Game Title: Aaero2
Platform: Xbox Series X
Release Date: Oct 15 2024
Developer: Mad Fellows Studio
Review copy supplied by publisher

What’s Aaero2 about?

Aaero2 is a twin stick rhythm on rails type co-op game that has you aligning your craft to these coloured rails on your screen where you need to align your craft to them as accurate as you can matching the current music track playing in the background. Aaero2 has similarities to titles like Rez HD back in 2008 on Xbox 360 and other music rhythm games like Hi-Fi Rush, Metal Hellsinger and Thumper. Aaero2 has a new combat system improved over the original as it has been built from the ground up and epic boss battles and much more. Aaero2 was developed by Mad Fellows, a 2-man team in the UK.

What’s the combat and controls like?

The controls on Aaero2 have been vastly improved since the first Aaero title and it shows when you’re barreling down the rails blasting a tune and trying to concentrate on the rails and the enemies on-screen as the original felt sluggish in comparison and would be frustrating because the controls were just not that responsive. The game started me off easy enough then started to get progressively harder as i leveled and has a great difficulty curve.

It would get a little complicated at times when two of use were on the screen but you got used to it and the two different colours for the crafts helped a lot. From maneuvering around obstacles and enemy fire and boss fire, i really had to pay attention to what was going on so it definitely kept me on my toes. The many different types of boss battles were pretty cool and intuitive.

How does the game look graphically?

Aaero2 is believed to be built in the Unity Engine and while it’s small and pretty linear, the graphics are pretty decent and the lighting and audio is pretty good. Explosions and the lighting of the rails is nicely shown as is the enemies and bosses on the screen. The feeling of being in a dark cave with a boss while it shoots at you with lighting matching was cool, like the example below.

How does the game Sound?

The sound in any rhythm game is paramount and Aaero2 does not disappoint with titles from Droptek and Rootkit and More. The beats in the tracks work well with the game mechanics and while i wish there was more tracks, the tracks by Monstercat are fantastic. The soundtrack for Aaero2 is below for reference.

Conclusion

Aaero2 is a fun rhythm shooter with a difference and the guys at mad fellows have done a great job with the game and it shows and is fantastic work for such a small studio. The lack of add-on music for a game that touts rhythm is disappointing but may be added later on perhaps but as a small studio it may take a while so understandable. I found playing Aaero2 to be fun and played local co-op with my wife and while it was difficult to master, it was easy to just pick up and play. If you’re a fan of music rhythm games then definitely check out Aaero2 as you will not be disappointed, it does its genre a solid and a great addition to any bodies game library.