We’ve been all over the story that retro publishers Ratalaika Games and LLC Shinyuden are releasing the Aero the Acro-Bat series on consoles. We reviewed the first game on Switch last month and are now excited to review the second game in the series, also on Switch. It’s also being released for Xbox and PlayStation and is available from 6th September 2024.

Aero the Acro-Bat 2 was originally released on Mega Drive and SNES in 1994 and can be described as a Sonic clone although it does have several unique features. It certainly falls in the category of anthropomorphic mascot platformers from the time and was Sunsoft’s answer to the craze.

The story continues right where the first game left off. Aero has just defeated Edgar Ektor and decides to search the Museum of Horrors to finish the job. Unbeknownst to Aero, the dastardly villain has one final trick up his sleeve and traps him in a magic box that transports him to a new world. Aero must now head out on a new adventure to once again save the day by defeating Edgar and his henchmen.

Aero has the same move set from the first game including the drill manouvere and throwing stars. The biggest difference is now he can aim his drill jump directly down which makes disposing of enemies much easier. This speeds up the overall gameplay immersaurably and creates a much more enjoyable expereince.

Another improvement is in the level design. There is a lot more variety in the platforming action with more set pieces and interesting obstacles to overcome than in Aero’s first outing. One of the best stages is the second set of levels that have Aero snowboarding through a snowy forest. It plays out like an on-rail section and is challenging as well as fun.

Another aspect of Aero 2 is the amount of secret passes and items to discover. It certainly adds longevity to the game as you will spend hours searching for hidden walls and paths to get that 100% complete on each level. There is also a cool cup-switching mini-game between levels that can only be accessed by finding four letters on the previous level.

While the game itself is a decent 90s platformer, developer Ratalaika Games has added some extra features to the emulator that give some quality-of-life improvements. Firstly, you can play about with different filters and aspect ratios to create your perfect experience. There is also a jukebox to listen to the in-game music as well as galleries of box art and a digital manual. Finally, for those struggling, there are cheats that range from invincibility to infinite moves.

Aero the Acro-Bat 2 is a sequel that takes everything good from the first title and improves upon it. It also has better level design and longevity as well as a fairer difficulty curve. The added extras are a nice touch and this is real value for money coming in under a fiver. For 90s platform fans, we say this is a must-buy but this is also a worthy purchase for casual fans.