"Surprisingly good, considering its obscurity"

I'm surprised there was only one review for this game before now. For those of you who like seeking out ''hidden gems,'' this might be one worth tracking down. Overall, the game is a solid platformer with a cool character, a good amount of challenge, and some innovative gameplay.

Characters/Plot

Aero is a lot like Sonic the Hedgehog, except in this case he's a ''vampire bat with an attitude'' instead of ''hedgehog with an attitude.'' He even puts on shades and does the moonwalk between levels. I know this character type is a cliche nowadays, but hey - it's one I'm a sucker for ;)

As for the plot... err, I don't know, you go through a bunch of levels to defeat your evil nemesis? I didn't get a manual with the game, so I'm not sure what it's all about. Platformers almost never have plot anyway.

Graphics/Sound

As I'm sure you know, Genesis graphics aren't that good compared to Super Nintendo. All the characters in the game look cool, and the level graphics are satisfactory. To be honest I have no clue what the sound is like, because I listened to my own music all the way through.

Gameplay

Now for the important part. Your character has three basic commands: the (A) button allows you to throw stars at the enemy (if you have any in stock), (B) makes you jump or do a corkscrew attack in midair, and (C) allows you to scroll the screen or hover in midair. I basically never used the (A) and (C) buttons, but mastering the corkscrew is crucial for damaging enemies and nailing tricky jumps.

The game has about 20 regular levels, 3 bonus levels, and 3 boss levels. It is divided into 4 worlds: big top, amusement park, forest, and dungeon. Level design is built around an amazing array of Acrobatic Stunts: blasting out of cannons, unicycling, diving, barrel riding, etc. For a platformer, there are actually a lot of fresh elements to this game.

Challenge

This game will take some perseverance to get through, and you should expect to see the ''game over'' screen numerous times before you finally win. Roller Coaster/Barrel Ride levels are especially tricky since they require a lot of reflexes/quick thinking. The game is no where near Ninja Gaiden difficulty, but some people may find it frustrating.

Personally, I'm an old-school gamer who loves a good challenge, so I think the difficulty works in the game's favor. Besides, there are an absurd number of save points and bonus lives in this game, meaning you're actually meant to die a fair amount even after you've gotten good.

Value

Compared to many platformers, you'll get a lot more gameplay hours just trying to beat the game the first time. After that, it has just as much (or little, depending on your perspective) replay value as any other platformer. Overall, I'd recommend it. It's a solid game that you can probably get for really cheap nowadays.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/14/03, Updated 02/14/03