Back in 2021, Xbox fans enjoyed a new addition to Games with Gold in the form of Aaero. It has actually been available on the platform since 2017, but the inclusion of GwG immediately made it available to an even wider audience. At the time, we told our Xbox purists that Aaero was “well worth downloading” through the service thanks to its addictive gameplay and great soundtrack, and now here we are. We are happy to announce that our new sequel, Aaero 2, has been released. Even better!
For those who didn’t have a chance to play the first game, Aaero is an on-rails rhythm game where you control a ship flying through various sci-fi environments while a powerful soundtrack plays in the background. As the levels progress, your goal is to ride a series of musical ribbons as accurately as possible. These ribbons are constructed to match specific elements of the song, such as synths, guitars, or vocal lines. Many people compare Aaero’s gameplay to Rez HD on the Xbox 360, which even includes elements of Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
It’s really hard to describe in words how fun these musical ribbon sections are. The way it’s constructed makes it feel like you’re actually in control of the song. And everything from the controller vibrations to the visual set pieces around you is fun. It is designed to complement them as effectively as possible. Mad Fellows Games hit on something special when they designed the ribbon mechanics for these Aaero games, leading to an experience as addictive and replayable as Aaero 2.
But what actually makes a sequel so good? Now, the biggest highlight is the improvements to the combat, which was a real source of frustration in the first game. Fundamentally, combat is all about timing, and in the original title it was hard to figure out, and sometimes downright tough, especially when the enemy was sending you a barrage of homing missiles. This time around, combat is actually more fun thanks to the lower difficulty level and the addition of a machine gun on the left trigger. Basically, it acts as an escape clause if the situation becomes too overwhelming. There are still situations where it feels difficult to target multiple enemies and get the timing right, but it’s much better than the original Aaero, and I’m really glad this became a major focus of the second game in the series. I think so.
Of course I have to mention the soundtrack. Aaero 1 was packed with absolute bangers like Flux Pavilion’s Bass Cannon and Katy B’s Katy on a Mission, but this time we’re focusing entirely on songs from Monstercat records. label. Somehow they’ve managed to achieve at least the same quality as the original title, and this new selection features a heady array of drum’n’bass tunes from artists like Droptek and Bossfight.
Aaero has always been primarily a single-player experience, and Aaero 2 offers 18 levels across four different difficulty options. It may not sound like a big deal, but a lot of the fun comes from playing these levels over and over again, trying to reach new high scores and eventually move up the leaderboard. It is located in But beyond this, co-op and PvP (both local and online) are actually supported, with co-op supporting two players by seamlessly adding new ribbons and enemies, and PvP allowing the game to Divide the play into sections where you need to defeat your opponent. Score. These are by no means disposable experiences. You can definitely feel how much effort has gone into the multiplayer side of Aaero 2.
However, our suggestion is not to expect too much from the online side. It’s fine if you have friends to play with, but the matchmaking probably isn’t all that busy (it’s early days, but I haven’t found anyone yet) and, annoyingly, it times out after about 15 seconds of searching . It’s hard to press the A button when you want to find someone. Again, the more people who buy this game, the more active it becomes.
conclusion
Aaero was a fun surprise at Xbox Games With Gold a few years ago, but there was definitely room for improvement. The sequel takes everything that was good about the original title while strengthening its weaknesses, offering improved combat, a great soundtrack, the debut of local and online multiplayer, and various other quality of life tweaks. If you’re a fan of rhythm games, you’ll have a great time with Aaero 2.
