"Not too bad"

Aero the Acro*Bat is a good side-scrolling Genesis game and could have been a nice secondary mascot for Sega. How about a Gamecube release, Sega…? Anyway, back to the review. There are 19 levels in Aero the Acro*Bat to explore, each set in four different worlds; Circus, Funpark, Woods and the final area. You have different objectives to perform in each level in the game. For example, you have to jump through a certain number of magic hoops, find the exit, rescue someone who was captured, find keys to advance to the next area, jump on several star platforms, defeat a certain enemy, ride a certain type of vehicle to the exit, switch on all the lights in the area and more. Aero himself can thrust himself to defeat opponents, jump through hoops, swim, dive, use unicycles, hang from ropes and more. Aero’s a great mascot; much better than Crash Bandicoot, I say. Below is an overview of the graphics, gameplay, sound and value. See how well this game scores and what its pros and cons are.

Graphics: 8
The graphics are great for Genesis standards, with nice and colorful worlds to explore. The graphics in this look better than most Sonic games I’ve played. As you would probably guess, Aero the Acro*Bat 2 looks a lot better.

Gameplay: 7
Gameplay is simple and fun in Aero the Acro*Bat. When it comes down to it, that’s what really matters in a game. So why does this have a 7 instead of a higher score? Some levels are just way too hard even for platform experts. Challenge is good while in the side-scrolling walking levels, but other levels such as riding the rotor and barrel rolling will make you scream. You’ll use over 20 lives trying to get past these insane levels, with the exception of the roller coaster level, which is actually fun.

Sound: 7
I had no problem with the sound. The music was just fine, although it’s taken from real-life tunes. The sound effects were fine with me, nothing bad, nothing excellent.

Value: 6
There are a few secret levels to unlock, but once you beat this game, you probably won’t have the urge to play it again.

Overall: 6.8 (Decent)
Aero the Acro*Bat is a decent experience and well worth a few hours of your time, but some stages will just completely throw off the fun with insane challenge.

Pros
-Nice graphics
-Simple, fun gameplay

Cons
-Some levels are just too tough
-Not much too it in the end

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/01, Updated 12/28/01