Difference between revisions of "Aero the Acro-Bat"

Revision as of 23:01, 19 April 2023

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Aero the Acro-Bat

System(s): Sega Mega Drive

Publisher: Sunsoft

Developer: Iguana Entertainment

Sound driver: GEMS

Genre: Action

Number of players: 1

Release	Date	RRP	Code
US	1993-10^[1]	$49.9949.99^[2]	T-15056
EU	1994-07^[3]		T-15056-50
PT	1993		MDJ15056
UK	1994-07^[3]	£39.9939.99^[4]^[5]	T-15056-50

Non-Sega versions
Game Boy Advance Super NES

Aero the Acro-Bat is a platform game developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Sunsoft for the Sega Mega Drive and Super NES in 1993. A Japanese version was planned^[6] but cancelled.

Story

A spoiled, rich kid named Edgar Ektor was a regular attendant at the World of Amusement Circus and Funpark, but he was banned after a failed prank almost killed a lion. Twenty years later, Edgar became a powerful and evil industrialist. Aided by Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel and his Psycho Circus gang, Edgar sabotages the funpark and kidnaps all the circus performers. Aero the Acro-Bat, the circus' greatest star, is the only hope for rescuing the performers (including his girlfriend Aeriel) and putting a stop to Edgar's evil schemes.

Gameplay

The game is a side-scrolling platformer played as the acrobatic bat Aero, who needs to stop the mad scientist Edgar Ektor, who is trying to rid the world of amusement and fun. The game features four worlds, each consisting of four or five acts. Most acts require Aero to accomplish certain goals before finding the exit, such as falling through a number of magic hoops or rescuing a captured circus performer, although a few only require Aero to find the exit before advancing to the next act.

Aero moves with and and ducks with . He jumps with and hovers with his wings with . Aero can also collect stars, which he can throw at enemies with . He can throw stars while jumping but not while walking or ducking. Aero climbs ladders with and and slides down them with . When standing on a tightrope, he can drop down and hang on the tightrope with .

Aero can perform a diagonal drill maneuver with again in midair. His drill move is his main method of attack, since jumping on enemies hurts Aero, and can also be used to extend his jump. He can drill once per jump normally, but he can find an item that allows him to drill twice. He drills upward before the apex of the jump and downward after the apex. It can be manually aimed with + to hit reach enemies and platforms above him or aimed down with + to attack enemies on the ground.

Aero has a health bar and starts each stage with three hit points (which can be extended up to five hit points by collecting items). He loses a hit point whenever he takes damage from an enemy and loses a life when he loses every hit point. Some hazards, such as spikes and lava, cost Aero a life regardless of his health meter. Aero can gain more health and more lives by finding items in the stages. Aero also gets 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).

Objects

	Cannon
	Aero can push the cannon into position with or . While standing on it, he can load himself into it with and fire it by pressing when the height meter is at the desired position.
	Bubble Machine
	Generates bubbles that Aero can use as platforms, but the bubbles pop once they reach a certain height. Like the cannon, Aero can push the bubble machine into position with or .
	Star Platform
	Acts as a platform. Every time Aero jumps on it, the number of stars decreases; if the platform only has one star, the next jump causes it to disappear.
	Checkpoint
	Aero revives at the last checkpoint passed if he loses a life.
	Trampoline
	Bounces Aero in the air. He bounces a greater height every time he bounces off a trampoline.
	Diving Board
	Aero can jump off a diving board to dive into a water tank, collecting items or passing through hoops on the way down. Diving into a water tank is worth 250 points.
	Trapeze
	Aero can jump onto a trapeze to hang from it while it swings.
	Hoop
	Aero can jump through hoops for bonus points. A normal hoop is worth 100 points, a paper hoop is worth 150 points, and a flaming hoop is worth 100 points.
	Warp Hoop
	Jumping through a warp hoop transports Aero to another part of the stage, often to a hidden room that is otherwise inaccessible. There is also a warp hoop that appears at the end of every stage after Aero has completed the stage objectives.
	Balloon
	Aero can stand on balloons. Balloons rise upward when Aero is standing on them and drop back down after he jumps off.
	Unicycle
	Aero can ride a unicycle down a tightrope. He is invincible while he is on a unicycle and defeats enemies by riding into them.

Items

	Sucker
	Worth 100 points.
	Cheese
	Worth 150 points.
	Soda
	Worth 200 points.
	Hot Dog
	Worth 250 points.
	Cupcake
	Worth 300 points.
	Bonus Icon
	Grants Aero access to the bonus act after completing the current stage. There is one of these hidden in each world.
	Parachute
	Equips Aero with a parachute, allowing him to safely maneuver while falling. It lasts until Aero hits the ground.
	Wings
	Lets Aero fly for a short time.
	Magical Stars
	Collect stars to throw at enemies with .
	Lightning
	Lets Aero perform his drill move twice in midair. Lasts until the end of the stage or until Aero loses a life.
	Free Aero
	Gives the player an extra life.
	Health Bar
	Increments Aero's health bar by a hit point, up to a maximum of 5.
	Clock
	Adds an extra minute to the timer. It has no effect if the timer has already run down to zero.
	Invincibility
	Makes Aero invincible for a duration.
	Key
	Allows Aero to open doors and cages in some stages.

Worlds

All worlds except for the Woods have 5 acts and a boss act (as well as a hidden bonus act).

	Circus
	The bosses are the Stilt Brothers.
	Funpark
	The boss is a mechanical clown named Mr. Bubbles, operated by Zero.
	The Woods

	Museum of Horrors

Bonus act

Aero enters a bonus act after completing the current stage if he finds a Bonus Icon item. Every world has a bonus act except for the Woods. The bonus act is filled with food items for bonus points and contains no enemies.

Circus bonus act

Funpark bonus act

Museum bonus act

History

Legacy

The game was reasonably successful, and Aero became the mascot of Sunsoft in the West.^[7] The game received a spin-off, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, and a sequel, Aero the Acro-Bat 2.

Versions

A version of the game was planned for the Atari Jaguar but cancelled.^[8]^[9]

The game was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2002. Unlike the original versions, this version uses a battery backup for saving and saw release in Japan under the title Acrobat Kid (アクロバットキッズ).

Production credits

Creator and Original Design: David Siller
Design and Layout: Nigel Cook
Additional Design: Team Aero
Aero Team Leader: Carl Wade
Aero Programmers: Richard Cowie, Carl Wade, Jeff Spangenberg, Darrin Stubbington, David Brevak, Dave Crummack
Aero Artists: Johnathan Casco, Adrian Ludley, Matt Stubbington, Jools Watsham
Character Design: David Siller, Justin Siller, Nigel Cook
Music and SFX: Fox Productions
Producers: Jeff Spangenberg, J. Moon
Executive Producer: David Siller
Director: Nigel Cook
Art Director: Matt Stubbington
Chairman: Masama Meada
Vice Chairman: Tad Shimamoto
Executive Vice President Coproducer: Rita Zimmerer
Director Sunsoft Japan: Kiharu Yoshida
Co-Producers: Justin Siller, Rene Boutin, Dan MacArthur
Technical Manager: Al Artus
Director of Marketing: Karen Shadley
Game Manual: Alison Quirion
Executive Assistant: Nanette Hyssong
Game Testers: Sam Patel, David Luszcz, Darin Horgan, Matt Ross, Jake Harman, Geoff Gillis, Steve Gerkhe, Laura Luszcz, Ryan Siller, Team Iguna
Thanks To: Kazuaki Goto, Masato Kawai, Akito Takeuchi
Customer Service: Errin Berry, June Ekert, Kaz Harman, Jamie Jorgensen, Julie Williams
Special Thanks: Kenji Toshioka, Bruce Reilly, Cathy Juby, Martha Hart, Karen Lillie, Mark Luszcz, Toko Okano, Connie Perez, Sherry Ross, Wunderman, Cato Johnson, Torme Co
Very Special Thanks: Debra Siller, Beth Spangenberg, Bo

Source:

In-game credits^[10]

Magazine articles

Main article: Aero the Acro-Bat/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

US TV Advert

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #49: "August 1993" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #50: "September 1993" (1993-xx-xx)^[11]

Print advert in GamePro (US) #51: "October 1993" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

VideoGames (US) #58: "November 1993" (1993-1x-xx)^[12]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #57: "April 1994" (1994-xx-xx)^[13]

Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #58: "May 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Print advert in LeveL (CZ) #1: "Leden 1995" (1995-01-24)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)

80

^[14]

Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)

80

^[15]

Aktueller Software Markt (DE)

83

^[16]

Consoles + (FR)

90

^[17]

Electronic Gaming Monthly (US)

NTSC-U

76

^[18]

Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)

70

^[19]

Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 5 (RU)

70

^[20]

GamePro (US)

NTSC-U

85

^[21]

Games World: The Magazine (UK)

PAL

68

^[5]

Game Informer (US)

NTSC-U

69

^[22]

Joypad (FR)

81

^[23]

MAN!AC (DE)

PAL

59

^[24]

Mega (UK)

NTSC-U

70

^[25]

Mega Action (UK)

PAL

84

^[26]

Mega Force (FR)

PAL

92

^[27]

Mega Fun (DE)

NTSC-U

78

^[28]

Mega Machines (UK)

PAL

79

^[29]

MegaTech (UK)

NTSC-U

70

^[30]

Mean Machines Sega (UK)

NTSC-U

80

^[31]

Player One (FR)

95

^[32]

Power Unlimited (NL)

92

^[33]

Score (CZ)

65

^[34]

Sega Magazine (UK)

PAL

65

^[3]

Sega Power (UK)

NTSC-U

82

^[35]

Sega Pro (UK)

NTSC-U

84

^[36]

Sega Zone (UK)

NTSC-U

72

^[37]

Sega Force (SE)

72

^[38]

Todo Sega (ES)

76

^[39]

Tricks (RU)

78

^[40]

Tricks 16 bit (RU)

77

^[41]

Video Games (DE)

PAL

73

^[42]

	77
Based on 31 reviews

Aero the Acro-Bat

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual Manual (back) PCB

Mega Drive, PT
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Aero the Acro-Bat/Technical information.

ROM dump status

System

Hash

Size

Build Date

Source

Comments

✔

CRC32	a3a7a8b5
MD5	50f04f5c4c10158b757856f3d6845858
SHA-1	438fec09e05337a063f986632b52c9d60dd03ba1

1MB

1993-06

Cartridge (US)

?

CRC32	1a3eaf57
MD5	dcab366c82c65fe8c463aac9f5c7a469
SHA-1	0a4c99a31e507bcee5b955e4bf3773f4ded827b6

1MB

1993-06

Cartridge (EU)

References

↑ VideoGames, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 34
↑ GamePro, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 68
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Sega Magazine, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-06-16), page 86
↑ Sega Pro, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-14), page 27
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Games World: The Magazine, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-0x-xx), page 12
↑ Sega '93 Winter Catalogue: TV Game World, page 25
↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "August 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 96
↑ http://www.stformat.com/stf56/pages_nx1500/stf56_048.jpg
↑ http://www.stformat.com/stf57/pages_nx1500/stf57_050.jpg
↑ File:Aero the Acro-Bat MD credits.pdf
↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "September 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 17
↑ VideoGames, "November 1993" (US; 1993-1x-xx), page 20
↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 210
↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 12
↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-06-xx), page 80
↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "September 1994" (DE; 1994-08-08), page 125
↑ Consoles +, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 111
↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 46
↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 286
↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 5, "" (RU; 200x-xx-xx), page 10
↑ GamePro, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 66
↑ Game Informer, "September/October 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 30
↑ Joypad, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 113
↑ MAN!AC, "04/94" (DE; 1994-03-09), page 45
↑ Mega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-16), page 54
↑ Mega Action, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-30), page 14
↑ Mega Force, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 98
↑ Mega Fun, "01/94" (DE; 1993-12-22), page 72
↑ Mega Machines, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-09), page 74
↑ MegaTech, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-21), page 52
↑ Mean Machines Sega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-11-30), page 112
↑ Player One, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 80
↑ Power Unlimited, "Jaargang 2, Nummer 1, Januari 1994" (NL; 1993-12-29), page 32
↑ Score, "Říjen 1994" (CZ; 1994-10-01), page 55
↑ Sega Power, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-02), page 94
↑ Sega Pro, "Xmas Special 1993" (UK; 1993-12-02), page 38
↑ Sega Zone, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-23), page 66
↑ Sega Force, "4/94" (SE; 1994-06-01), page 12
↑ Todo Sega, "Febrero 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 42
↑ Tricks, "Vypusk 7" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 22
↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 6
↑ Video Games, "1/94" (DE; 1993-12-19), page 92

Aero the Acro-Bat
	Main page \| Comparisons \| Maps \| Hidden content \| Magazine articles \| Video coverage \| Reception \| Region coding \| Technical information \| Bootlegs No results

Aero the Acro-Bat games for Sega systems
Aero the Acro-Bat (1993) \| Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel (1994) \| Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (1995)

[:File:VideoGames_US_57.pdf_p34-1] VideoGames, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 34

[:File:GamePro_US_051.pdf_p68-2] GamePro, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 68

[:File:SegaMagazine_UK_07.pdf_p86-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Sega Magazine, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-06-16), page 86

[:File:SegaPro_UK_25.pdf_p27-4] Sega Pro, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-14), page 27

[:File:Games_World_The_Magazine_UK_10.pdf_p12-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Games World: The Magazine, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-0x-xx), page 12

[:File:93WinterCatalogueTVGameWorld_JP.pdf_p25-6] Sega '93 Winter Catalogue: TV Game World, page 25

[:File:EGM_US_049.pdf_p96-7] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "August 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 96

[http:.2F.2Fwww.stformat.com.2Fstf56.2Fpages_nx1500.2Fstf56_048.jpg-8] ttp://www.stformat.com/stf56/pages_nx1500/stf56_048.jpg

[http:.2F.2Fwww.stformat.com.2Fstf57.2Fpages_nx1500.2Fstf57_050.jpg-9] ttp://www.stformat.com/stf57/pages_nx1500/stf57_050.jpg

[:File:Aero_the_Acro-Bat_MD_credits.pdf_p-10] File:Aero the Acro-Bat MD credits.pdf

[:File:EGM_US_050.pdf_p17-11] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "September 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 17

[:File:VideoGames_US_58.pdf_p20-12] VideoGames, "November 1993" (US; 1993-1x-xx), page 20

[:File:EGM_US_057.pdf_p210-13] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "April 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 210

[14] 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 12

[:File:AlaabAlcomputtar_SA_1995-06.pdf_p80-15] Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-06-xx), page 80

[:File:ASM_DE_1994-09.pdf_p125-16] Aktueller Software Markt, "September 1994" (DE; 1994-08-08), page 125

[:File:ConsolesPlus_FR_035.pdf_p111-17] Consoles +, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 111

[:File:EGM_US_054.pdf_p46-18] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1994" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 46

[19] Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 286

[20] Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 5, "" (RU; 200x-xx-xx), page 10

[:File:GamePro_US_051.pdf_p66-21] GamePro, "October 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 66

[:File:GameInformer_US_012.pdf_p30-22] Game Informer, "September/October 1993" (US; 1993-0x-xx), page 30

[:File:Joypad_FR_034.pdf_p113-23] Joypad, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 113

[:File:MAN.21AC_DE_1994-04.pdf_p45-24] MAN!AC, "04/94" (DE; 1994-03-09), page 45

[:File:Mega_UK_16.pdf_p54-25] Mega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-16), page 54

[:File:MegaAction_UK_09.pdf_p14-26] Mega Action, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-30), page 14

[:File:MegaForce_FR_31.pdf_p98-27] Mega Force, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 98

[:File:MegaFun_DE_1994-01.pdf_p72-28] Mega Fun, "01/94" (DE; 1993-12-22), page 72

[:File:MegaMachines_UK_02.pdf_p74-29] Mega Machines, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-09), page 74

[:File:MegaTech_UK_25.pdf_p52-30] MegaTech, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-21), page 52

[:File:MeanMachinesSega15UK.pdf_p112-31] Mean Machines Sega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-11-30), page 112

[:File:PlayerOne_FR_045.pdf_p80-32] Player One, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 80

[:File:PowerUnlimited_NL_006_199401.pdf_p32-33] Power Unlimited, "Jaargang 2, Nummer 1, Januari 1994" (NL; 1993-12-29), page 32

[:File:Score_CZ_10.pdf_p55-34] Score, "Říjen 1994" (CZ; 1994-10-01), page 55

[:File:SegaPower_UK_50.pdf_p94-35] Sega Power, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-02), page 94

[:File:SegaPro_UK_27.pdf_p38-36] Sega Pro, "Xmas Special 1993" (UK; 1993-12-02), page 38

[:File:SegaZone_UK_15.pdf_p66-37] Sega Zone, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-23), page 66

[:File:SegaForce_SE_1994_04.pdf_p12-38] Sega Force, "4/94" (SE; 1994-06-01), page 12

[:File:TodoSega_ES_23.pdf_p42-39] Todo Sega, "Febrero 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 42

[40] Tricks, "Vypusk 7" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 22

[41] Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 6

[:File:VideoGames_DE_1994-01.pdf_p92-42] Video Games, "1/94" (DE; 1993-12-19), page 92

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 ==Technical information==
+{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Technical information}}
 ===ROM dump status===
 {{romtable|

Difference between revisions of "Aero the Acro-Bat"

From Sega Retro

Revision as of 23:01, 19 April 2023

Contents

Story

Gameplay

Objects

Items

Worlds

Bonus act

History

Legacy

Versions

Production credits

Magazine articles

Promotional material

Physical scans

Technical information

ROM dump status

References