Overview – developed by Ys Net and published by ININ Games, Air Twister is the latest title from the legendary developer Yu Suzuki, inspired by the classic titles Space Harrier and Panzer Dragoon. As the heroine of this adventure Arch, fly through surreal landscapes as you fight the invading forces and save the world. This title is available on all major platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank PR Hound for providing the copy of Air Twister that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is a very simple narrative that is told via cutscenes that play during the game, which I feel should be experienced first-hand. So with that being said, I will be moving straight into discussing the gameplay.
Gameplay – Air Twister is an arcade style rail shooter, where players travel through 12 fantastical and surreal stages, battling wave after wave of enemies. The player is armed with a blaster that fires directly forward, along with a lock-on that can target several enemies with homing attacks. To take down the foes with attacks, the player can fly around the screen, with the lock-on activating when going past the enemies.
As the player takes down enemies, they will gain points and if they destroy enough enemies that appear, they will earn stars. These stars are added to the players total and are used in the Adventure Map (discussed further below), alongside the score for the defeated enemies. The enemy forces that will appear on screen will only be there for a limited time, with a limited window to destroy them before they leave.
At the end of each of the stages, the player will encounter bosses that range from bone dragons to alien manta rays and giant robots. Each of the bosses have their own attack patterns, weak points and even have multiple phases of attack in some cases. Most of the bosses are tied to the theme of the stage they are featured in, matching the environments very well. When the boss for the stage is defeated, the player will gain score bonuses.
The bonuses that can be earned are based on the performance of the player, with extra points for the time taken to clear the boss, enemy formations destroyed and if damage has been taken. Alongside the score bonuses, there is a letter grade that players will earn ranging from C to S based on how well the player does. This also provides health bonuses for the next stage, which are very important to succeeding in this adventure.
At the start of the game, the player has a set number of health points which are shown as pink and yellow hearts. The pink hearts act as lives and the yellow hearts act as a pseudo life bar, with 20 yellow hearts making one pink heart. When the player takes damage, yellow hearts will be taken away and if they run out, a pink heart will be lost. If the player loses all hearts, the player will get a game over and have to use a continue (if able).
The only way to gain health during play is at the end of stages, these appear to be based on the ranking that players obtain, with more health for better rankings. The main action stages aren’t the only ones that will be encountered during the game, as there are two bonus stages that will appear. These stages are simple, with the objective being to destroy all of the enemies on screen s they appear, with the stage ending when the last formation has appeared.
There is a total of 12 stages for the player to challenge in the main game, with the two bonus stages included. These stages each have a unique theme with their own hazards, which will really challenge the player and may take several attempts to navigate successfully. Some of the stages will have physical obstacles, which will knock the player down if contact is made, taking away health before continuing. This also happens with some physical enemy attacks.
Now the main story game isn’t the only thing that players can do with this game, there are extra features that the player can access from the main menu. There is the adventure map, where players can use the stars that they have earned to unlock new weapons, upgrades and extra content. The upgrades include additional starting health, shields that can prevent damage and more. There are also cosmetics that can be used to customise the player character.
There are also special event challenges, which will provide additional rewards for the player to unlock. The rewards that can be obtained include stars, trial tickets and fluffy tickets which are used in the extra mode menu (discussed below). The challenge events and tasks are split into daily, weekly and Time Limited, which don’t appear to be limited at all. The challenges include defeating a set number of enemies, playing challenges and more.
Now onto the Challenge modes, which are extra gameplay modes that the player can enjoy outside of the story mode. The majority of the content in this menu is unlocked via the Adventure Map, which will give players something to work towards during their time playing the game. Here is a breakdown of the extra gameplay modes that can be unlocked from the map;
- Arcade Mode – play through a set of stages, trying to set the highest score possible with basic equipment. There are 5 challenge modes that can be played, with difficulties ranging from easy to one hit death, making for a real challenge for players.
- Stardust – play one of 4 special stages, trying to set a high score, with two of them being featured in the main game and two specially made for this mode.
- Boss Rush – challenge the bosses of this game, with four different courses to unlock, allowing the player to challenge a different set of bosses in each. These can be used to practice for beating the bosses quickly.
- Fluffy – take on side scrolling stages, where the objective is to collect coins or stars, all while avoiding the enemies that appear on screen. The stages where players earn stars require Fluffy Tickets to play.
- Turbo Mode – play through stages as hyper speed, increasing the overall pace of the stage making for a real test of skill and reactions that players can take on.
- Tap Breaker – a special number based mini game, where players must hit numbers on screen in order, using either touch controls (if handheld) or key inputs. Each of the stages has a limited number of time and the best clear time is recorded.
- Extra Stage – take on a unique challenge where players encounter an extra long stage, with increased enemy attacks rates, more formations and additional hazards to navigate. This stage offers special rewards based on the score that has been earned, totalling it up between attempts to earn each of the rewards.
The last thing to discuss is the World Guide, a special gallery where players are able to access all of the content that they have unlocked. In this section, the player is able to look at cutscenes, music and story segments that have been unlocked. This allows players to learn all about the world that Air Twister takes place in, as well as the story details that aren’t conveyed during play.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – the control method for this release is extremely easy to pick up and play, with the thumbstick for movement and only a fire a special button. These inputs are very easy to pick up and play, allowing for everyone to get into the game and have a fair chance to have fun with it. However, the movement does feel a little slow to respond in some places. There is also the ability to use touch screen controls, which work well enough during play.
Difficulty – this is a fairly difficult title, with a lot of pattern recognition and practice needed to be able to get through the game without continuing. This is reminiscent of the inspirations that the game pulls from, with the different bosses having a lot of diverse attack patterns. The number of enemies will increase as the game takes place, making it tough for players to avoid some attacks. But the upgrades in the Map will make the game a little easier to make it through.
Presentation – the game looks very good, with a lot of vibrant and interesting environments for the player to experience. There is also no issues with framerate during either gameplay or the cutscenes, which works well in both handheld and docked play. There is a lot of smooth fluid movement and the game is a visual treat to play. The sound for this title is composed by Valensia, who add a rock opera style to the music, which fits the setting excellently.
Final Thoughts – when I saw this title being announced for consoles, my interest was piqued as I know well of the legacy of game designer Yu Suzuki and the titles they have been involved in. when I got my hands on this release, there was an immediate feeling of nostalgia, as this felt a lot like his landmark title Space Harrier. The game has that same level of challenge, as well as that one more time feel that made me want to keep playing it.
I am more than happy to recommend this title to everyone, as there is a lot of content for players to get sunk into. The standard story mode would be enough for most, but the addition of challenges, additional gameplay modes and the Adventure Map really increases the replay value. This is a very good game, even though it does have a few minor faults to it, with the occasional slowness to inputs which are made a little worse by the travel of the Joy-Con sticks.
In the end, I give Air Twister a final score of 4/5. This is a very good game with all of the familiar aspects of titles from the legendary Yu Suzuki, with challenging gameplay, tons of content to unlock and that one more try feel that will keep players returning for more. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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