Rivals of Aether Review Summary

A visually stunning pixel-art gem with deep mod support, chaotic co-op fun, and high replayability thanks to unique characters, but its steep learning curve and persistent performance hiccups may frustrate newcomers.

Fun and engaging gameplay: Players consistently describe the game as fun and enjoyable, with satisfying mechanics that make it a great experience both solo and with friends.

Strong modding community: The game has a vibrant modding scene with extensive mod support, offering infinite entertainment and high-quality mods.

Rich workshop character content: The game offers a wide variety of high-quality and creative characters through its workshop, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Beautiful pixel art: The game features beautiful pixel art and animations, contributing to its visual appeal and overall enjoyment.

Great for playing with friends: The game is highly enjoyable when played with friends, both online and locally, making it a great choice for social gaming.

Not beginner-friendly: The game is often criticized for being difficult for beginners to understand and enjoy. Many players find it frustrating and not suitable for casual play.

Significant performance issues: The game suffers from notable lag and performance issues, particularly in the online mode. This affects the overall gameplay experience.

Difficult to find online matches: Players report significant difficulties in finding new players and online matches. The online mode is often described as practically dead.

High price for content: Many players feel that the game is overpriced for the amount of content offered. This is a common complaint among reviewers.

Abyss mode is repetitive: The Abyss mode is frequently criticized for being boring and repetitive, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

Extensive mod support: The game offers robust modding capabilities, allowing players to create and use custom characters, scenarios, and other content. This feature is highlighted as a significant advantage, fostering a strong modding community.

Similar to Smash Bros: The game is frequently compared to Super Smash Bros. due to its similar gameplay mechanics and style. Players note that it resembles other games in the platform fighter genre like Smash Bros and Brawlhalla.

Platform fighter with depth: The game is described as a competitive platform fighter with unique mechanics and depth. It includes features like tutorials and online matchmaking, making it accessible yet challenging.

Unique movement mechanics: The game features unique movement mechanics such as wall jumping, parrying, wavedashing, moonwalking, wavelanding, and platboosting. These mechanics add depth and complexity to the gameplay.

Responsive and smooth gameplay: Players appreciate the game's responsive and smooth gameplay, which is both accessible and challenging. The combat system is noted for its precision and intent-based mechanics.

Lag and online issues: Players report various lag issues, including online lag, high ping, and disconnections during online play with friends.

Low system requirements: The game is praised for running well on low-end hardware, including potato laptops, and being light on computer resources.

Smooth gameplay experience: The game is noted for its responsive and smooth gameplay, running smoothly and almost never lagging, with 60fps gameplay.

Mod-related crashes: The game tends to crash when using many mods, with specific mentions of errors and crashes related to mods and the Workshop beta.

Memory leak and crashing: Players have encountered memory leak issues and general crashing problems.

Highly recommended purchase: Many reviewers strongly recommend buying this game, often mentioning it is worth the price and a great addition to your library.

Ideal for Smash Bros fans: This game is frequently recommended for fans of Smash Bros and similar fighting games. It is seen as a great alternative for those who enjoy the genre.

Great for competitive players: The game is recommended for both competitive and casual players, offering a challenging experience and technical gameplay.

Rich modding community: The game is recommended for its extensive modding support, offering a variety of custom content and unique game modes.

Worth the price: Many reviewers feel the game is worth its price, especially for fans of the genre and those looking for a fun experience.

Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 100.0h.

Story completion: 1.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

The game is highly enjoyable, especially when played with friends, and offers a fluid and addictive experience with a variety of workshop content.

Reported time to anchor: 10m.

Friction: steep learning curve; single player content lacking; online multiplayer can be buggy.

Casual Fun-Seeker: Casual, enjoys both single-player and multiplayer modes, appreciates variety and fluid gameplay. Motivation: Enjoyment and fun with friends. Stance: sale.

Competitive Veteran: Competitive, seeks out challenging and balanced gameplay, enjoys depth and skill expression. Motivation: Competitive gameplay and mastery of mechanics. Stance: buy.

Genre Enthusiast: Balanced, enjoys both casual and competitive play, appreciates educational aspects and unique character designs. Motivation: Appreciation for the genre and enjoyment of competitive play. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key themes related to the Steam Deck experience. Control configuration and a steep learning curve are notable issues, with users finding the default controls confusing and non-intuitive. Stability and performance are mixed, with some users experiencing crashes while others report smooth gameplay. Positive feedback highlights the ease of installing and using workshop mods, which enhances the overall gaming experience. The learning curve for controls is also a common theme, with users indicating it takes time to get accustomed to the game's control scheme.

Linux and Proton: The game shows good compatibility with Steam Deck, with users reporting a positive experience. There are no significant issues related to Proton or Linux compatibility mentioned in the reviews.

Monetization: The game has received mixed reviews regarding its monetization and content. While some players appreciate the additional content provided through DLC and the modding capabilities, others feel that the base game is overpriced and lacking in essential content. The continuous stream of purchasable content, including DLC characters, stages, skins, and buddies, indicates a robust monetization strategy that can be seen as both positive and negative depending on the player's perspective.