Thank you Mad Fellows for sending us a review code!

In 2017 I reviewed the original Aaero game on Xbox One. I enjoyed the game and recommended it for our Christmas Buying Guide that year. Seven years later, Aaero2 is exclusively launched on the Xbox console and I’m blessed with an opportunity to review it!

Like its predecessor, Aaero2 has similar gameplay mechanics where you must charge up your ship’s shields by riding lit-up ribbons that change their position from left to right and sometimes pause in the middle. Your score is partially calculated by the percentage of time you manage to stay on these ribbons.

Most of the background music is dubstep and the music is influenced by your rail-riding skills. If you’re not a fan of dubstep music, you’ll probably enjoy this game less than those that do. There are a few tracks that are not dubstep, but they’re the minority.

There are four difficulty levels with the easiest being Chillout. In Chillout you have unlimited lives and can play the eighteen songs in any order without the need to unlock them beforehand. The ribbons are simplified and they have magnetic guidance for the sharp spikes that would be more challenging without the aid.

Normal mode also has simplified ribbons and magnetic assistance, but you have to earn songs by collecting enough stars to unlock them. As you play songs, you’ll gain experience, level up, and get your name added to the global leaderboards. You’ll also have the opportunity to customize your player card’s title, frame, stats, awards, and background.

The next two modes have more enemies and no more magnetic assistance. In Advanced mode the ribbons are full and the hardest difficulty, Master, has unforgiving ribbons.

Aaero2 offers both local and online (if you have Gamepass) multiplayer gameplay. You can play cooperatively with or against one other player. I played alongside my husband and he felt that the rocket controls were a bit confusing.

Like the previous game you must lock onto the enemy/enemies with the right trigger and the longer you are locked onto them, the more rockets are assigned to them. You have a limited amount of ammo so you have to divvy the rockets against multiple foes if needed. Some enemies are stronger than others and need more rockets to take down than weaker foes. Gunfire is a new addition to Aaero2 and its controlled with the left trigger. You can’t go trigger happy as the guns will quickly overheat. Accuracy is key here and your score is impacted by your weapon accuracy.

Morally, Aaero2 has combat violence. Most of your time will be shooting down other airships/drones but there are some worms, crabs, and aliens to neutralize as well. One of the songs compares the singer’s lover to her savior and how she doesn’t need him. Another song has a censored F-bomb.

Visually there is some decent variety in the levels. The transition from the original game to this one is smooth with the same look and feel to it. There are many mechanical caverns to pass through and open areas to fly past. In these open areas, you may stumble upon many of the secrets hidden within each level. You’ll also get to soar through some marshes and dive through some water. The graphics were not incredibly detailed in these parts unfortunately.

The eighteen songs will take roughly an hour and a half to play through. Bettering your score, playing with others and at harder difficulties will provide plenty of replayability. The asking price of $14.99 is reasonable. If you enjoyed the first game, this sequel is a no brainer.