Sonic Wings Reunion

Isn't it amazing how, like fashion, game genres seem to be cyclical? With scrolling beat-em-ups leading the charge for retro-revival, we should not also forget just how many shooters have been making a comeback, especially this year. Our last review in the shooting-pool was the Gradius Collection which impressed enough on value alone, but now we have the fondly remembered Sonic Wings, with Red Art Games adding the Reunion monicker to bring this game to a modern audience.

Originally released in arcades back in 1992, Sonic Wings (aka Aero Fighters) was ported to the SNES in 1993 (Japan) and released in the West in 1994, though thanks to slowdown issues it wasn't very well received by critics. A vertical scrolling affair, the game was hugely successful in arcades, being the most successful unit of April 1992, quite the feat given how crowded the genre was at the time.

Sonic Wings Reunion eliminates those slowdown issues and gives you a pretty solid experience overall. Choose from 8 pilots (including a dolphin because, well, Japan...), each with their own firing pattern and distinct personality, their portrait filling in some of that unused horizontal space that's standard with games such as these. Then you'll fly, shoot, avoid getting shot, pick up bonus items and take down a boss at the end of each level. It is the very definition of a straightforward shoot-em-up, exemplified by the game when you load it - straight into the menu, no music, no animation, just select a mode and get on with it.

It's not without a lot of options to add some spice to proceedings however - multiple soundtracks are available and you can unlock more pilots too, so there are things to aim for other than enemies. The two player mode makes for a good time with friends and you can increase the challenge with four difficulty modes. For the competitive minded types, there's an online leaderboard for you to climb. 

Aesthetically the game goes for a bit of realism, flying over cities/seas with destructible buildings and fighting against other realistic tanks, jets and helicopters. The only issue with all the realism is that it can make targets a bit hard to see, though thankfully the neon purple enemy bullets make incoming fire (mostly) easy to spot. It does get a little more imaginative once you come up against the bosses at the end of each level and you'll meet them quickly - each level is surprisingly short and I was bouncing through the game much faster than I had expected.

You have to admire Keaton's professional pilot outfit compared to Glenda's afternoon at the beach getup...

I like the use of what appear to be real-life planes. I like the A10 Thunderbolt II so Glenda was my first choice when starting out. You can choose a CPU wingman if playing single player, or forego one for an extra bomb. I like the company and the extra portrait, so I have a wingman every time.

Once you've built up to maximum firepower the game is a lot of fun for each brief session you're in the air, my only nitpicky complaint is that the enemies don't explode with much audible enthusiasm - despite the fireballs of death, they sound more like they're popping than exploding. Thankfully I was more interested in the rather excellent soundtrack so my ears were mostly satisfied - a bit more crunch would have been nice though.

When it's your turn to explode, you'll find a single power-up floats from your burning remains which can be snared by your resurrected fighter if you're fast and daring. 

And that, really, is Sonic Wings. It doesn't alternate perspectives or add anything particularly unique to the formula, it just provides no-nonsense shmup thrills with a variety of pilots set to a thumping soundtrack. This makes it good for frequent dips - I've been coming back regularly for another go, maybe trying out a new pilot/copilot combo, but I haven't spent more than an hour with it at a time, but then I can say the same for most fighting games. As with all games with arcade roots, you're expected to pop in for a quick thrill or to hone your skills, making it perfect for short bursts - for commuters and casual gamers, it's perfect.