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August 21, 2020

Quick Review: Rivals of Aether


Fire versus water: Don't let the water win!
In a world where everyone excels at controlling one of the four base elements, a world of constant struggle between the lands and their inhabitants, some shadowy trouble is brewing beneath the surface… 

Rivals of Aether is a creation of Dan Fornace and was released on May 28th, 2017. It’s a fighting game with everything you’d expect from one: Online or local multiplayer, a Story Mode, the creation of profiles, and the most important of all, a thriving community of users.

Gras versus grass. Brothers against brothers?

Not a lot of characters, but hey, every fighting
franchise has to start somewhere.
The main roster is comprised of eight characters, two for each element: Forsburn and Zetterburn (Fire), Maypul and Kragg (Earth), Wrastor and Absa (Wind), Orcane and Etalus (Water). Readers of the blog might remember Orcane being one of the characters in Indie Pogo, another fighting game reviewed on here last year. There are six characters that can be purchased as DLC on Steam as well. The first four belong to the elements: Clairen, Sylvanos, Ellianna and Ranno. The last two are indie guest star fighters: Ori (from Ori and the Blind Forest) and Shovel Knight.

The Story Mode is a plot that ties six of the fighters into a single adventure. A tale of betrayal and danger, with the characters crossing paths throughout as they try to make sense of mysterious shadow clones that have appeared. Each character fights the other five, one at a time, culminating in a boss fight against a Rival (hence the game's name) that has two lives instead of one.

Unlike Smash, it can still take a while for someone
to go flying after reaching 100%.
The game uses a system akin to Smash’s damage percentage. Unlike Smash however, in the Story Mode of Rivals of Aether, a fighter’s damage percentage doesn’t return to zero between fights, which adds another layer of difficulty. You have three lives. While some battles are justified by plot, some character storylines will feature battles that are there only to fill space, which is unfortunate. Still, the six characters come together at the end against a common foe: A final boss made of darkness, which has a long health bar and summons shadow copies of fighters. You switch between the six characters to defeat it.

Trouble is afoot!

Beating the Story Mode unlocks Abyss Mode, in which you pick a character that will then go through several different challenges, gain experience from winning said challenges, and level up. Abyss Mode ends when the character is KO’d, but they retain any experience earned and can keep on earning more. Levels allow a character to equip items that will allow them to get further into the mode.

What does the game offer, multiplayer-wise? Local matches, which can be done with Steam’s Remote Play. The Online multiplayer has multiple possibilities: Ranked, Casual, Friendly and Team matches.

As far as customizing characters goes, Rivals
of Aether goes a step beyond!

In the Extras Menu, it’s possible to completely change a fighter’s color palette, see your stats and achievements, watch the Story Mode cutscenes, and so on. The most appreciated feature of this game, however, may be its Steam Workshop, thanks to which users can create their own fighters, stages, helpers, and so on.

Oh no, everything is on fire!
*insert your own 2020 joke here*
I played the game for a few hours, and I could see that each fighter had its gimmicks, little details you had to get used to in order to be really good when using them. There is a very wide array of moves, which are thankfully taught in the Tutorial available in the solo player section. Admittedly, I would need several more hours of practice with each fighter before I can safely say I’ve got any talent with any of them. The basics are already complex; I feel like this game requires a higher level of skill in general. That’s not a problem per se, but it can make the game feel less accessible. That said, maybe I’m just not good at it. That happens. The complexity of this game's fight moves is all to its honor, though it comes with the associated need to practice a LOT.

Wrastor clearly thinks he's the best.
The game is rendered in very good pixel art; the Story Mode cutscenes, in particular, are beautiful, though the whole game looks fantastic. The music is wonderful as well. I feel like the roster is rather small, with 8 characters available and 6 to purchase (on four DLCs costing roughly 20$ in total, on top of the game’s base price). But, to be fair, each character has a personality and gimmicks, and a lot of work went into making their movesets interesting and balanced. The stages are available in a regular version with dangers and hazards, and a basic form without. The many modes and the near-infinite possibilities for customization are a great touch. It’s also nice to know that fan-made items can be added to the game through Steam Workshop, as I’ve seen videos showcasing well-made fighters who almost fit in as well as the official characters!


It’s a very good game, I’m just not good at it, and I unfortunately don’t have as much time as I’d like to practice it. Rivals of Aether is available for 14.99$.

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