Aaero

An insanely fun rhythm-shooter with good visuals and a great electronic soundtrack that really pulls you in. Flying through neon worlds while following the beat feels amazing, and taking down enemies in sync with the music never gets old. The controls are smooth (controller recommended), and the whole experience has a really cool vibe. Perfect if you’re into music-driven games.

It's my mission in 2025 to play through as many of my random Steam games as I can and I've had this game in my library for I don't even know how long.
Today was the day for Aaero, and it exceeded my expectations. The Sand Worm level blew me away, such a cool rhythm game, looking forward to playing the rest of the levels.

Every stage in Aaero is broken into two segments. One of these segments takes some clear inspiration from music shooter Rez. In it you'll be flying around in your spaceship, using an on-screen cursor to lock onto and shoot lasers at enemies. Once you've locked onto what you want, or if you've hit the max of eight targets, you can press a button and fire a laser. Of course, it does get a little deeper than that with a twist of its own. In Aaero, how fast your laser fires is dependent on how close to the beat you fire it, as does the number of points you'll get for the kill. Miss the beat and your laser will take a while to reach its target (leaving you open to attacks) and minimize the points you're getting. It's an interesting new idea but not one that really matters unless you're going for that high score. It's also one not advertised very well: I honestly didn't even know of its existence until I was half way through the game and it came up as a loading screen tip.

thanks to FANATICAL i got this for free, and i am ashamed i had no idea this game even existed, i love rhythm games so much and this goes with the best of them, considering this is bound by a controller and not VR or Motion controll.
Anw, one thing needs to be said, most rhythm games, u need to choose a couple of bangers , this one has almost all bangers , but of course, the fanboy in me saw that KATY B. has a song, so i went nuts, also ''I CAN'T STOP'' ranks highly, but around 90% of the soundtrack is pure eargasm as long as you love bass drop and let us be real, who doesn't ?
gonna but the sequel, the least i can do.

If Rez and Wipeout had a neon-drenched lovechild, it would be Aaero.
Bullseyes:
✅ Unique concept and execution.
Aaero combines rhythm game mechanics with a rail shooter that feels fresh and intuitive. Tracing the ribbon while following the music and targeting enemies constantly kept me locked in to the thrilling gameplay almost all the time.
✅ Stellar soundtrack.
If you like EDM, dubstep, or bass-heavy tracks then Aaero really delivers. Every twist, beat drop, and laser blast is in sync with the gameplay, my favourites being the boss level soundtracks like Habby 9000 and Stigma.
✅ Easy and simple controls.
The twin-stick controls are very responsive, allowing precise maneuvering. It's easy to pick up but learning how to balance flight, music tracing, and shooting may take a moment to master.
✅ High replay value.
Like many rhythm games, the scoring system, unlockable difficulties, and global leaderboards make replaying levels fun and addictive. Scores are based on how perfectly you trace the music ribbon and shoot enemies, and trust me it is quite difficult to perfect both, so many replays will be needed.
Dead Zones:
⚠️ Perfect laser shots need better gesturing.
Perfectly timing the laser shots requires a good internal beat rhythm, as sometimes the soundtrack's music will make you off-beat. This mechanic of perfectly shooting lasers eventually clicked when I got the master levels, but the game offers little to help you practice and develop this skill. An audiovisual or haptic indicator of the beat would be helpful to better time the laser shots.
⚠️ There is limited musical variety.
If you're not into electronic music, especially dubstep and bass, the soundtrack may not be your cup of tea. The game doesn’t offer much outside this genre, so the experience hinges heavily on whether you vibe with the music.
⚠️ No narrative or world-building.
While the gameplay design is unique and fun, the world of Aaero is more abstract than story-driven.
Verdict: 8/10
In the full mix, Aaero provides a pulse-pounding rhythm-shooter experience that is easy to pick up but also hard to master. It may be limited with musical variety and content, but the core gameplay is engaging and unique. And if you like games such as Rez, Thumper, or Audiosurf then I think it's worth giving it a try.

This is hands down the best rythm game I've played (only because I can't play Beat Saber). It's unique, very well designed for controllers, has amazing music and somehow made it all look epic in the way. The game even features boss battles...it's a damn rythm game that has you figting with giant creatures, how cool is that?! But yeah I would recommend it to anyone with a controller, not just for rythm game lovers. (Warning, game is pretty hard and levels are locked by stars, which you earn based on how you perform on previous levels so git gud)

It's common for games to take inspiration from others that make it great in the genre. At some point, I believe Rez and Gitaroo Man got together to have a wedding, even though I wasn't actually there to see it. Now we have Aaero, the child of the two. It borrows shooting elements from Rez while tying it together with the need to stick to a rhythm line as close as possible, similar to Gitaroo Man. All this while trying to make an identity of its own with a low-poly aesthetic.