Aaero 2 Review (Xbox Series X|S)

Back in 2021, Xbox fans were treated to a new Games with Gold addition in the form of Aaero. It had actually been available on the platform since 2017, but its GwG inclusion quickly opened it up to a much larger audience. At the time, we told Pure Xbox readers that Aaero was "well worth a download" via the service because of its addictive gameplay coupled with a fantastic soundtrack - and we're now here to tell you that the new sequel, Aaero 2, is even better!

For those who never got a chance to play the first one, Aaero is an on-rails rhythm game where you control a ship that's flying through a variety of sci-fi environments while a pumping soundtrack plays in the background. As you progress through the level, your goal is to ride a series of musical ribbons as accurately as possible, and these ribbons are built to match certain elements from the song, such as a synth, guitar or vocal line. A lot of people compare Aaero's gameplay to Rez HD on the Xbox 360, and it even has elements of Rock Band and Guitar Hero to it.

It's really hard to put into words how enjoyable these musical ribbon sections are - the way they're built makes you feel like you're actually controlling the song - and everything from the vibrations in your controller to the visual set-pieces around you are designed to complement them as effectively as possible. Mad Fellows Games landed on something special when they designed the ribbon mechanic for these Aaero games, and it leads to an experience that's just as addictive and replayable as ever in Aaero 2.

But what's actually better about the sequel? Well, the big highlight is the improved combat, which was a real cause of frustration in the first game. Basically, combat is all about timing, and in the original title it was difficult to grasp and punishingly tough at times - especially when enemies would send a barrage of homing missiles your way. This time around, combat is actually enjoyable thanks to its reduced difficulty and the addition of a machine gun on the left trigger, which basically acts as a get-out clause if things are getting too overwhelming. There are still situations where it feels like targeting multiple enemies and nailing the right timing can be too finicky, but it's so much better than the original Aaero, and we're really pleased this was such a key focus for the series' second outing.

We obviously have to mention the soundtrack as well, which was filled with some absolute bangers in Aaero 1 including the likes of Bass Cannon by Flux Pavilion and Katy on a Mission by Katy B, while this time it's focused entirely on songs from the Monstercat record label. Somehow, they've managed to at least equal the quality of the original title, with this new selection featuring a head-banging array of drum & bass tunes from artists such as Droptek and Bossfight.

Aaero has always been a primarily single-player experience, with 18 levels on offer in Aaero 2 across four different difficulty options. That might not sound a lot, but much of the fun comes from replaying these levels again and again to try for a new high score and ultimately climb the leaderboards. Beyond this though, there's actually support for co-op and PvP (both local and online), with co-op seamlessly adding in new ribbons and enemies to support two players, while PvP splits the gameplay into sections where you need to beat your opponent's score. These are not throwaway experiences by any means - you can definitely feel how much effort has gone into the multiplayer side of Aaero 2.

What we'll suggest, though, is not to go expecting anything too much from the online side of things. It's fine if you've got a friend to play with, but matchmaking probably won't be very busy (it's early days, but we've found nobody yet), and annoyingly it times out after about 15 seconds of searching. That's a lot of pressing the A button in the hopes of finding someone - then again, the more people who buy this game, the more active it'll be!