lot of complexity in navigation (for better and for worse). However, this is not the kind of redemption story like Titanfall 2 or Grand Theft Auto 3where changes completely disrupt your expectations. Instead, this is the same bat with a fresh coat of paint, and it’s… I mean, it’s better, but it’s still not great.
For example, some of the worst aspects of the game have been eliminated, much to my relief. There are no more level timers, making it much easier to experiment and be forgiving of difficult parts. Also, there are no more goals per level; simply find your way out any way you can. There are still items for points and health, as well as stars for ranged attacks, but now you can perform a downward strike to hit enemies directly below you, which is very useful, especially for boss fights. Finally, you can collect the letters to match AERO and win a bonus minigame at the end of the level, which can give you an extra life. This really helps and makes the idea of collecting things a little more appealing.
Not to mention the game has some really inspired silliness. The Berlin Wall went down in 1989, and it was big news, I remember watching part of it on the news with my parents. Don’t ask how old I am. Aero the Acro-Bat 2 was released in 1994, and everything inside of me screams that this game didn’t have a five-year development cycle.
Which means someone had to seriously say, “I think so Aero should have fought the Soviet animal soldiers despite the fact that the Soviet Union no longer existed,” and other people agreed with him. Or, “I think so Aero we need a new opponent that has the word ‘kamikaze’ in the name, but has nothing to do with that term,” and that was approved. I understand you need some purpose to put this all together, but why did it have to be at the expense of my brain cells trying to make sense of it all?
Despite being a newer title, Aero the Acro-Bat 2 it looks worse than the first part, and I think that’s because of the change in art style over the years. The original Aero was more targeted for SNESor sales success at Genesisu meant turning the priority to Sega platform to continue. I know people like a rawer look Genesis graphics, but I don’t think it works for Aero. It’s a step back that makes avatars less flashy and generally lack the same level of charm. I imagine players who want a darker, grittier look in line with the story will enjoy it, but to me it’s the opposite of the problems with games like Rocket Knight.
Also, before you get too confused about the direction of this review, I still don’t think it is Aero the Acro-Bat 2 necessarily a great game. The controls are quite rough, with a lot of “swimming” in jumping and walking. You need a moment to start and a moment to stop, and your momentum can throw you wild if you’re trying anything aerial. There are many obstacles that are deadly and you don’t have much room for mistakes. On top of that, the game often feels like it’s swamping you with enemies at all times, so you’ll be dying and respawning, and I hope you wrote down that bizarre code between levels because death comes in clown shoes.
I think it is Ratalaika knew this game would be extremely difficult without the nostalgia to help people forgive it, so I really appreciate the extra effort they put into the overall experience. Besides a copy of the walkthrough and a few achievements that appear out of nowhere (and I bet are hilarious to anyone who doesn’t play on Switchu), the codes are ready to be activated at any time, and should be used if you want to save your nerves. Just turn it on God Bat Modesmash heads and enjoy a rather funny story. When you take the pressure off, you can really have fun with the action.
Once again, I’m amazed that it is Aero the Acro-Bat 2 made at all, and I think I am grateful for that ideology. It is clear that the developers saw something in the game that the players did not, and managed to create the second part. Of course, Aero may have been the “best new character” of 1993, but they were also handing out the game to anyone who sent them a postcard, so it’s debatable what the true level of success was. But this sequel is better in every way, so hats off to them.
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