Sonic Wings Special is the PS1 port of Video System's vertical shmup with multiple selectable pilots and a word bonus system. Demanding vertical arcade shooting gameplay with colorful characters. A pleasant niche shmup title for genre fans on PS1.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter2 players7+
Co-op
Description
Japanese Video System shoot them up, last PlayStation installment of the Sonic Wings/Aero Fighters series. Created by Video System, released in 1996 in Japan, 1997 in Europe under the Sonic Wings Special title. Over eight pilots with distinct aircraft including Mao Mao and Bobby, multi-regional vertically-scrolling levels, two-player cooperative mode and arcade rock soundtrack. Japanese and European edition under the Sonic Wings Special title.
A PS1 port of Video System's vertical shooter Aero Fighters, Sonic Wings Special landed in PAL/Europe with its goofy pilot roster and word-bonus system. The European pressing is markedly scarcer than the Japanese one, in a PS1 catalogue thin on Western-released shmups. Niche but solid demand among arcade vertical-shooter fans, especially for a complete PAL copy that is hard to assemble.
Is Sonic Wings Special still worth playing in 2026?
A compilation and spin on Video System's Aero Fighters vertical shooter, Sonic Wings Special gathers a colourful cast of pilots with distinct planes and endings, in snappy action full of offbeat humour. The variety of characters, the branching replayability and the arcade pace stay gratifying. The high difficulty and a dated production are worth knowing. A likeable vertical shmup to recommend for fans of arcade shooting, scoring and 90s Japanese whimsy.
