Info about Aether & Iron:

Official game description:
With a writing team that includes credits on Far Cry, Mass Effect, and Sovereign Syndicate, Aether & Iron brings to life an alternate timeline in which anti-gravitational aether technology has reshaped the city skyline and deepened social divides.
Thoroughly researched and inspired by real-life counterparts from 1930s New York City, explore its backstreets, dive into its seedy underbelly, marvel at stunning architecture, and peel back the city's many layers of power and greed.
Your choices shape not just your path, but the city's fate as well. Will you rise as a savior, withdraw as a renegade, or evolve into a symbol of resilience in a world of authoritarian barons and high-stakes strategy?
What good is a smuggler without a good getaway car? Assemble a wide range of incredible aether-powered vehicles and unlock new tactical options to try out in an interesting twist on strategic, turn-based vehicular battles.
Tinker with your rides to suit your playstyle. Do you prefer moving hard and fast, relying on speed for quick getaways? Or perhaps you might prefer to slap on some steel plates and bust out the grenade launcher!
The streets of New York can be unforgiving without reliable backup. Recruit unique and resourceful companions to watch your back, and follow their stories. Each is armed with a range of talents that can make all the difference in a jam.
**The Cast:**
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We have over 200 voiced characters in the game, here are a few:
*   **Dive Into An Underground Life:** Navigate secret paths, dodge enemies, hide contraband, and stay ahead of the big bosses out to get you. Perhaps join a rebellion along the way.
*   **Your Choices Matter:** Your decisions will shape the unfolding history of New York and the lives of its citizens, determining whether they will be able to find hope in a corrupt world of manipulation and violence.
*   **Grow Your Talents:** Level up your Hustle, Smarts, and Brass abilities to improve your chances in combat and social situations. But no matter how good you are always a dice roll away from success or failure.
*   **Drive In Style:** Upgrade your aether-powered rides to suit your playstyle. Enhance your cars with every trick in the smuggler’s toolkit - hidden compartments, smoke dispensers, and flamethrowers of course.
*   **Hand-drawn Art:** Inspired by 1930’s Detective Comics and the Art Deco period, Aether & Iron brings a unique visual identity to gameplay.
*   **Full English Language Voice Acting:** Experience an alt-history 1930s New York directly through the voices of its inhabitants. Learn their stories; sometimes funny, sometimes philosophical, usually tragic.
About Seismic Squirrel: 
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Seismic Squirrel is a talented and passionate team of both industry veterans and enthusiastic newcomers. We share a strong desire to tell fascinating stories supporting engaging gameplay mechanics.

Release date: Mar 30, 2026

Categories: Turn-based Combat, Character Progression, Choice-based Narrative, Vehicle Customization, Narrative-driven Gameplay, Dialogue-based Gameplay, Hand-drawn Animation, Voice Acting


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 13.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 1.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct and indirect references to playtime. The second quote explicitly mentions 13 hours of playtime, which can be used as a reference for game completion time. The third quote suggests a typical session length of 1-2 hours. The fourth quote indicates that a player has spent 5 hours in the game and is looking forward to playing more, supporting the session length and overall playtime metrics.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Narrative Atmosphere Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Immersive storytelling and relaxing gameplay
    - Playstyle: Enjoys sitting back and experiencing the game like a movie, appreciating the atmosphere and narrative.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: chill gamer; story lover
    - Reference games: Citizen Sleeper; Disco Elysium
  - RPG Innovator (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploring unique and innovative RPG mechanics
    - Playstyle: Enjoys experimenting with different decisions and appreciating unique battle systems.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: RPG fan; indie game supporter
    - Reference games: Citizen Sleeper; Disco Elysium


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Unique turn-based combat (weight 0.95): The combat system is noted for its uniqueness and tactical depth, blending familiar and innovative elements.
- High-quality voice acting (weight 0.91): The game features extensive and well-received voice acting, enhancing the overall experience and immersion.
- Engaging characters and story (weight 0.71): Players find the characters and story engaging, contributing to a compelling narrative experience.
- Noir setting and atmosphere (weight 0.56): The game's noir setting and atmosphere are highly praised for creating a unique and engaging environment.
- Overall positive experience (weight 0.54): Players generally enjoy the game, praising its music, smooth gameplay, and overall quality.
- High-quality translation (weight 0.31): The game features high-quality translations, including specific mention of the Russian translation.
- Skill checks and gameplay mechanics (weight 0.22): The game includes unique mechanics such as dice-based skill checks, adding depth to gameplay.

Common complaints:
- Numerous bugs and issues (weight 0.65): The game has various bugs, including save file issues, repeated subtitles, and general bugs that affect gameplay.
- Boss difficulty and issues (weight 0.32): Players report issues with bosses, including overtuning, getting stuck, and encounters that seem impossible to beat.
- Technical performance issues (weight 0.31): The game suffers from slow loading scenes, frame rate drops, and text misalignment, impacting the overall performance.
- Equipment and progression issues (weight 0.22): There are issues with equipment comparison and lost progression, such as losing original cars, which frustrate players.
- Story and gameplay inconsistencies (weight 0.12): Players noted inconsistencies between the story and gameplay, which can be immersion-breaking.

Gameplay feedback:
- Turn-based car combat system (weight 0.58): The game features a unique turn-based combat system centered around vehicles, offering dynamic and strategic car battles.
- Disco Elysium-like dialogue and skill checks (weight 0.41): The game includes dialogue and skill checks that evoke the style of Disco Elysium, providing a rich narrative experience.
- Varied battle goals (weight 0.13): Battles in the game have different goals, ensuring that each encounter feels fresh and requires different strategies.
- Various mechanics and options (weight 0.13): The game features a wide range of mechanics and options, providing players with plenty of choices and strategies.
- Skill tree system (weight 0.13): A skill tree system is present, allowing players to customize and develop their characters' abilities.
- Narrative focus (weight 0.13): The game has a strong focus on narrative, driving the gameplay and player decisions.
- Futuristic open-world setting (weight 0.13): The game is set in a futuristic open world with sci-fi elements, featuring fast-paced roads and advanced vehicles.
- Innovative indie RPG elements (weight 0.13): As an indie game, it offers a new take on RPG elements, providing a fresh experience for players.
- Free backwards movement (weight 0.12): A unique mechanic in the game allows for free backwards movement, adding a layer of strategy to the gameplay.

Performance notes:
- Slow loading scenes (weight 0.15): Players have reported that the game's scenes take a long time to load, affecting the overall gaming experience.
- Frame rate drops (weight 0.15): There are issues with the game's performance where the frame rate drops, causing a less smooth gameplay experience.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.51): Many players express strong recommendations for the game, suggesting it to a wide audience and comparing it favorably to other popular indie games.
- Try the demo first (weight 0.13): Some players suggest trying the demo before purchasing the full game, indicating that a demo is available and worth experiencing.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.27): Players are particularly enjoying the voice acting, which is frequently mentioned alongside the story, characters, and overall art style. The unique combat mechanics and the noir aesthetic also contribute significantly to the positive experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.12): Players are frustrated primarily due to technical issues such as self-destructing saves, lost save files, and language settings not working. Additionally, bugs and difficulties with specific game bosses are contributing to this frustration.
- Excitement (weight 0.12): The unique car battles and skill tree are generating excitement among players. The high-quality writing and voice acting are also significant contributors, making players eager to invest more time into the game.
- Love (weight 0.07): Players love the game for its quests, RPG mechanics, combat, and setting. The visual flair and overall experience, including voice acting, are particularly appreciated.
- Appreciation (weight 0.07): The strong narrative elements, fantastic art style, and high-quality music and voice acting are highly appreciated. The thematic art style and quality of the Russian translation are also noted positively.
- Impressed (weight 0.05): Players are impressed by the top-notch writing, characters, art, and voice acting. The visual design, character details, and overall game design are also highlighted as standout features.
- Frustrated (weight 0.05): Translation issues, including poorly translated dialogue, are a major source of frustration. Various technical issues are also contributing to this sentiment.
- Disappointment (weight 0.02): Bugs and translation issues are leading to disappointment among players.
- Interest (weight 0.02): The modern take on 'noir' style writing and combat mechanics has piqued players' interest.
- Excited (weight 0.02): The combination of turn-based strategy and highway gunfights is generating excitement among players.
- Engaged (weight 0.02): The plot and dialogues are engaging players deeply.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Players are looking forward to more discoveries, factions, and crew members, which is creating a sense of anticipation.}