When the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis still ruled the videogame scene, it was the time for the mascot platformers. Mario and Sonic are the easiest names that come to mind when talking about likable characters and their respective companies, but for each of them there were dozens of others that happlessly starred in a number of mediocre at best games, like Bubsy, Chester Cheetah, Cool Spot, and of course, Aero the Acrobat.
Developed by Sunsoft, a group known for some of the best 8-bit games ever released, was responsible for the game when it was originally released, over 30 years ago. At the time, the game was mostly considered rental shop material at best, though, figuring in the lower tier of mascot platformers. While at one hand it would be easy to brush it off because of that, knowing how bad other characters did then, it’s enough to prompt at least a quick glance at Aero.
My gaming time in the 1990s in particular saw some of his antics on my Super Nintendo. I must’ve rented it a dozen times over the years, and with my child-level patience, that is, much higher tolerance threshold than an adult’s, managed to squeeze as much fun out of it as it was possible. And given that I had a love/hate relationship with Accolade’s Bubsy, the much maligned furry platformer, I actually have some good Aero the Acrobat memories from back then.
That’s to say, with emphasis, from back then. We’re talking about a time when owning games didn’t come nearly as easy as today’s reality, and renting was considered the most viable way to play and keep up with the newest videogames. Such was the case of living in a country where their prices were considerably higher than the rest of the West. If you wanted to play even pirated carts, you had to have a good amount of cash to buy one. But that doesn’t mean everything that was played was pure gold.
That’s because rental shops usually had a single copy of each game, so you had to contend with other kids that wanted to rent the same carts as you did. Aero the Acrobat, being lower tier, was often available, and with limited visits to the shop as I had as a child, that happened to be one of the few choices I had to play something other than my personal carts at home.
And thus we come to today, 2024. Ratalaika Games, who has been on a tear releasing a whole bunch of obscure titles has gone ahead and re-released Aero on modern platforms, a good chance for me to get reacquainted with my old friend. Sadly, all but my fond memories for how good it looked proved true, as it’s a pretty standard character action romp wrapped in a barebones package that has little to no historical material to make it an essential pickup for collector’s, even those willing to overlook the game’s overall quality.
Gameplay-wise, Aero the Acrobat plays close to the vest by having you control a smallish circus performer who happens to be a bat. Under the circus tent at the start, as the public roars in the background, you have to contend with endless waves of enemies and obstacles that can only be dealt with by avoidance, where the nimble protagonist’s weird diagonal jump comes into play. He can’t bump enemies like Mario and Sonic, nor carry around a weapon of any kind.
In terms of level design, there is something to be said about the game. Stages are very labyrinthian and demand plenty of ingenuity on your part in order to complete them in one piece. And you’ll want to get through on one life since continues warp you back to the very entrance whenever you die. On the other hand, there’s not a whole lot to get through before you hit credits, clocking in around an hour and change til the credits roll.
The current iteration of Aero the Acrobat hitting just about every console and the PC comes with the barest of features which include save games and a handful of graphical filters and screen formats. The only real standout happens to be one of the post-processing image treatments, if you will, that makes it look like it’s running in a shiny arcade display. That’s just about all there is here.
Where more material like box scans, the original instruction manual, videos, design docs, or other meaningful extras that other retro revivals have thrown our way over the years, Aero comes as a half-hearted, disappointing attempt. The game wasn’t that good to begin with, so more stuff to sift through would have gone a long way, guys, come on.
As it stands, Aero the Acrobat is only recommended to those who have a 18-bit-platforming-circus-performing-bat-shaped spot in their hearts, and even then, they’ll have to content with the slim pickings that are on offer in this new retro release. It’s a shame, but them’s the apples we got. Wonder what will happen when the game hits its 40th or 50th anniversary? Probably as much of a dud as this if I had to guess.
