These geese are going maverick
Yu Suzuki and his studio YS Net are working on a game for Apple Arcade. The crew revealed it as Air Twister today, and its trailer is a pretty fun way to kick off the summer of video game news.
The trailer kicks off with death and destruction, as infantry riding giant birds fight in battle against robots. The protagonist, Princess Arch, mourns a swan before taking off and leaping the trailer into a vastly different tone.
Suddenly it’s showing gameplay, with a Killer Queen-sound-alike blasting in the background. It is truly incredible.
According to the App Store page, Air Twister is an endless shooter. Players move around the screen using swipe movements and blast enemies out of the sky. There are 12 stages, over 20 different enemies and 10 unique bosses, Stars to collect and global rankings to chase.
Suzuki is apparently hesitant to call this a Space Harrier successor though. In a briefing (via GameSpot) Suzuki said he’s always had this idea for a fantasy shooting game, but the limited available tech ended up leading to Space Harrier. With 2022’s tech, he’s made Air Twister, which he calls his “ideal fantasy shooting game.”
The golden goose
The last game we saw from Suzuki and YS Net was Shenmue III, the latest entry in the Shenmue series that felt like a time capsule. Seeing the team turn its efforts towards mobile is an interesting move. But one that clearly makes an impression. Yes, I’m surprised by the fantasy shooter with geese, spacesuits, lasers, and robots. I can’t say I’m not intrigued to see what it becomes, though.
Those interested won’t need to wait long, either. Air Twister hits Apple Arcade on June 24. Alongside it are a few other releases for the mobile gaming platform. Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins sets off on June 3, and Cooking Mama: Cuisine! lands on June 17.
