Aero The Acro-Bat 2 (Switch)

Powah Dunk | September 23, 2024 | Mini Review | No Comments

The bat is back, following the re-release of Aero The Acro-bat, Ratlakia Games have followed it up quickly with Aero the Acro-bat 2, worth another trip to the circus. Let’s find out.

Aero is back, following his defeat of Ektor Edgar from 1 he discovers a magical box that transports Aero to a castle all the while Zero manages to save Ektor and puts a new plan in motion.

There are cutscenes between each level and a new character in the form of the hard to look at Batasha, I’m sure she’s a catch for Aero but I get the feeling she won’t be making the same lists as Lola Bunny any time soon. The story is fine for a SNES platformer and it’s just really the window dressing for why a Bat is running around a bunch of stages scrapping everyone.

Aero The Acro-Bat 2 is focused more on a fantasy theme this time around, foregoing the fun and thrills of the circus for more Dungeon and Dragons in high fantasy Castle World before you hit the slopes in an Ice-themed stage, then a music-themed stage, it’s all a little random and somewhat affects the identity of the game when compared to the first one.

Another bit of identity crisis the game has is the linearity of the levels this time round, unlike the objective-based levels of Aero 1 instead you have pretty straightforward levels where you have to find the exit before moving on to the next one. Yes, the game has tighter controls and better level design but it’s taken a hit from identity for ease and accessibility.

Overall Aero the Acro-bat 2 is a better platformer but less unique making it almost derivative whereas the original was a jankier but more unique experience, I do feel if you enjoyed the original you’ll still enjoy this and Aero is an utter joy to control this time around but you need to go into this expecting a more generic mascot platforming experience.

In terms of extras and QoL features it’s the same stuff from the previous re-release with those delicious extras such as promo art, box art, and sprite sheets, the Devs have shown alot of love for the series and I cannot wait to see what comes with Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel and the GBA port of Aero the Acro-bat 1.