Aero the Acro-Bat
Introduction
Aero the Acro-Bat was developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Sunsoft, released for the SNES in 1993 as a mascot platformer starring a circus-performing bat named Aero, created partly in response to the wave of attitude-driven animal mascots that followed Sonic the Hedgehog’s success. Players guide Aero through circus-themed stages using acrobatic moves like a tail-spin attack and glide, collecting stars and rescuing fellow circus performers from the villainous Edgar Ektor, who has taken over Aero’s circus home. Its presentation leaned into a colorful big-top aesthetic distinct from the more common industrial or fantasy settings of contemporary platformers, though its level design and difficulty drew comparisons, not always favorable, to the more polished platformers crowding the SNES library at the time. Commercially successful enough to spawn a direct sequel and a spin-off starring supporting character Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, Aero remains a recognizable, if lower-tier, entry in the early-90s mascot platformer boom.
