Send in the clowns?
Step right up to the acro-batiest show on earth! The madman industrialist Edgar Ektor has seized control of the World of Amusement. He and a deranged cast of fairground freaks threaten the circus. The only hope for survival is the high-flying, death-defying Aero the Acro-Bat! Spine-tingling terror unfolds as Aero tackles Ektor’s wicked henchmen. Bungee jump into a battle with evil! Skydive in mode 7 toward the danger below. Hang on for the ride of your life as you rise and plunge on a roaring roller coaster! Tiptoe across a terrifying tightrope! Then power drill and twist Aero right through every sinister circus enemy imaginable. And all the while, the show must go on!
I must confess that I hadn’t heard of the Aero the Acro-Bat games before now, but funnily enough my partner did and she squealed out in excitement upon seeing the game on my PS5’s home page. So I already knew it was probably going to be a fairly good game, but then she remembered just how damn hard it was! Luckily, the developers have included plenty of cheats like infinite health for those who just want to play the game as easily as possible.
Aero can collect stars that he uses as ammo to throw at enemies, but these are in short supply. Jumping on foes like in most platformers is not the way here, so the stars are essentially all you have at your disposal. Otherwise, it’s a case of avoiding them like the plague. Each level has different objectives, the first makes you look for certain platforms with stars on that you need to jump on several times to make vanish, while the next will have you try and rescue someone from a cage, but you need to find the key.
It’s a nice way to mix things from the traditional moving to the right side of the screen, as in most platformers. But the level design can be a bit confusing at times so you can easily overlook something if you’re not careful. The game does also supply save states for you to use and there’s a PS4 version included with the PS5 version if you want a double Platinum trophy. The visuals are classic of their time, so I cant really complain here. The music is catchy and the rest of the series is on its way, so it’s a good time to be a fan of Aero.
The Verdict
Aero the Acro-Bat may not live up to the likes of Mario and Sonic in terms of 2D platformers, but it’s about as close as you can get. The difficulty may be off putting to some, but the cheats do help out if you want to use them for a smoother ride. I have to say, I can’t wait to play the rest of the series now!