Avalon Hill’s Advanced Civilization and Aero the Acro-Bat reviewed

My wife thinks it’s a great idea to open a “retro gaming cafe” where people visit for a tea or coffee and a cake, then play retro games. I’m not sold on the idea, but I can see - as I think we all can - that classic gaming is enjoying a new appreciation.

It isn’t just the graphics and playability, either. The music of the old style games, the attitude to packaging art, and the avoidance of microtransactions are all key.

This week’s newsletter looks at two classic games: Avalon Hill’s Advanced Civilization, and Aero the Acro-Bat. They both landed around the same time, have great package art, no microtransactions, and very different methods of play.

News about news updates!

You probably noticed that the last midweek update had more news items in than ever before. It was a massive week for retro games, and I had a lot to share.

While the weekend newsletter usually has a couple of news items left over from the previous week, this edition is once again bursting with news.

So, this weekend I’ve decided to introduce a section specifically for retro hardware news. Breaking things up into games, hardware, and merchandise seems a good idea moving forward.

You’ll find everything you need in the table of contents, so enjoy!

Table of Contents

• News about news updates!

• Avalon Hill’s Advanced Civilization Reviewed

  • Gameplay in Advanced Civilization

  • But is it any good?

• Aero the Acro-Bat: playable circus platformer

  • Reissue features

  • Summary

• The latest retro games news roundup

• Retro gaming video of the week

• Retro gaming hardware latest roundup

• Game Over

Avalon Hill’s Advanced Civilization Reviewed

Think Civilization was the beginning? Think again: in 1980, Avalon Hill released a board game, called Civilization. (This is the game upon which the Sid Meier classic was loosely based.) But a few years later, in 1991, the company released an expansion pack, Advanced Civilization.

To confuse matters more, in 1995 – while the world was playing Civilization II – Avalon Hill’s Advanced Civilization was released.

Set around the Mediterranean, this slow-going strategy game is a faithful recreation of the earlier board game. You take control of an ancient civilization in the in the melting pot of human civilization, . You choose from North Africa, the Middle East, and the regions now called Turkey, Spain, Greece, Italy, and Germany.

The game benefits from a quick and straightforward setup, requiring you to pick a civilization, number of opponents (human and computer controlled options are possible), computer AI level, and even play-by-email option. It then follows a turn-based pattern, leaving you to make decisions about movement and territory.

Gameplay in Advanced Civilization

So far, so good. It seems like the game is pretty similar to Sid Meier‘s take at this stage, but there’s a bit more to it. In this game, the aim is to progress from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age, and make it to the Iron Age before any of your competing civs.

Gameplay in Advanced Civilization is considerably different to Sid Meier’s Civilization. In the settling phase, tokens are distributed, a starting territory selected based on historical proximity, and ships are built, in order to begin trading. As with the game you’re more familiar with, trading promotes advancement (a fact of of all major civilizations throughout history that people are quick to forget).

But is it any good?

Inevitably, there will be conflict, with battles centered around unit strength and movement; strong units can move fewer times. But this is not a conflict strategy game. It’s also not one you can dip in and out of, as you might with its more famous forebear. Rather, Advanced Civilization requires complete focus, plenty of time set aside, and patience. Repeated play will reap rewards, as you build an idea of how other civs may or may not develop, and at times their actions.

While the layout is basic and graphics competent, it is genuinely a board game on a PC, a straight conversion with sound – unsurprisingly – an afterthought. A perfectly good adaptation, in another universe Avalon Hill’s game would be well-regarded. But as it is, it has fallen into the shadow of that other title…

Avalon Hill's Advanced Civilization:An attractive board game conversion with a more specific focus than its more famous relative, Advanced Civilization is nevertheless restricted in scope, options, and ultimately, fun. – atomickarma75

(Reviewed with the DOSBox MS-DOS emulator. A version of this review was published on Altered Gamer. The game is considered abandonware, and can be played online.)

Aero the Acro-Bat: playable circus platformer

I hate the circus. So when I heard that Sunsoft’s Aero the Acro-Bat was making a return, I was pretty nonplussed. The 1990s SNES and SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis platformer is out no on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One & Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. But what is it actually like to play it on a modern system, 31 years after release?

Well, it’s not too bad. Here’s a quick reminder of the backstory:

The game features 4 areas, each with 5 stages including rides and the idea is to use Aero’s acrobatic skills to complete each stage and make it to the next, overcoming wacky enemies along the way.

(Some of them are very wacky…)

Reissue features

Rewind and turbo functions are included in this modern console reissue, along with a save state feature and screen filters. You can even activate cheats to make the game easier, should you wish to.

I tried the game in as close to original mode as possible, with judicious use of rewinds (which I’d forgotten about at first). This is because I found the mechanics of Acro’s attacks a little difficult to get the hang of, if I’m honest, but overall it’s an intriguing game. The multiscreen aspect of the levels makes you consider the overall space and where hazards may come from, although actually completing levels is a bit of a challenge.

The rewind feature of the enhanced version is a useful trainer, but Aero the Acro-Bat is best attempted without the mindset of “I will complete this level in one go” - the design of the levels makes this unlikely without a lot of practice.

Summary

Of all the Sonic-inspired platformers from this era, Aero the Acro-Bat is perhaps closest to Zool. However, while Zool’s storyline is a little weaker, the mechanics work better. But then what do I know - Aero the Acro-Bat had a great reception when it first appeared, and spawned an immediate sequel and a thematic one.

Either way, it’s worth grabbing a copy of Aero the Acro-Bat’s modern reissue.

Check the prices for Aero the Acro-Bat on your system on the Ratalaika Games website.

The latest retro games news roundup

In addition to this week’s bumper retro gaming news mailout, the following events should be recorded:

1985 Konami shmup FINALIZER SUPER TRANSFORMATION is out on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 as part of Hamster’s Arcade Archives series.

Classic-style pixel art point-and-click adventure The Abandoned Planet is out on Steam.

The Atari publisher sale on Steam includes classic RollerCoaster Tycoon titles, a cut-price Atari 50 collection (immense value for money), Sid Meier’s Pirates! Gold Plus, QOMP, and much more. Check it out.

Banjo-Kazooie has been fully decompiled (GitLab), which means a PC port of the game is imminent, although you’ll need assets from a genuine ROM of the N64 cart to use it legally. Several PC ports of N64 titles have been released using this decompiling method.

Impressive Game Boy Color title Zephyr’s Pass is now available for physical purchase. A demo version and a digital release are also available.

The developer behind the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive port (mentioned last time) has teased a Castlevania III port. However, Pigsy claims this is unlikely to be more than a demo.

And finally…

Development of the AGA version of the original Dune game is set to crystalize into a demo later this year. You can check the art from the game on the dev’s website.

Retro gaming video of the week

Here’s Hollywood star Paul Rudd (best known for Ant-Man and the revived Ghostbusters movies) starring in the 1991 launch advert for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

This guys has barely aged!

Retro gaming hardware latest roundup

Okay, so there’s more news, this time concerning devices and peripherals.

This was almost a headline item today, because I really fancy a retro Steam machine. However, EmuDeck’s initial announcement of an EM1 and and EM2 (that could play more recent releases) has been revised, and they will only be issuing the EM2. Different prices and tiers are available, inlcuding a low-price option if you build it yourself. Learn more on Indiegogo.

Details about the upcoming Retroid Pocket 5 have been shared, such as the 5.5-inch 16:9 AMOLED display at 1080p resolution.

The Ayaneo Pocket Micro can still be backed on Indiegogo, where the early-bird price of $189 is still available.

Nintendo has announced that it has run out of replacement parts for the 3DS console in Japan. ("As we have run out of parts necessary for repairs, we have stopped accepting repairs for the New Nintendo 3DS system [KTR-001] as of August 28, 2024.")

The MagicX XU Mini M is now available to buy from KeepRetro, where it retails at $56.99 for the 64GB version.

GoRetroid has announced the Retroid Pocket Mini with a fun 90s-style retro video.

We’ve also got some merchandise news.

Jay’s Brick Blog has a look at the upcoming Mario Kart LEGO range, set for release in January 2025.

Fusion Retro Books’ Spectrum NEXT A4 Annual 2025 is almost 50% funded, with 11 days left. Pledge your support.

Part of me hopes the news will ease off, but as we’re on the runway to Christmas, that seems unlikely…

Game Over

Thank you for reading, and for keeping the shares up.

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Until next time, take it easy…

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