Bombs ready, thumbs steady
By Paul Hunter
Sonic Wings Reunion brings the long-running Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters shoot 'em up series back to the skies on Nintendo Switch. SUCCESS Corp. leads development, with Red Art Games handling the publishing. It’s a side- and vertical-shooter built on pure arcade DNA and modern bullet-hell pace, aimed squarely at shmup veterans.
If you grew up pumping credit after credit in the arcades, this is that no-nonsense, lock-in-and-fire rhythm. Short stages, quick battles, and instant action are what's on offer here. The question is simple: is this Switch return worth strapping in to bomb, dodge, and climb the leaderboard? Let’s find out!
The hook is the roster you bring into each run. It’s a world tour of pilots, with a few surprises. You can pick Whity the dolphin, a seasoned English gentleman, a Japanese flyer whose plane throws shuriken, or twin girls who tag-team the cockpit. The “story” mostly arrives as quick back-and-forth during stage transitions and cheeky screens that set the mood.
The game suggests that changing pilots alters the story, but in practice, multiple runs pushed me through similar story beats, while the quips and tone shifted with who you brought along. Locations hop from known cities to covert sites, and the finale is proudly ridiculous: a yawning Arctic Ocean breach, a threat hiding within the Earth, and a capstone fight against a huge MechaMonkey. It’s arcade pulp by design, giving you enough context to smile while you blast.
You get multiple difficulty settings from Easy through Very Hard. Normal hits the sweet spot, balancing tough enemies and bullet-hell dodging but without becoming overbearing. Every stage is a quick sprint toward a boss with distinct attack patterns and looks, like a four-legged Mecha, a giant tank, or a deadly airship. After the final boss, the campaign loops to the first stage with your current duo letting you continue the fight.
Training Mode appears once you’ve completed a run. It’s a focused spot for learning pilot kits, boss timings, and mastering routes. You can retry sections and tweak settings all without having to worry about ruining a run.
Leaderboards keep the competive spirit alive, and local co-op turns the screen into friendly two-player chaos. It's worth pointing out the runs are fairly short, you can beat the game in 15-20 minutes on Normal difficulty, but for replayability there are 10 different pilots (including secret ones), plus you can ramp up the difficulty for a greater challenge.
Where it stumbles is the amount of screen noise, particularly in Nintendo Switch's handheld mode given the small screen size. The remake’s layered cityscapes pack in detail, and enemy structures can blend into the playfield, leading to unplanned collisions. Playing the game docked is preferred, as the large screen helps you identify enemy structures more easily. One small extra is a nice nod: a menu toggle that lets you switch the startup logo between Aero Fighters and Sonic Wings.
Taken together, you get detailed sprites, large-scale bosses, an excellent soundtrack suite, and responsiveness that feels right, balanced against backgrounds that sometimes get a little too busy to distinguish buildings from foes.
Final Score: 6.5/10 - Okay
Developer: SUCCESS Corp
Publisher: Red Art Games
Genre: Side-Scrolling Shooter
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Sonic Wings Reunion brings the long-running Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters shoot 'em up series back to the skies on Nintendo Switch. SUCCESS Corp. leads development, with Red Art Games handling the publishing. It’s a side- and vertical-shooter built on pure arcade DNA and modern bullet-hell pace, aimed squarely at shmup veterans.
If you grew up pumping credit after credit in the arcades, this is that no-nonsense, lock-in-and-fire rhythm. Short stages, quick battles, and instant action are what's on offer here. The question is simple: is this Switch return worth strapping in to bomb, dodge, and climb the leaderboard? Let’s find out!
Story and Narrative
Sonic Wings Reunion keeps the premise simple so you can get right to it. The mysterious organization Fata Morgana is striking cities across the globe with advanced weaponry and strange tech. You fly with Project Blue, the response unit sent to shut them down and dismantle Morgana's bases scattered around the world.The hook is the roster you bring into each run. It’s a world tour of pilots, with a few surprises. You can pick Whity the dolphin, a seasoned English gentleman, a Japanese flyer whose plane throws shuriken, or twin girls who tag-team the cockpit. The “story” mostly arrives as quick back-and-forth during stage transitions and cheeky screens that set the mood.
The game suggests that changing pilots alters the story, but in practice, multiple runs pushed me through similar story beats, while the quips and tone shifted with who you brought along. Locations hop from known cities to covert sites, and the finale is proudly ridiculous: a yawning Arctic Ocean breach, a threat hiding within the Earth, and a capstone fight against a huge MechaMonkey. It’s arcade pulp by design, giving you enough context to smile while you blast.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Sonic Wings Reunion keeps the action tight in Arcade Mode, the main story mode. Pick a pilot and decide if you want the safety of an extra bomb or the spice of a wingman by bringing in a second craft. Power-ups escalate your shot fast, and bombs clear space when the screen fills.You get multiple difficulty settings from Easy through Very Hard. Normal hits the sweet spot, balancing tough enemies and bullet-hell dodging but without becoming overbearing. Every stage is a quick sprint toward a boss with distinct attack patterns and looks, like a four-legged Mecha, a giant tank, or a deadly airship. After the final boss, the campaign loops to the first stage with your current duo letting you continue the fight.
Training Mode appears once you’ve completed a run. It’s a focused spot for learning pilot kits, boss timings, and mastering routes. You can retry sections and tweak settings all without having to worry about ruining a run.
Leaderboards keep the competive spirit alive, and local co-op turns the screen into friendly two-player chaos. It's worth pointing out the runs are fairly short, you can beat the game in 15-20 minutes on Normal difficulty, but for replayability there are 10 different pilots (including secret ones), plus you can ramp up the difficulty for a greater challenge.
Presentation and Audio
Visually, Sonic Wings Reunion goes big on effects. Your firepower scales fast with power-ups and fills the screen, while your bombs punch through enemies, and bosses carry real presence. The backdrop tour of recognisable cities like Tokyo, Florida, and Barcelona, and conventional fighter crafts anchors the look to reality, which works, though a few city sections come off a bit plain. Audio support is generous: you get an arranged soundtrack and the original score by composer Soshi Hosoi, even giving face time to the composers in the menu.Where it stumbles is the amount of screen noise, particularly in Nintendo Switch's handheld mode given the small screen size. The remake’s layered cityscapes pack in detail, and enemy structures can blend into the playfield, leading to unplanned collisions. Playing the game docked is preferred, as the large screen helps you identify enemy structures more easily. One small extra is a nice nod: a menu toggle that lets you switch the startup logo between Aero Fighters and Sonic Wings.
Taken together, you get detailed sprites, large-scale bosses, an excellent soundtrack suite, and responsiveness that feels right, balanced against backgrounds that sometimes get a little too busy to distinguish buildings from foes.
The Verdict
Reunion brings the Sonic Wings spirit back with speed and purpose: snappy controls, punchy boss fights, and a nice roster of pilots and wingmen to choose from. The soundtrack options are great, the title-screen nod is cute, and leaderboards keep you coming back for higher scores. It’s built for short blasts and steady improvement rather than long campaigns, and it excels at that. If you live for high scores and quick co-op sessions, this return to the skies hits the mark.Final Score: 6.5/10 - Okay
Sonic Wings Reunion details
Platform: PS5, PS4, Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: SUCCESS Corp
Publisher: Red Art Games
Genre: Side-Scrolling Shooter
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.