Rivals of Aether is a platform fighter game made by Dan Fornace. It was released for Microsoft Windows in March 2017, for Xbox One in August 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2020. Critics gave the game good reviews, and they praised its complex and fun gameplay.
The game has several spin-offs. One is a dating sim called Lovers of Aether, which came out for PC on April 1, 2019, and for iOS on July 30, 2019. Another is a deck-building game named Creatures of Aether, released for iOS and Android on September 28, 2020, and for PC on August 2, 2021. A roguelike game called Dungeons of Aether was released for PC and Nintendo Switch in 2023. A comic series titled Tales of Aether was also released in 2021. It explains the background story of the original game. A sequel to Rivals of Aether, called Rivals of Aether II, was released on October 23, 2024.
Gameplay
Rivals of Aether is a game inspired by Super Smash Land, a fan-made version of Super Smash Bros. Because of this, the way the game is played is similar to Super Smash Bros. In the game, players control characters who try to knock each other out of a two-dimensional arena. Players can use fighting-style moves, as well as attacks based on elements like fire, water, air, or earth. These attacks can also change the arena itself, creating a bigger strategy that includes both attacking and changing the environment. Compared to Super Smash Bros., the game focuses more on attacking than defending. Players can only block attacks by timing a "parry" move, and they cannot safely grab edges to return to the arena. To balance this, players can dodge more often on the ground.
Each character in the game is connected to one of the four classical elements: fire, water, air, or earth. Characters like Zetterburn, Forsburn, Clairen, and Mollo are linked to fire. Orcane, Etalus, Ranno, and Hodan are linked to water. Wrastor, Absa, Elliana, and Pomme are linked to air. Kragg, Maypul, Sylvanos, and Olympia are linked to earth. The game also includes guest characters Ori and Sein from Ori and the Blind Forest, and the hero of the Shovel Knight series.
In Super Smash Bros., many characters use only close-range attacks, and most long-distance attacks are short-lived. In contrast, every character in Rivals of Aether has at least one move that creates a lasting effect on the arena, such as bubbles that trap enemies, ice that helps the user move faster, or water that can power up attacks or act as a teleport spot. Some characters even create platforms that change how the arena works. Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku noted that move sets in Super Smash Bros. are more "reserved" compared to those in Rivals of Aether.
On January 17, 2018, characters Maypul and Ranno received special outfits based on characters from Brawlhalla: Ragnir and Wu Shang. The Definitive Edition of the game added more outfits that change characters into different ones. The development team also released two new characters through the Steam Workshop: a panda named Guadua and a joke character named Sandbert for April Fool’s Day.
On April 1, 2021, it was announced that four popular fan-made characters from the Steam Workshop—Mollo, Hodan, Pomme, and Olympia—would be officially added to the game in late 2021 through a free update. These characters were released on February 3, 2022.
Story
The world of Aether is home to many groups of human-like animals. These groups are mainly divided into four fighting civilizations, each controlling a different element: fire, water, earth, or air.
The Water Trade Company’s shipping routes are often attacked by the Air Armada. To stop this, the Company makes an agreement with a noble thief named Orcane. Orcane will retrieve stolen goods from the Armada in exchange for better living conditions for people in the city of Merchant Port. In the Fire Capital, the Emperor is found dead, and his son, Forsburn, is the main person suspected of the crime. Forsburn tells his brother, Zetterburn, that he was set up by the Fire Council and the new Emperor, Loxodont. Zetterburn does not believe him and attacks Forsburn. Forsburn escapes to the wastelands and is taken in by the Smoke Clan. At Loxodont’s coronation, the ceremonial flame is stolen by someone who looks like Orcane. Zetterburn chases the thief and attacks Merchant Port in anger. He defeats the figure, but it is revealed to be a shadow. Zetterburn begins searching for the shadow’s origin, while the real Orcane returns from his mission and follows him.
In the Aetherian Forest, a guardian named Maypul notices a strange illness causing plants to rot. She leaves her sister, Mayreed, behind to find the source of the sickness. While searching, she sees the Fire Guard attacking the Smoke Clan’s settlement. She meets Forsburn, and they fight each other, thinking the other is to blame. When Maypul accuses Forsburn, he explains that he met a shadow resembling his brother and believes this shadow is causing the forest’s sickness. The two agree to work together to find the source of the shadows.
During a scouting mission for the Air Armada, pilots Wrastor and Bradshaw spot a large hole in the Rock Wall surrounding the Aetherian Forest. They go down to investigate but are attacked by Kragg, a Wallbuilder who believes they are trying to exploit the wall’s weakness. Kragg seriously injures Bradshaw because Wrastor was not careful, forcing them to retreat. Wrastor vows revenge. Kragg is later attacked by someone who looks like Maypul. At first, Kragg thinks the Wallbuilders have been betrayed by the forest’s people. However, Mayreed arrives and confirms that the figure is not the real Maypul. She sends Kragg to find the true Maypul, unaware that Wrastor is following him.
The six characters eventually meet at a crater in the center of Aether. Before fighting, a stone structure rises from the crater, revealing an underground abyss where more shadows appear. They realize this is the source of the imposters and the forest’s sickness. The warriors stop fighting and team up to defeat the shadow creatures. After winning, they apologize to each other and agree to prepare for the possibility of the shadows returning.
Development
The game's development focused on making it faster and more centered around combining moves quickly than Super Smash Bros. On August 22, 2017, Ori and Sein from the game Ori and the Blind Forest were added as downloadable content (DLC). On October 17, 2017, Fornace released two additional DLC characters, Ranno and Clairen. Similarly, on April 2, 2018, Fornace added two more DLC characters, Sylvanos and Elliana. On September 14, 2018, Shovel Knight from the video game Shovel Knight was released as the second guest character and final playable character. In 2019, the official Rivals of Aether Twitter account announced that the Steam Workshop would allow players to create their own characters and stages. In January 2020, Rivals of Aether: Definitive Edition was confirmed as a complete version of the game that included all DLC characters. Later that year, on April 1, the full features of the Definitive Edition were introduced in an online presentation, confirming additions such as new unlockables and a new mode based on tetherball. The Definitive Edition was released on September 24, 2020. On April 1, 2021, it was announced that four original characters created through the Steam Workshop would be officially added in a future free update. These characters, along with an update that included rollback netcode, were released on February 3, 2022.
Reception
Rivals of Aether received good reviews from critics. Nick Valdez of Destructoid said the game is a well-developed fighter that adds more depth to the Super Smash Bros. formula. Di Stefano Castelli of IGN Italia noted that the game lacks originality but is a technically skilled remake that appeals to dedicated players.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun mentioned that the game's character design was liked and compared to Pokémon. Polygon described the game as "beautiful" and called it "the indie version of Super Smash Bros."
Legacy
The game has several spin-offs. The first was Lovers of Aether, a free dating simulation game released on April Fools' Day in 2019. This game takes place in a different world where the characters from the original game are high school students at the same school. The player’s goal is to find a date for the school dance. The player’s choices determine whether they are accepted or rejected by the character they choose. Sin Vega from Rock, Paper, Shotgun praised the game for allowing players to romance any character, not just female characters as is common in some games, and for giving the characters more personality and charm than typical dating simulations.
Another spin-off, Creatures of Aether, is a deck-building game. It was first released on September 28, 2020, and later became available for PC on August 2, 2021. Harry Slater from Gamezebo said the game was more complex than expected.
Tales of Aether, a four-part comic series that explains the background story of a character named Clairen, was released in 2021. A third spin-off game, Dungeons of Aether, was released on February 28, 2023. This game is a turn-based roguelike. A 3D fighting game sequel to Rivals of Aether was announced on April 1, 2021, and was named Rivals 2 one year later, with a planned release in 2024. Aether Studios was also formed to manage the series. The game was later renamed Rivals of Aether II and released on Steam on October 23.
On April Fools' Day in 2025, a microgame collection titled Dreams of Aether was released for PC. This game is inspired by WarioWare and features short, fast-paced games. It takes place in the Spirit World, a dream-like place where a character named Absa becomes trapped while sleeping after her mind is filled with random dreams. A piñata-like creature connects her mind with other characters from the Aether universe, and she must navigate their dreams to escape. Jeremy Peeples from Hardcore Gamer praised the game, calling it "top-shelf" and "one of the best" shadow drops he had seen on PC.