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Air Twister is effectively a new Space Harrier sequel in all but name, by its original creator too! The mechanics and controls are dramatically similar to the original arcade games, length included (expect a full playthrough to take just under an hour). Just like those classics, this is a rail-based shooter where you fly through a fantastical world bashing the shoot button through pre-determined waves of enemies that concludes with a boss encounter in each stage. Although some songs are repeated each level and boss feels very creative, well paced and overall well realized. There are clear throwbacks to the first Space Harrier, but most of bosses are very mechanically unique. Initially the game can feel relatively demanding to some (you can get genuine game overs!), but upon each session you gain an in-game currency that progressively unlocks extra health and even unique weapons and abilities with gimmicks such as the power to slow down time, similar to AfterBurner Climax. Some are effectively optional cheats, so despite the previously mentioned difficulty, the game is very completable with enough perseverance.
The only real differences between this and the Space Harrier classics is that there is no running on the ground and there is an optional but expected Panzer Dragoon-style lock on to take out numerous targets in a single shot. The gameplay tempo is also a fair bit slower than you might expect, but the later levels speed things up quite a bit and on top of that there is an unlockable turbo mode that speeds up the gameplay an almost comical amount. Super fun!
The remainder of the unlockables are separate game modes that are oftentimes completely unrelated to the core game. There is a puzzle where players tap randomly shuffled numbers on the screen for example with either a controller or the mouse and something comparable to Balloon Fight's Balloon Trip mode, though unfortunately the controls in that are nowhere near as solid as in the main game.
On the topic of mouse controls, the PC port of Air Twister is pretty unique in that you can choose to use the mouse to aim and shoot completely separately. This kind of breaks the otherwise very solid balance of the game as the you can always move to a safe spot while targeting any enemy or boss weak spot, but it is fun to mess around with.
The general sound design is extremely similar to previous Space Harrier titles, but the soundtrack itself is genuinely shocking and nowhere close to any of the SEGA classics. It is dramatic and almost otherworldly with fascinating lyrics, absolutely not what I would have expected or requested for a game like this but it has majorly grown on me and I think it makes certain encounters super engaging (Princess Mystique especially). The composition is by Dutch musician Valensia, whom I had not heard of before this game but I have listened to a few of their other albums in the past few days and am now a big fan. I strongly recommend you watch a few minutes of gameplay online before buying the game as I have seen quite a few players be majorly turned off by this eccentric OST. An acquired taste for sure.
It is worth noting that this was initially a mobile phone game for Apple Arcade. There are no microtransactions or time limited systems (though there are daily and weekly challenges), but its origin is clear and the main menu UI is pretty ugly. Somewhat awkward for controllers, but not a big deal overall.
My only significant complaint is extremely nitpicky - The achievements in this game are dreadfully grindy and unrealistic for even the most dedicated of players (one requires 100 hours of play, for example). If that bothers you for some reason the game is also on Nintendo Switch with no achievements and is a solid port. The optional mouse controls I mentioned earlier are effectively replicated with the touch screen there too.