Aero the Acro-Bat finally returns to consoles next month

Back in the day when platforming mascots were a bigger deal, Aero the Acro-Bat was a star!

Originally released for the Super NES and Sega Genesis back just a few years ago (in 1993…), a 2D side scrolling platformer staring a circus bat with some interesting mechanics was a fun change of pace from the Marios and Soncis of the day. Fast forward to 2024 and the game is getting a proper release by Ratalaika for PlayStation, Xbox platforms and the Nintendo Switch, with some new bells and whistles.

The game looks more or less the same, but there will be a plethora of new features such as a turbo and rewind feature, Japanese or English voice selection, save states, screen filters and more.

Check it out on August 2nd, 2024, and for now have a look at some media and the official announcement.

Aero The Acro-Bat – Trailer:

Aero The Acro-Bat screens:

Indie publisher Ratalaika Games is excited to announce the ionic and much loved Aero the Acro-Batis making a welcome return with a series of memorable titles. The first will be Aero the Acro-Bat launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One & Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on August 2nd 2024.

The original Aero the Acro-Bat was released in 1993 on the Super Nintendo and the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and gamers will be able to enjoy and immerse themselves in the first of this Aero series which still looks and plays fantastically nearly 30 plus years since its first release, making Aero a special game not to be missed.

Aero to the Rescue
It’s up to Aero the Acro-Bat, the circus’s star performer, to rescue his friends and girlfriend Ariel, and put a stop to Edgar Ektor’s mad plans so everyone can enjoy the show again!

The powerful and eccentric industrialist Edgar Ektor has sworn to destroy the world of amusement as revenge for being banished from the circus when he was a kid after one of his pranks went too far and almost killed a circus animal. He started by invading a local circus with his gang of mad clowns and kidnapping all the circus staff to spoil the show.

A Challenge to become the best
Aero the Acro-Bat is NOT your typical platformer in which you just go from start to goal. The players will need to use Aero’s skills in specific ways in order to accomplish the objectives in each stage, and this sets the game aside from many platformers that came before or after. Aero also comes from an era in which games were famous for being challenging, and the Aero series in particular has always been known for its challenging difficulty. Those who can clear these games can really consider themselves platforming masters! But fear not, if it’s too much for you, this new version includes cheats to make things a bit easier!

Features Facts:

* Play through 4 areas with 5 stages each, including stages with rides

* Use Aero’s acrobatic skills to fulfil the objectives in each stage and open the gate to the next stage

* Face all kinds of wacky enemies

* Choose between the English and the Japanese versions

* Rewind/Turbo function: repeat something till you achieve perfection or speed things up

* Save state function: save wherever you want and restart from that exact point

* Screen filters: select from several filters to modify the game’s looks (retro-style monitor, black-and-white, etc.)

* Gallery: check images from the original game’s illustrations, posters, box design, etc.

* Cheats function: activate several cheats that will make things easier (infinite energy, infinite lives, invulnerability, etc.)

Play to Win – Facts
Aero’s display presents a health bar and each stage starts with a number of hit points which can be added to by collecting items. He however loses a hit point whenever he takes damage from an enemy, which there are many, and loses a life when he loses every hit point. Hazards, such as spikes and lava, cost Aero a life regardless of his health metre. Aero can gain more health and more lives by finding items in the stages and also gains an extra life for every 20,000 points earned. Stages are timed, but the time remaining is used for bonus points and there is otherwise no penalty for running out of time. Aero gets an extra life for completing a ‘perfect round’ (by collecting every item in the stage and finding the exit before time runs out).