Aerofoil for Android

Aerofoil is Eric Lasota's reimplementation of John Calhoun's Glider PRO. This fork aims to bring the game back to modern Android and improve the web experience for iPhone users along the way. The fork targets mobiles but you might get lucky playing on a desktop 😉 or you can try Eric's version.

Why the fork?

In his July update to users, Eric wrote, "Unfortunately, the Android version has been discontinued due to high maintenance requirements. The Google Play Store listing will be retired in August, 2025." I know exactly what he means.

But I just got a GameSir for my Android mobile and wanted something to play other than the emulated classics and Limbo.

So it has gamepad support? What are the controls?

Yep! There is now an option on the main menu to step you through the controls but broadly speaking...

• Press the left or right side of the screen to move your glider in that direction
• Press both sides of the screen or the X button on your gamepad to flip the direction your glider faces (Android-only)
• Press the utility buttons at the top to use your battery or rubber bands (or the B and Y buttons on your gamepad)

You'll still need to use your touchscreen for some main menu choices and to enter your name in the high score.

Should I download the APK on Android or just play the web version?

You should definitely download the APK. Not only will it perform better but the flip is an important part of gameplay and not available to most players on the web.

What does Glider PRO mean to you?

Well it definitely sparks joy. I agree with Eric, it is one of the defining Mac games of the 1990s. I flick between it, Super Mario World and Glypha III at the moment and I find it less intense than the latter two. It's an arcade game at heart and while there are multiple houses I suspect most players will just stick to Slumberland's five stars.

So there's an Android version of Glypha III too?

Yep! Started development before Aerofoil and will release soon.

What are the changes?

This version:

• Upgrades the Android build system to Gradle 8.5 for modern Android support
• Enables High DPI for web builds to greatly improve the game resolution on mobile devices
• Updates to SDL 2.32.6 (fixes audio on some phones)
• Implements a cool new icon for Android
• Adds a "Controls" activity for information on controls ("..." then "Controls")
• Implements start and select buttons on the gamepad to pause or show the menu
• Pauses music during menu display (as users might want to take a call)
• Fixes a bug whereby the Android soft keyboard would not display
• Fixes a bug whereby if the controller was lost mid-game the controller could not be restored
• Threaded loading was implemented to hopefully eliminate the relatively common "first-load" ANRs on low-powered devices

The full source code is freely available per the terms of the GNU General Public Licence v2.