Rivals of Aether

Rivals of Aether is a fighting game created by Dan Fornace, and released for Microsoft Windows in March 2017, for Xbox One in August 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in summer 2020. It received positive reception from critics, who commended its deep gameplay.

Rivals of Aether
Developer(s)Dan Fornace
Designer(s)Dan Fornace
Composer(s)flashygoodness
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
  • WW: March 28, 2017
Xbox One
  • WW: August 22, 2017
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: Summer 2020
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Rivals of Aether is the spiritual sequel to Super Smash Land, a remake of Super Smash Bros., and therefore its gameplay mechanics are heavily based on the latter game.[1] Each character must try to knock the others out of a 2-dimensional arena.[1] In addition to fighting game-style moves, characters can also use elemental-based attacks or passive abilities that also affect the stage.[2] This creates a meta game of not only attacking other players but also affecting the arena itself.[2]

Characters

Each character represents a natural element, and this element is central to their play style.[3] Unlike Smash Bros. characters, they have moves which can change the composition of the stage or add conditions to other players. Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku described Smash Bros. move sets as being more "reserved" compared to those of Rivals of Aether.[4] The playable characters are Absa (lightning), Etalus (ice), Forsburn (smoke), Kragg (earth), Maypul (plant), Orcane (water), Wrastor (air), Zetterburn (fire), as well as 6 DLC characters: Ranno (poison), Clairen (plasma), Sylvanos (forest), Elliana (steam), and guest characters Ori and Sein from Ori and the Blind Forest, and Shovel Knight from the series of the same name.[5] On January 17, 2018, the crossover skin of Ragnir from Brawlhalla was released as a skin exclusive to the character Maypul. On the same day, a Ranno skin exclusive to the character Wu Shang from Brawlhalla was released.

Plot

The game's characters are animal champions from different warring civilizations, who battle to stop a shadowy force from threatening the world.[2] Other characters are also available as downloadable content, beginning on August 22, 2017 with the release of Ori and Sein from Ori and the Blind Forest.[6] On October 17, 2017, Fornace released two more DLC characters, Ranno and Clairen. Likewise, on April 2, 2018, Fornace released another two DLC characters, Sylvanos and Elliana. On September 14, 2018, Shovel Knight was released as the second guest character and final playable character.[7]

Development

A focus in the development of the game was making it faster and more combo-oriented than Super Smash Bros.[8] In 2019, the official Rivals of Aether Twitter account confirmed that the Steam workshop would be available for players to create their own characters and stages. [9] In January 2020, Rivals of Aether: Definitive Edition was reconfirmed as a complete version of the game.[10] Later that year, on April 1st, the full features of Definitive Edition were announced through an online presentation, confirming features like new unlockables and a new mode based around tetherball.

Reception

Rivals of Aether was positively received by critics. Nick Valdez of Destructoid scored the game 90/100, saying it is a fully fleshed out fighter that adds additional depth to the Super Smash Bros. formula.[2] Di Stefano Castelli of IGN Italia rated the game 81/100, saying that it lacks originality, but is a technically proficient remake appealing to hardcore players.[11] Alice O'Connor of Rock, Paper, Shotgun said that she enjoyed the game's character design, and that it was reminiscent of Pokémon.[1] Megan Farokhmanesh of Polygon called the game "beautiful" and "the indie answer to Super Smash Bros".[8]

References
  1. "Rivals of Aether wavedashes to a full launch". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  2. "Review: Rivals of Aether". Destructoid. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  3. "Steam Fighting Game Takes Risks That Super Smash Bros Won't". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  4. "Rivals of Aether Makes The Smash Bros. Formula Feel New Again". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  5. "Ori of Ori and the Blind Forest joins Smash Bros-style brawler Rivals of Aether". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2019-05-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2019-05-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Rivals of Aether is like a beautiful, indie version of Super Smash Bros". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  9. "Steam Workshop is coming to Rivals of Aether". Jack of All Controlers. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  10. Life, Nintendo (2020-01-28). "Rivals Of Aether - Definitive Edition Arrives On Switch This Summer". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  11. "Rivals of Aether - La Recensione". IGN Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
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