Aero the Acro-Bat

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Aero the Acro-Bat
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sunsoft
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT)
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1993-10 $49.9949.99 T-15056 EU 1994-07 T-15056-50 PT 1993 MDJ15056 UK 1994-07 £39.9939.99 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 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. 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.

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

Magazine articles

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

Promotional material

File:Aero the Acro-Bat MD US TVAdvert.mp4

US TV Advert

File:Aero the Acro-Bat MD US TVAdvert.mp4

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)

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

• VideoGames (US) #58: "November 1993" (1993-1x-xx)
• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #57: "April 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

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 Score Source

Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 80 Alaab Alcomputtar (SA) 80 Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 83 Consoles + (FR) 90 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 76 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 70 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 5 (RU) 70 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 85 Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL 68 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 69 Joypad (FR) 81 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 59 Mega (UK) NTSC-U 70 Mega Action (UK) PAL 84 Mega Force (FR) PAL 92 Mega Fun (DE) NTSC-U 78 Mega Machines (UK) PAL 79 MegaTech (UK) NTSC-U 70 Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-U 80 Player One (FR) 95 Power Unlimited (NL) 92 Score (CZ) 65 Sega Magazine (UK) PAL 65 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-U 82 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 84 Sega Zone (UK) NTSC-U 72 Sega Force (SE) 72 Todo Sega (ES) 76 Tricks (RU) 78 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 77 Video Games (DE) PAL 73

	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
Cart

Technical information

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