Sonic Wings Reunion — A Faithful, Chaotic Blast From the Arcade Past

Sonic Wings Reunion on Nintendo Switch is a curious little time capsule, bundling together the first two entries of the long‑running Aero Fighters series and presenting them with a kind of quiet confidence. These games were born in the early ’90s, when arcades were still loud, smoky, and alive with the clatter of buttons and the glow of CRT screens. The original Sonic Wings (1992) was a vertical shooter that stood out not because it reinvented the genre, but because it injected personality into a space dominated by military stoicism. It offered a roster of pilots that ranged from the heroic to the outright bizarre, each with their own aircraft and endings, and it paired that eccentricity with tight, fast, demanding gameplay. Sonic Wings 2 (1994) doubled down on that identity, expanding the cast, sharpening the difficulty, and leaning even harder into the series’ trademark weirdness. These were games that didn’t just want to challenge you, they wanted to charm you, surprise you, and occasionally make you laugh at how strange they were willing to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzwOPPpUahM

On the Switch, Reunion preserves that spirit almost to a fault. The ports are faithful, sometimes aggressively so, capturing the original pacing, enemy waves, and screen‑filling chaos without smoothing over the rough edges that defined the arcade experience. The moment you start a run, you’re thrown straight into the action with no tutorials, no onboarding, no modern systems layered on top. It’s pure arcade DNA: you dodge, you shoot, you die, and you try again. The Switch’s controls handle this surprisingly well, even on Joy‑Cons, and handheld mode feels like the natural home for these games. There’s something satisfying about dipping into a quick run on the sofa or during a commute, especially when the action is this immediate.

The collection adds a few modern conveniences like save states, rewind, a gallery, and some basic visual options, but it never tries to elevate the package into a full remaster. The presentation is functional rather than celebratory, and while the pixel art still has charm, the lack of widescreen support or more robust filtering options makes the games feel more like preserved artifacts than revitalised classics. That’s not inherently a flaw, but it does mean Reunion sits in an interesting middle ground: it’s not a museum‑grade restoration, nor is it a flashy reimagining. It’s simply the originals, cleaned up just enough to run comfortably on modern hardware.

Where the collection shines most is in its unapologetic embrace of the series’ eccentricity. The pilots, ranging from a dolphin to a masked ninja to a literal baby in a mech remain one of the most memorable aspects of the franchise, and their endings still carry that surreal, slightly unhinged charm that made Aero Fighters stand out in the first place. The branching stage paths, the oddball humour, and the relentless barrage of enemies all contribute to a sense of personality that many modern shmups lack. These games aren’t just mechanically sharp, they’re very weird, and proudly so.

Pros

• Faithful, responsive ports that preserve the original arcade feel

• Still‑excellent pick‑up‑and‑play gameplay perfect for handheld sessions

• Enduringly quirky cast and tone that give the series its unique identity

• Save states and rewind make the difficulty more approachable

• Two classic shmups in one convenient package

Cons

• Very bare‑bones presentation with minimal extras

• No widescreen support or substantial visual enhancement

• Lacks deeper archival content or behind‑the‑scenes material

• Some players may find the difficulty spikes and short runtimes dated

Sonic Wings Reunion is a collection that knows exactly what it wants to be: a faithful preservation of two cult‑favourite shooters, delivered without fuss or embellishment. It doesn’t attempt to modernise the experience or reinterpret the originals for a new audience. Instead, it trusts that the raw appeal of Aero Fighters, its speed, its personality, its unapologetic arcade roots is enough to stand on its own. And for many players, especially those who grew up with these games or have a soft spot for the era, that will be more than enough.

But this also means the collection won’t convert anyone who isn’t already predisposed to enjoy classic shmups. The lack of substantial extras or visual upgrades makes Reunion feel more like a preservation effort than a celebration, and in a world where retro compilations are increasingly lavish, this one can feel a little modest.

If you’re a fan of the genre, or if you simply want a slice of arcade history preserved in a portable format, Sonic Wings Reunion delivers a charming, chaotic, and surprisingly enduring experience. It may not be the definitive version of these games, but it’s a warm, faithful revival that keeps their spirit alive and sometimes, that’s exactly what a classic deserves.

XPN Rating: 3 out of 5 (SILVER)

Sonic Wings Reunion is Available Now!