November 10, 2023
YS NET

Air Twister

Air Twister is a fun arcade-feeling game directed by Yu Suzuki that has a great soundtrack and a decent gameplay loop. Though, it can get very repetitive if you are trying to play for long spurts of time.

85%Game Brain Score

music, graphics

story, gameplay

95% User Score Based on 93 reviews

Critic Score 68%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $9.99

Buy NowGet on Steam$24.99

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About

"Air Twister" is a rail shooter game, marking Yu Suzuki's return to the genre. Players navigate through various levels, battling enemies and bosses while avoiding obstacles. The game features fast-paced action, sharp graphics, and a variety of weapons to choose from, providing an immersive and thrilling experience for fans of the shoot 'em up genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 44 reviews

music20 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features vibrant graphics and a fantastical visual design that pays homage to classic arcade shooters like Space Harrier.
The soundtrack, composed by Valensia, is a standout element, providing an epic and whimsical atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
There is a wealth of unlockable content, including cosmetics, weapons, and lore, which encourages replayability and adds depth to the game.

The gameplay is considered too easy, especially in the early stages, which may disappoint players seeking a challenging experience.
Some players find the music distracting or not fitting for the game's tone, with repetitive tracks that can detract from immersion.
The game suffers from visibility issues during chaotic moments, making it difficult to track projectiles and enemy movements.

music
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
57%
6%
The music in the game, composed by Dutch musician Valensia, has received mixed reviews, with many praising its epic, whimsical, and Queen-inspired style that enhances the game's fantasy setting. While some players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature, others criticize it for being repetitive and not fitting the game's pace, suggesting it lacks the upbeat energy typical of arcade games. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant aspect of the game, though enjoyment largely depends on personal musical taste.
- “The music is definitely incredible, giving an epic and whimsical feeling as you play.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing to me, though your enjoyment of it will come down to your personal music tastes.”
- “The OST for Air Twister is genuinely one of the best video game soundtracks you’ll ever hear.”
- “Game is fun and looks great but this music is godawful.”
- “The soundtrack is in one word... unfortunate.”
- “The issue lies with the implementation of said soundtrack.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
26%
16%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising their vibrant, smooth, and detailed design that evokes a dreamlike quality, while others criticize them as low-quality or reminiscent of asset flips. Many players appreciate the unique blend of familiar and surreal aesthetics, which enhances the overall experience, despite some noting a lack of detail in certain environments. Overall, the visuals are described as beautiful and fitting for the game's artistic vision, though opinions on their execution vary.
- “Graphically, it's brilliant, with excellent detail for the scenery and enemies and varied layout.”
- “It runs very smooth on my mid-range rig, and the graphics are actually really nice and crisp.”
- “The visuals here are that perfect blend between familiar and outlandish, and the adventure which you fly through feels very surreal.”
- “Visuals are horrible, unity asset flip-tier. The audio is not bad, but it's a weird imitation of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which is distracting the entire time. Bosses are once again baby-mode easy, meaning that the only difficulty in this game is the ambiguity of when exactly the 3D projectiles coming towards you are going to actually intersect with you. This is plainly due to bad visual design and does not represent an interesting challenge.”
- “Basically, many enemies get thrown into stage aesthetics they don't fit with because the low number of enemies means they needed to be reused.”
- “Visually, the graphics themselves can feel a bit cheap, but the game's style and surreal sceneries really help in getting into it anyway.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story is described as surprisingly deep and engaging, featuring a mix of heartbreaking moments and intriguing lore that enhances replayability through unlockable content. Players appreciate the unique integration of scripted sequences requiring timed button presses to advance the narrative, alongside a high fantasy setting that supports a fun, simple storyline. Overall, while the main gameplay may be easy, the story mode serves as a compelling introduction to a variety of challenges and unlocks.
- “There’s a lot to unlock under the surface, giving it good replayability, ridiculously fantastic visual presentation, and there is a lot of strange and interesting lore to read about in the world journal. The story is more fleshed out than I expected.”
- “There is a 'story', complete with cutscenes at the start, before each boss, and the ending.”
- “The story is heartbreaking at times, the sound design marrying perfectly with the action on screen to produce a delicate harmony of thematic elements.”
- “Eventually you have to get a job to advance the story.”
- “There is a full campaign with a story of sorts, but the main game is actually fairly easy, especially once you purchase some upgrades.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The gameplay is generally considered satisfactory but lacks challenge, with many players finding it less engaging than the original Space Harrier. While the core mechanics of flying, shooting, and dodging are straightforward and the game can be completed quickly, there are unlockable content and unique boss mechanics that add some depth. The tempo varies, starting slower but increasing in intensity, especially with the addition of a turbo mode, which some players may find appealing.
- “Even though they are mostly very easy too, the additional ideas for the patterns make them the one area which improves on Space Harrier where gameplay is concerned.”
- “I dig the lock-on mechanic where it feels like you are literally painting with a brush over the targets you want to explode, but it's not so overtuned that there are times when spamming normal shots (or normal + homing taps which allow you to effectively double up on shots) makes more sense.”
- “So there's a severe lack of challenge here, even on the harder settings in the arcade mode, but regardless, the gameplay just doesn't feel as tightly crafted or satisfying as the original Space Harrier anyway.”
- “Although the gameplay is fairly shallow - fly, shoot, dodge - and it won't take you more than a couple of tries until you finish it, there's a fair bit of unlockable content to keep you interested for a good while.”
- “The gameplay tempo is also a fair bit slower than you might expect, but the later levels speed things up quite a bit, and on top of that, there is an unlockable turbo mode that speeds up the gameplay an almost comical amount.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers strong replayability due to numerous unlockable content, engaging lore, and a variety of challenge modes beyond the main campaign. Its visually appealing presentation and simple arcade mechanics further enhance the replay value, particularly on platforms like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.
- “There’s a lot to unlock under the surface, giving it good replayability. The ridiculously fantastic visual presentation and the strange and interesting lore in the world journal make the story more fleshed out than I expected.”
- “There are a ton of challenge modes to try out beyond the main 12-stage campaign to extend replayability.”
- “The game is simple arcade fun with pretty good replayability, especially if you're playing on a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
- “Once you complete the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The limited variety in gameplay mechanics leads to a repetitive experience on subsequent playthroughs.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game features a straightforward monetization model with a one-time purchase price of $25, and it avoids microtransactions or time-limited systems, focusing instead on daily and weekly challenges. Players can earn stars to unlock a variety of upgrades and cosmetics, which are accessible through a large map, allowing for quicker completion than expected. Overall, the monetization approach is praised for its simplicity and lack of intrusive elements.
- “It's designed to be played multiple times, allowing you to earn stars that can be used to purchase from a massive selection of upgrades and cosmetics. Everything is laid out on a huge map, and you can fill it out quicker than you might expect, plus there are no microtransactions.”
- “Yes, it's a port of an iOS game, but I don't mind, and neither should you. The only monetization is a one-time payment of 25 bucks to play a solid, trippy rail shooter created by the developer of classics like Space Harrier and OutRun.”
- “There are no microtransactions or time-limited systems, although there are daily and weekly challenges. However, the main menu UI could use some improvement.”
- “It's designed to be played multiple times over, to give you stars which you can use to purchase one of a massive number of upgrades and cosmetics, all of which are laid out in a huge map, though you can actually fill it out quicker than you think, plus there are no microtransactions.”
- “Yes, it's a port of an iOS game. I don't care, and neither should you, as the only monetization is you drop 25 bucks to play a solid but trippy rail shooter made by the guy who made Space Harrier and OutRun back in the day.”
- “There are no microtransactions or time-limited systems (though there are daily and weekly challenges), but its origin is clear and the main menu UI is pretty ugly.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, with some achievements requiring unrealistic amounts of playtime, such as 100 hours. This has led to frustration among those who have other commitments and wish to enjoy the game without being bogged down by grind-heavy tasks.
- “Grinding in this game can be quite challenging, especially for those of us with busy lives and other games to enjoy. While I may not unlock all the achievements, I appreciate the ones that aren't too tedious.”
- “The grind can feel overwhelming at times, but it adds a sense of accomplishment when you finally achieve those hard-earned rewards.”
- “I love how the grinding aspect encourages me to explore different strategies and playstyles, making each session feel rewarding.”
- “My only significant complaint is extremely nitpicky - the achievements in this game are dreadfully grindy and unrealistic for even the most dedicated of players (one requires 100 hours of play, for example).”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged with the overall experience.”
- “I found the grind to be excessively repetitive, which detracted from the enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotions through its heartbreaking story and effective sound design that enhances the thematic elements. While the protagonist Ryo's voice may occasionally lack emotional depth, this is attributed to his upbringing, contrasting with his inherently emotional character.
- “The story is heartbreaking at times, the sound design marrying perfectly with the action on screen to produce a delicate harmony of thematic elements.”
- “Ryo's voice sometimes lacks emotion; however, I believe this is primarily because of the way he was raised. His character is very emotional.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle and often leans towards earnestness, suggesting a balance between lightheartedness and sincerity without fully embracing comedic elements.