So continues the Season of Aero. Except no, this isn't Aero at all, is it. This is one of the more unlikely games of its era; a dedicated spin-off starring Edgar Ektor's right-hand vermin, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. And yes, it is a very unfortunate name, but there's nothing we can do about it now. It's all an excuse for some jumping, kicking, shuriken lobbing and extremely cool gliding, anyway, so let's dive right in. That was an intentional pun based on al the diving you'll be getting up to during the course of the game, by the way. Just one of the hilarious gags that make up The Gipp Experience and see so many of my reviews cited in trailers and other promotional material.
The most immediately interesting thing about Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is how dissimilar it is to the Aero titles that came before - yet it shares a level design philosophy that compels exploration. While Aero games are thoroughly linear but packed with secrets, Zero is a much more open experience with multi-tiered level design and often a choice of routes. This is very evident in the early beach-based levels which allow you to ascend to the skies and dance around on clouds in order to find a surplus of hidden items, also giving you a chance to utilise the initially-confusing gliding system; tap the A button in the air to begin a speedy descent, then tap again to swoop horizontally, before one final tap to zip upward. It's difficult to master, but lots of fun - though you'll need to get the knack pretty quickly as the game will expect you to know what you're doing before too long.
It's a challenging experience, not helped by the fact that Zero's moveset is rather extensive, more so than is strictly necessary. Besides kicks, swoops and shurikens, you've also got a double-jump spin that's a cross between Sonic and, well, Aero. Hitting the jump button in the air will activate it, and if you're already going up you'll get a boost. It's a little finicky, though, with precise timing required to maximise your height. Pleasantly, you can also use it along with the down + jump input in order to have a chance to recover from accidental drops, so while the difficulty level is reasonably high it would be churlish to call the game unfair. Level design in general is pretty strong, probably the best in the series. It's not the most diverse game in terms of locations - you visit a lot of caves - but the feel is consistent and the action enjoyable.
Visually it's quite standard, with a few standout areas such as the speeding train towards the very end of the game. Musically, though? I can't really be enthusiastic. The Super Nintendo could produce some superb tunes, but its reliance on sampled instruments could lead to some squelchy, tired-sounding output and Zero's soundtrack is a prominent example of such lethargy. To be fair to the SNES it isn't much better a soundtrack in the Mega Drive version, but at least there it's a little more punchy. Incidentally, the Mega Drive version isn't included here, which frustrates me a little. It's in line with Ratalaika's previous Aero series re-releases, but it's still a shame that we don't get the choice. I'd argue that the Mega Drive version of Zero is a little more playable thanks to a wider field of view, but it is a rather inferior looking game so it makes sense that they went with SNES, here.
The rest of the package is big Ronseal energy. It's exactly the same as the other two in terms of content, though the art on offer here is somewhat limited compared to the original Aero's offerings. Still, you're here for the game, not the ephemera, and the inclusion of cheats is once again a pleasant way to blitz through the game. You've got your save states, your achievements. Nothing new, but nothing at all unwelcome. Which is also a rather effective way to summarise Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. It's definitely better than you think it is, but still a difficult recommendation. I think it is a better game than either Aero released thus far, but the GBA version of Aero the Acro-Bat is coming up next and that's the finest title in the series so you might want to wait for that. So, yes, a good little action platformer that will definitely surprise you in terms of its quality and challenge, but still isn't quite exciting enough for me to start chasing you in the streets, grabbing your shoulders and bellowing "BUY IT! BUY IT NOW!!" into your terrified face. Like I did with Dashin' Desperadoes that one time, which got me a night in the cells.