I’ve always loved the semi-futuristic music/rhythm games like Amplitude and Thumper – and it all really comes together with the amazing Rez. Then there’s the orbiting musical shooter Aaero. The first game, released in 2017, may have gotten most of the attention, but like Rez, it was a music game with shooting elements – although you can’t directly compare between the two games.
Aaero 2 is now released on Xbox Series X/S (with a Steam version planned for later) and has been in development for almost 5 years. It largely follows the same successful steps as the original, which means that the gameplay is still dual; it has a music component and a Shooter component. In the music section, you use your little spaceship to follow a clear path that bends and positions itself according to the music playing The more accurately you follow it , the higher you multiply and the more points you earn. If you go off track, you will lose energy and the game will be over quickly.
In the shooter department, Aaero 2 is similar to Rez. Here, you have to move your view around the screen and fire missiles or projectiles at several nearby enemies. This usually takes place in a more open area than the music section, but all tracks are on track and you will follow a set path through it. The shooting sections are the weakest part of the game, however, as you can feel detached from the experience of these sections – there is a lack of feedback from the game here, in the form of effects clearer sound or feedback from a joystick. As a result, these sections can be a little frustrating, because you will die suddenly and almost without realizing it.
Here’s a hint:
Music is of course a major part of both parts of the game. This is evident in the music department, where you have to follow this clear path to play the music correctly, but the music also plays a (slightly smaller) role in the shooting department. Here you can fire missiles in time to the music, meaning the missiles are both faster and more effective when they hit. Even though these two parts make the game seem a bit loose, it still works well as a whole, as the two elements come together at times, especially at higher difficulty levels .
Aaero 2 delivers one of the most intense and beautiful soundtracks we’ve heard this year. Musical taste is subjective of course, but for a game like this, the soundtrack here works well. It is presented by the Canadian music company Monstercat. The music ranges from drum’n’bass and dubstep to stuff like house and trance, and if you know these corners of electronic music, you’ll recognize names like Stonebank, Muzz, and Proff. It’s a great and intense soundtrack, and it’s amazing how a small developer like Mad Fellows got such a licensed soundtrack – especially being able to fund it.
Here’s a hint:
Aero 2 is not an easy game. However, you have a chance to experience the tracks and the music in the game’s Chill mode, where you can’t die and your spaceship almost sticks to it its shining paths. In this mode it is not necessary to get the necessary stars to unlock the next path, of which there are 18 in total. If you want a steeper challenge, just choose some of the higher difficulty levels – and good luck here.
Compared to its predecessor, Aaero 2 has multiplayer functionality, allowing you to play cooperatively or PvP locally and online. In co-op and PvP, each player has a clear line and a few common enemies to deal with. In PvP, you have to be greedy and take care as much as possible before your opponent, pushing the small marker on the screen closer and closer to your opponent, as a kind of scale. You also have to earn some crowns, which are multipliers at the end of the course, so even if a player gets fewer points during the course than their opponent, you can still win if you get more multipliers than your opponent throughout the course. These are two multiplayer modes that are very simple but functional.
The graphics in Aaero 2 are all over the place. They range from extremely boring menus and slightly questionable boss art to excellent boss designs, fantastic futuristic environments and nice visual action design as you follow this clear path through the routes, the environment flashes and lights up in time with the music and your connection to the road. Overall, it looks pretty good.
Aero 2 is definitely not a game for everyone. Its audience is very narrow, and you might be a little worried that it will get lost in the crowd of games that is launching today – because it deserves better. It’s not quite up to par, and the shooter department is pretty poor, but it’s still a good music shooter, created by a small team that added a heavy but effective drum’n’bass/dubstep soundtrack . When the music, the graphics, and your ability to stay on a clear path through a futuristic factory come together, especially with friends, it’s just clicks.
