People who were playing videogames in the 90s might know the name Iguana, as they were the team behind the phenomenal Turok shooters on the Nintendo 64. Former members of this team would eventually found Retro Studios and work on the Metroid Prime games as well. But, as to be expected, Turok wasn’t the first game Iguana has worked on. Back in the early 90s, when every single company was making mascot platformers “with attitude” in order to profit from Sonic’s popularity, Iguana made a little game for the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive called Aero the Acro-Bat.

I did not grow up with either of these consoles, so I had never played it in the past. Thankfully (I guess), Ratalaika Games has just remastered it, and re-released it for modern systems, ensuring the game’s preservation for the foreseeable future. While I always appreciate when companies put in some effort to preserve some older titles in an era when big console manufacturers and publishers are chasing down emulation sites as if they were witches in medieval times, I can’t exactly say Aero the Acro-Bat is a really good game that has managed to stand the test of time. Let me explain why.

Aero the Acro-Bat sees you play as the titular circus bat, running, gliding and climbing ladders on his way through a handful of extremely confusing and labyrinthine levels. Goals vary from level to level. In some cases, for instance, you need to go through some hoops. You might occasionally need to step on some specific platforms until they vanish. You get a brief explanation as to what you need to do at the beginning of a level and that’s; go have fun, kiddo. I commend the game for being, at the very least, a bit different from the “go from point A to point B” platformers of its time, but I don’t exactly think this is groundbreaking and engaging, either.

The controls felt a bit confusing as well. Aero the Acro-Bat features a really odd gameplay loop and control scheme. You don’t have free access to a flight mechanic, and you can barely glide. You can’t jump onto enemies in order to kill them; you gotta aim your jump and then perform a glide dive, which just felt unnecessary. The platforming and screen size were all a bit janky; you need to constantly perform leaps of faith because you can’t properly see what’s in front or above you. In short, the level design is quite poor.

Between the confusing level design, odd controls and truly freaking atrocious music (it’s not even due to poor instrumentation, but to some awful scales and notes), I felt quite demotivated to continue playing Aero the Acro-Bat. I did appreciate the neat amount of extras, though. A bunch of concept art, magazine ads from back in the day, and even the entire original design document, written before the decision to turn the protagonist into a bat. Just an extra amount of content to make this package feel a bit meatier, as there is just one game included. The sequel or its many ports weren’t added.

I am sure that Aero the Acro-Bat has never been an amazing game or a staple from the 16-bit era of gaming, but I expected more from it. I don’t even think that Ratalaika did a poor job remastering the title; there are lots of neat extras and a competent rewind function in order to deal with the many leaps of faith you gotta perform. It’s just a somewhat underwhelming game, yet another mediocre mascot platformer released at a time when everyone wanted to have their own Sonic the Hedgehog. I appreciate the extra easter eggs and preservation efforts, but I just didn’t have fun playing Aero the Acro-Bat at all.

Graphics: 6.0 It looks as good as any Super Nintendo game available on the Switch’s online library. It’s fine, nothing more than that.	Gameplay: 4.0 Confusing controls, platforming and poor level design made me give up on this game quite quickly.
Sound: 3.0 The soundtrack got on my nerves pretty quickly. It wasn’t due to poor instrumentation, but the compositions themselves sounded irritating, with their “freak show circus” scales and melodies.	Fun Factor: 4.0 It has never been an utterly amazing game, so no remastering efforts would have been able to salvage it that much. I appreciate the extra easter eggs and preservation efforts, but I just didn’t have fun playing Aero the Acro-Bat.
Final Verdict: 4.5

Aero the Acro-Bat is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch. The original game is also available on SNES, Mega Drive and Game Boy Advance

Reviewed on Switch.

A copy of Aero the Acro-Bat was provided by the publisher.