Game Reviews

Aero Effect review - Just another arcade game or something more substantial?

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iOS
| Aero Effect
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Aero Effect review - Just another arcade game or something more substantial?
|
iOS
| Aero Effect

Aero Effect is a casual arcade game from the makers of the popular sandbox game, SimpleRockets.

Whilst it's polished and rather gorgeous, does its substance match up to the style? I think this might be a 'personal taste' sort-of thing, but hey.

After effect

In the game you'll cruise through the levels as a long-ish arrow made up of smaller arrows that you can collect and replenish along the way.

The overall aim is just to get to the end of the level as quickly as possible, all the while avoiding obstacles that can slow you down or hurt you.

Sounds simple, right? Well...yeah, actually it is.

The one-touch controls are easy to follow as you swipe your finger left and right to control your arrow's path, and double-tap to boost. You've got to play it smart, however, as each time you boost one of your body arrows is used up.

You'll also lose arrows each time you smash into anything glowing orange. Once you're down to your last one, it's pretty much instant death or a very, very slow journey to the goal.

The music has that classic arcade feel and it's nice at first, but quickly grows repetitive as the stages go on. It seems like more of a placeholder than an actual set score.

Though the level designs are varied and interesting, they do sometimes get a bit ridiculous, especially when the windmills are introduced. It feels more like luck rather than skill as you're at their mercy without any boost.

The controls in general, though simple and tidy, can be a bit flaky. If you oversteer your arrow spins out, and it's surprisingly easy to do. This makes navigating the narrow corners and obstacles quite aggravating at times.

It's also a bit jolting if you run into something and break the momentum of the level. That's not a huge negative, but it's worth mentioning since the whole point of this game is speed.

Careful movements

Let me stress that Aero Effect isn't a bad game. There're five stages each with ten levels, so you get a fair bang for your buck, and it's generally nice to look at and feels premium.

Its issue is that it's not very interesting or innovative. We've seen arcade games like this before and they usually find something new to keep players interested beyond their own drive.

Like I said, some people will probably love it, but there are other, better games out there on an already swamped market.

Aero Effect review - Just another arcade game or something more substantial?

Aero Effect runs nicely and looks striking, but it quickly grows repetitive and could do with something else for players to focus on
Score
Emily Sowden
Emily Sowden
Emily is Pocket Gamer's News Editor and writes about all kinds of game-related things. She needs coffee to function and begrudgingly loves her Switch more than she lets on.