Aero the Acrobat 2 Review (SNES)

We reviewed the first Aero game a little while back and found it to be a solid platformer that had enough character to stand out in a crowded market, For those that didn’t think the release of Aero the Acrobat was obscure enough though, here comes the even rarer sequel. We are pleased to say that while the general circus aesthetic of the original made it stand out in terms of setting, the sequel is generally a much better game overall.

Aero 2 is very much a looker of a game. The first game was bright and colourful, but everything here has certainly had an upgrade. Colours are brighter and pixels seems sharper and bolder. The environments may have lost their theme, but it gives much more variety to levels and allows for some fun design. In motion the game is incredibly slick as well and flows very smoothly.

The characters movement has also been tightened up. The first game was a little lose with some of the collision detection and the controls in general feeling slightly off. This isn’t the case for the sequel, and everything has been refined and tightened considerably. This makes the overall experience much more fun and coupled with the graphical face lift really helps to elevate the experience.

In terms of moves, Aero is still pretty much the same. You still have the jump and twist to hit enemies or extend your leap and you can still pick up stars to use as weapons. There are environmental changes though, such as bells to swing from and cogs that fling you around. There are also some levels which have you snowboarding or introduce other gimmicks that give the player something different to do and think about.

Overall, it’s really nice to have Aero 2 revived for a new audience. The character itself is fine and the first game is solid, but this sequel is one of the standout late releases of the SNES’ life. If you were to try and pick up an original cartridge it would set you back a small fortune, so to have it so easily available now can only be a good thing. It looks like the Aero love is continuing with the GBA game and spinoff coming soon. Long may this revival of more obscure games continue.

Overall 8/10