Aether
- November 14, 2023
- ychamel
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Get on itch.io Store"Aether is a roguelite ARPG, playable in single-player, local co-op , or multiplayer. Generated maps provide unique adventures filled with challenges, ancient shrines, and bosses. Vanquish enemies with elemental spells and artifacts, but beware as time intensifies the pressure, demanding strategic decisions."
PC
Windows
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game has a great foundation with fun core gameplay mechanics, especially around elemental abilities and skill selection.
- Fast-paced action and the thrill of combat create an engaging experience that keeps players on their toes.
- The developers are active in discussions and have shown consistent improvement with each patch, indicating a commitment to enhancing the game.
- The game currently lacks polish in areas such as UI design, hitbox accuracy, and overall gameplay loop, which can detract from the experience.
- The tutorial is poorly designed and lacks intuitive feedback, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics.
- There are numerous bugs and issues, including unreadable text at certain resolutions and clunky menu navigation, which hinder the overall presentation.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a solid core mechanic focused on building and skill selection, which is well-executed, but it currently suffers from a lack of polish in areas such as the overall gameplay loop, UI design, and enemy ability telegraphs. While the controls are responsive and hit detection is good, the clunky menus detract from the experience. With future updates, the game has the potential to appeal to a broader audience.
“This is a nice foundation for what will hopefully soon be an excellent indie game, with a great core gameplay mechanic set around building up elements to form your build.”
“The important parts of the gameplay, the skill selection and upgrading over the course of a run are done well.”
“The gameplay was pretty smooth (nice hit detection, responsive controls, etc), but the menus are a bit clunky, both visually (i.e. misaligned options) and in their navigation (via controller).”
“Even with just 10 minutes of gameplay, I can already see and feel a few issues that might disrupt others who have higher expectations from games like these.”
“The parts that are not quite done yet are the fuller gameplay loop, more maps or end bosses, the UI is fairly awkward and clunky, and I would like invulnerability on the dash and better telegraphs for enemy abilities.”
“So at the moment perhaps not for everyone unless you're looking for that gameplay experience; with some polishing updates, I feel many people will enjoy this title.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's story is perceived as underdeveloped, with players noting a lack of depth and engagement, primarily conveyed through a brief backstory from a random fox. Additionally, there is a call for more diverse and meaningful playable characters rather than mere reskins, suggesting that the narrative could benefit from richer character development.
“I'd also recommend more playable characters that may be relevant to the story you're trying to tell, not just reskins and recolored versions of the same character.”
“It seemed as if the game wants to have a story somewhere.”
“This is in the form of a random fox giving you a little bit of backstory.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for improved graphics, indicating that while they are willing to keep the game in their library, they hope for future updates and support from developers to enhance the visual quality and overall content.
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers suggest that increasing the variety of playable characters, particularly those that contribute meaningfully to the story rather than simply being reskins, would enhance the game's replayability.
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more, as each playthrough feels fresh and engaging.”
“With multiple story paths and character arcs, I find myself replaying the game to explore every possible scenario.”
“The dynamic gameplay elements ensure that no two runs are ever the same, making it a joy to dive back in.”
“I'd also recommend more playable characters that may be relevant to the story you're trying to tell, not just reskins and recolored versions of the same character.”
“The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and experience it again.”
