Aero the Acro-Bat (Multi) Review

Technically a retro review is on the horizon for this Sunday evening, but at the same time, it's more of a modern release--or re-release in this context. Publisher Ratalaika Games brings back Aero the Acro-Bat with some new filters, bonus content, and quality of life features. It's all new to me, as I missed out on Aero back on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis in my younger superhero years. How is the game? How are the bonus features? Let's answer both of these questions with a good old fashioned SuperPhillip Central review!

A game that will drive most players batty

The 90s were a wild time where seemingly every developer and studio under the sun were chasing after that platformer and Mario money. Of course, we know quite well of Sonic the Hedgehog, to this day has achieved massive success, but there were plenty of lesser known copycats, imitations, and games inspired by Mario and Sonic that slipped through the cracks of gaming history and aren't as well known. Sunsoft's Aero the Acro-Bat is one such series that despite spawning several games within it, isn't the most heralded or talked about. 

Publisher Ratalaika Games brings back the bat to the circus spotlight with a remastered package of the game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with several quality of life improvements and other additions to make a case that a new generation needs to turn its attention to Aero and friends. The natural follow-up question, of course, is: Should you bother with this bat?

Aero the Acro-Bat consists of a handful of areas consisting of multiple acts. Each act provides players with a different task in order to open up the goal to complete them. Sometimes you'll need to pass through a set number of gold rings, another you'll need to turn on a series of light switches, or some are as basic in their premise as simply surviving. These various acts provide some nice and welcome variety to the game, making it less about running through a multi-tier area aimlessly as you search for the goal, and instead... well, unfortunately, more about running through a multi-tier area aimlessly as you search for things to open the goal.

Not quite a human cannonball, considering... well, this being a bat--but impressive all the same!

Disappointingly, Aero the Acro-Bat doesn't fare much better when actually playing the game. Aero himself has a main mode of attack where he dives upward or downward at a 45 degree angle. It serves as being beneficial for reaching otherwise out of the way platforms and areas. However, it's NOT so beneficial at attacking enemies with a 100% success rate as hit detection is absolutely miserable in this game. It seems like luck of the draw on whether you defeat an enemy or that Aero takes damage instead. This randomness in dealing damage made me avoid encounters with enemies as much as possible. That said, a lot of the time a foe is simply placed in front of your path as a roadblock with little means to go around.

The spotlight is on you, Aero, so show us your moves!

While Aero also has the ability to collect stars which can be converted into throwing stars (though not shuriken, as one might assume--LITERAL stars being thrown), these become something you are required to ration. Moreover, our bat hero can only throw them while jumping or standing still, so their utility isn't as pronounced as one might like.

Aero is also too fast in movement. While this normally wouldn't be an issue, the camera can hardly keep up with the protagonist--instead, preferring to be sluggish in speed. It made it so I had to saunter through levels at a slow enough pace, inching the camera along to reveal things off screen so I wouldn't rush into a baddie, or worse, those darned spikes!

The first world dazzles with lots of enjoyable circus-themed platforming gimmicks.

Spikes are plentiful in Aero the Acro-Bat, and they're usually hiding off screen where a leap too high or running too fast means you collide right into them. Apparently, Aero is made of the same stuff as Mega Man, as one touch of a spike is a life lost. While checkpoints are somewhat common in levels, these moments once again feel undeserved and most definitely unfair.

Then, you have the auto-scrolling levels that are somehow worse than Battletoads' infamous Turbo Tunnel level. The reason for this is that at the very least, said tunnel would telegraph what obstacles were headed your way, so you'd have at minimum a chance of evading them. Not so much in any of the auto-scrolling levels in Aero the Acro-Bat, whether that's the hellish roller coaster, riding the rotor where it's pretty much trial and error on succeeding, the barrel that Aero finds himself rolling down hills in, or the rapids where the camera does not cooperate at all.

But soon, levels like this rotor one quickly makes this game outwear its welcome.

Fortunately, a lot (note: but not all) of Aero the Acro-Bat's design problems are alleviated heavily by the included rewind function and save states. The former is utilized by holding the left bumper, though you can only rewind about 30 seconds in the past or so (the right bumper, conversely serves as a fast forward option). The latter option of save states is a blessing due to the fact that the original Aero the Acro-Bat game completely lacks any save options. To my knowledge, no password functionality served as an inclusion either. So, thankfully, you can answer the game's many cheap flaws and moments with some helpful rewinding. 

Despite the game itself being less than satisfactory, this remastered version of Aero the Acro-Bat has been lovingly made--no doubt. There are various filters, resolutions, and options to play around with to get the best graphical style that fits your preference. The package also arrives with a lovely art gallery, the original manual in digital form to browse through, and other cool and nifty additions. 

Struggling with a boss? Thankfully, save states and rewinds can alleviate the burden.

The base game itself is indeed a product of its time, complete with all of those nasty and decidedly unfair cheap moments, but you can also tell that there was passion poured into the project as well--from the gorgeous environments to the well animated characters, whether they be friendlies or enemies. The soundtrack is rather pleasant, serving as competent and serviceable background music--some of which I found myself bobbing my head along to, which is always a good sign of its quality for me.

That said, this remaster of Aero the Acro-Bat is somewhat of a case of polishing a turd, or I guess in this case "bat droppings", to put it in apropos terms related to our protagonist. The original game is just not very good, and no matter how much or how many quality of life improvements and extra bells and whistles were added, it was never going to be an excellent game and recommendation without going into the actual game and fixing its fundamental design issues. While there is a lot to dislike design-wise about the original Aero the Acro-Bat, it may be worth checking out if you have the curiosity, plenty of patience, don't mind relying on that rewind button, or would rather just get a taste of gaming history in a decidedly lovingly put-together package.

[SPC Says: C-]

A code was provided by Ratalaika Games for the purpose of this review.