Dungeons of Aether
- February 27, 2023
- ampersandbear
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Dungeons of Aether" is a turn-based dungeon crawler with a dice draft system, offering challenging combat and unique battles. The game features four new heroes, including Fleet, a clumsy but well-meaning self-proclaimed protector of her hometown. Every decision made can lead to treasure or an early demise, adding an extra layer of challenge to the dungeon exploration.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Gorgeous pixel art and animations that enhance the overall experience.
- Unique and engaging dice-based combat system that requires strategic thinking.
- Charming characters and a fun story that expands the Aether universe.
- Combat can become tedious and drawn out, often leading to stalemates.
- Difficulty spikes in later chapters can feel unfair, especially with certain character abilities.
- Limited enemy variety and repetitive gameplay can detract from the overall experience.
- story492 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Dungeons of Aether" is generally described as engaging yet predictable, with a runtime of about 9-10 hours. While some players appreciate the character development and world-building, particularly for fans of the "Rivals of Aether" lore, others find the narrative lacking depth and coherence, often feeling rushed or disconnected. The gameplay mechanics, particularly the dice-based combat, can detract from the storytelling experience, leading to mixed feelings about the overall execution of the story mode.
“Main story mode is compelling and lasts 9 hours if you try to 100% everything.”
“The story is short enough though and what's there kept me engaged just long enough to finish it, while enjoying the journey.”
“Just completed the story mode, and this game is an absolute treat. Beautiful pixel art, fun and engaging characters, an interesting story (that far surpasses ROA's story mode, no offense), and wonderfully crafted combat.”
“The story mode is extremely limiting, forcing you to swap the character you play. Realistically, there's also nothing new past the first three runs, and they're enough to buy every single permanent upgrade.”
“The format of the game ultimately creates an incredibly rushed story that really could have benefitted from some workshopping, and it stands out as the weakest element of this game by a large margin.”
“My only real issue is that the story has *terrible* pacing.”
- gameplay454 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Dungeons of Aether" features a unique dice-drafting mechanic that offers strategic depth, but it is often criticized for its reliance on RNG, leading to frustrating stalemates and repetitive encounters. While many players appreciate the charming visuals and engaging mechanics, others find the gameplay simplistic and lacking in variety, particularly as the game progresses. Overall, the experience is described as a mix of fun and frustration, with a strong foundation that could benefit from further refinement and content expansion.
“The gameplay is fun and challenging, and the music is incredibly catchy.”
“Dungeons of Aether is a well thought out game with a nice storyline, amazing artwork, and fun gameplay mechanics.”
“The gorgeous pixel art, boppin' soundtrack, clever writing, and fun gameplay are all a testament to that.”
“You will be forced to play with the characters you dislike, with mechanics you find grueling.”
“Honestly heavily disappointed, which is a shame because it is clear a lot of effort went into this game, just like all the others from Aether Studio, but sadly on this one, the gameplay and the amount of content simply don't follow that same level of quality.”
“The gameplay becomes too repetitive after a while.”
- music238 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in "Dungeons of Aether" has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, high-quality soundtrack that enhances the overall gaming experience. The chiptune and FM synth tracks are described as some of the best in indie gaming, often evoking nostalgia and perfectly complementing the game's charming visuals and engaging gameplay. While some players noted that the music can be repetitive, the majority found it to be a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“The pixel art is superb, the music is beyond incredible, one of the best chiptune soundtracks ever in a video game and worth the price alone.”
“The music and art direction was absolutely superb, while simple each of the character's designs and sprite art were just absolutely filled with charm and personality, and the music absolutely carried the entire experience on its back.”
“The gorgeous pixel art, boppin' soundtrack, clever writing and fun gameplay are all a testament to that.”
“The game music is fine but it’s a little short and repetitive, so I ended up muting it. However, the voiceover is also linked to the same slider for some reason, so I wasn’t able to listen to the conversations.”
“The music doesn't really have any zingers, but it all fits.”
“Was looking forward to this game, love the style and music, but the gameplay is such a chore; also, no level-up mechanic.”
- graphics96 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and beautifully crafted art style, featuring cute characters and vibrant pixel art that enhances the overall aesthetic experience. Many reviewers highlight the impressive visuals and music as standout elements, often compensating for gameplay flaws. Overall, the game's graphics contribute significantly to its appeal, making it a delightful experience for players who appreciate artistic design.
“The graphics are excellent, the music is amazing, and the dice drafting system is nice and snappy.”
“Aesthetically, the game is delightful both on a visual and sound standpoint; everything looks great from characters to buildings to animations.”
“Absolutely phenomenal artwork and soundtrack!”
“It's at the point where if it were not such a charming game with an amazing OST, I'd probably not recommend it, but the graphics and soundtrack are doing the heavy lifting.”
“The visuals generally are not involved in the core gameplay.”
“This all kind of sucks even more with the fact that the artwork and music are amazing, and I love all the character and enemy designs (outside of Fleet's weird pencil-thin waist in dialogue scenes).”
- grinding46 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, particularly during combat encounters that often involve repetitive blocking and minimal strategic variety. Many reviewers note that the need to farm resources and the slow pace of battles detract from the overall enjoyment, making exploration feel undesirable. Despite some fun mechanics, the grinding experience is seen as a significant flaw that hampers the game's potential.
“This game is intensely tedious even in the first level.”
“Without significant upgrades to your stats, or reliable items, each battle can be a tedious slog to eventually overcoming the enemy... or being worn down to defeat.”
“There is zero gameplay variety and it gets tedious fast... it's an absolute shame because I really feel like the universe of Aether is ripe for the picking for a dungeon crawler but the systems they put in place are quite simply not fun.”
- replayability32 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily through its challenge dungeons mode, which some players find unbalanced and less engaging compared to the main story. While the story mode is well-crafted and enjoyable, the overall experience is relatively short, with many players estimating around 10 hours before replay value diminishes. Despite its flaws in replayability, the game is still recommended for its quality storytelling and fun gameplay.
“Great game that doesn't overstay its welcome and has replay value along with post-game content.”
“Overall, great game that I would recommend, with a fun story mode and replayability from the challenge dungeons.”
“While the game has a main story, it also has a challenge mode that can be used for replayability.”
“Judging by upgrade progress, I'm guessing 10 hours before replay value evaporates, which seems reasonable for what I paid.”
“It's pretty easy to get into, but the simplified nature of the game hurts the game's replayability and depth a bit too much for my taste.”
“And while I do enjoy this game for the great writing and fair amount of challenge that the story mode brings, I unfortunately do not see it having much replay value with how unbalanced the challenge dungeons are, since with the way they are designed right now, it practically forces you to only play as Fleet, the jack of all trades of the cast.”
- character development28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highly praised, with reviewers consistently highlighting the exceptional character designs and unique silhouettes that reflect individual personalities. The art style and overall aesthetic are considered standout features, contributing significantly to the game's appeal. However, some players express a desire for more variety in enemy designs to match the high quality of the character art.
“The character designs are absolutely fantastic and are easily the highlight of this game.”
“The character design is absolutely superb, the artists have done an amazing job.”
“The character designs and story are charming, but there is virtually no reason to spend your currency on anything other than the chapter in which you cannot prepare or be ready for until after it essentially forces you to restart the whole story to pad out play times.”
“I think it was probably difficult to come up with good and unique gimmicks for enemies in this type of battle system, but I really would have appreciated reskins of the same enemy types for each of the biomes, especially when the character designs are one of Aether's biggest strong points.”
“All of the character designs really reflect their unique personalities.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky characters and amusing interactions, with players finding the critters and dialogue entertaining. While the story may be lacking, the well-written characters and funny moments contribute to an overall enjoyable experience. Additionally, players appreciate the lightheartedness of the gameplay, which includes humorous bugs and unexpected scenarios.
“Story's fun, music's amazing, art's good, funny critters cute and whatnot.”
“Haha, funny furry dungeon roguelike!”
“Epic and real, funny demopan.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization appears to heavily rely on resource management, as players who rush through without careful planning may find themselves at a disadvantage, particularly in the final chapter. Overall, effective optimization is crucial for success, suggesting that strategic gameplay is essential.
“I optimized the game extensively, so I can't really tell you how it goes, but I think that if you rush to the final chapter burning every resource and having 0 gold to spend, then you are screwed.”
“The optimization options in this game are fantastic, allowing players to tailor their experience and maximize efficiency.”
“I love how the game encourages optimization; it really makes you think about your strategy and resource management.”
“I optimized the game to the fullest, so I can't really tell you how it goes, but I think that if you rush to the final chapter burning every resource and have 0 gold to spend, then you are screwed.”
“The optimization in this game is a mess; it feels like the developers didn't even consider how players would manage their resources.”
“I spent hours trying to optimize my strategy, but the game punishes you for making any mistakes, leaving you with no way to recover.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the character Artemis, highlighting moments of triumph and exhilaration, particularly when overcoming challenges while at low health. This sense of empowerment and achievement contributes to a memorable gaming experience.
