Aero the Acro-Bat is a Super Nintendo

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...

 and Mega Drive/Genesis game created by David Siller (of Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory is a 3D hack and slash platform game developed by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. The game is based in the Ghosts'n Goblins universe and features original character designs by Japanese illustrator Susumu Matsushita. It's a part of PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits...

 fame), developed by the now defunct Iguana Entertainment

Iguana Entertainment

Iguana Entertainment, renamed Acclaim Studios Austin after 1999, was a video game developer operating from 1991 to 2004 in Santa Clara, California, Sunnyvale, California, and Austin, Texas in the USA, and Teesside, England...

, and published by Sunsoft

Sunsoft (company)

is a Japanese video game development company founded on April 16, 1971 as a division of Sun Corporation, itself a division of Sun Electronics, or in Japan is a Japanese video game development company founded on April 16, 1971 as a division of Sun Corporation, itself a division of Sun Electronics,...

 on October 1993

1993 in video gaming

-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....

.

Plot

Inspired in part by the "mascots with attitude" trend that was common following the introduction of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog (character)

, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...

, it featured a red bat named Aero, who works and lives in a circus. He must defend the circus from an evil ex-clown called Edgar Ektor, who used to work in the same circus and wants it shut down forever. Aero must also deal with the sidekick Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel

Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel

Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Mega Drive. It is a spin-off of the Aero the Acro-Bat series....

.

Gameplay

The levels are played in typical 2D platforming, but in order to clear levels, the player must accomplish certain tasks so that the exit warp can be revealed. Those tasks include passing through hoops, step on platforms until they disappear, ride roller coasters, etc. There are 4 worlds with 5 levels in each one, and the levels are large, many of them containing awkwardly positioned spikes that kill instantly.

Aero can attack enemies by shooting limited stars or by doing an aerial diagonal drill attack at his target (when he is in the air).

During the 16-bit era, Aero had a fair share of fame. Sunsoft used him as a mascot during the 16-bit console days. After the 16-bit decline, he disappeared and was forgotten until 2002, when Metro 3D decided to port this game for the Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance

The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

, with a battery back-up (which the original versions lacked).

Version Differences

The SNES version used the Aero title song as level 1-1, but the Genesis version used the Saber Dance song as level 1-1 instead (which it shares with level 2-2). The SNES version also featured a level intro song which the Genesis version lacks entirely. However, the Genesis version features some music that the SNES version lacks, such as the level 4-3 theme.

Reception

Aero the Acro-Bat was awarded Best New Character of 1993 by Electronic Gaming Monthly

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...

.

Virtual Console

The Super Nintendo version of the game was on the Wii

Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

's Virtual Console

Virtual console

A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...

 in the PAL region on July 23, 2010 and in North America on July 26, 2010. Its sequel, Aero the Acro-Bat 2

Aero the Acro-Bat 2

Aero the Acro-Bat 2 is a video game released by Sunsoft in April 1994. It is the sequel to Aero the Acro-Bat and dedicated to famed Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna who died in a car crash during a Grand Prix....

, was released for the Virtual Console on September 20, 2010.