Aether & Iron – Game Review

Aether & Iron – In many years of writing game reviews, I've always believed that a good storyline is the solid foundation for any game. A good storyline can even compensate for weaknesses in visuals or gameplay, for example, the popular game Disco Elysium achieved the maximum rating on tipsplay.net, despite having rather 'old' gameplay and graphics that weren't outstanding.

In a way, the writer's overall impression of Aether & Iron can also be seen as a story-centric game, as it takes players to an alternate version of 1930s New York, where 'aether' technology has transformed the city into floating zones controlled by authoritarian forces and powerful elites.

The way films like Bioshock Infinite or We Happy Few set a fictional world parallel to the real world creates an impression that is both familiar and strange, yet captivating, promising the beginning of a fascinating adventure.

With an impressive storyline, does Aether & Iron have what it takes to become a "masterpiece"? Let's take a look at the following review from Vietgame.Asia!

YOU WILL LIKE

A SMOOTH EXPERIENCE!

As mentioned in the introduction, Aether & Iron 's greatest strength lies in its scriptwriting. The game delivers an emotionally charged 'noir' story, where each character possesses depth and motivation. Themes such as oppression, social injustice, and the desire for change are explored subtly and powerfully, seamlessly connecting gameplay and visual/audio elements to create an incredibly smooth gaming experience.

In the game, players take on the role of Gia Randazzo – a female smuggler at the bottom of her career, who is drawn into a series of events revolving around political intrigue, revolution, and dangerous secrets. Throughout the game, you'll experience a story steeped in classic 'noir' elements such as corruption, betrayal, and class struggle, but refreshed with a modern perspective and a diverse cast of characters.

Notably, the way the game builds the character Gia and the strong female cast brings a fresh feel to a genre often dominated by male characters, making these characters truly 'exist' in the game experience instead of being just bland NPCs with plot points or simply 'filling' the levels like in many traditional RPGs.

Through the individual stories of these characters, players not only follow the narrative but also truly empathize with their tragedies and choices within the overall picture of the New York underworld.

The storyline and gameplay are seamlessly integrated, although the developers at Chaos Theory Games were somewhat ambitious in combining a narrative storytelling style reminiscent of interactive novels (visual novels) with a dice-based selection system (2d6) and unique turn-based combat using flying vehicles, instead of choosing only one of these elements as the main focus, as many strategy-RPG games like Fire Emblem, King Arthur: Knight's Tale , or Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia have done.

For long-time fans of classic RPGs, you'll recognize the familiar 'storytelling' gameplay design of Aether & Iron, where main and side quests are meticulously crafted and interwoven, giving players many different options to solve specific situations. For example, to enter a building, you can find a secret passage to sneak in, hide in a security vehicle to bypass the guard post, or create a disturbance to sneak in when no one is paying attention…

As for the action gameplay, combat in Aether & Iron doesn't follow a traditional format but rather consists of battles between flying vehicles on a 'battle track'. Players must consider many factors such as position, speed, direction of movement, and weapon equipping for their vehicles. This mechanism provides a fresh feel, similar to a turn-based version of vehicle action games, but still maintains a certain level of tactical depth.

The visuals and sound of Aether & Iron can be considered well-executed, especially the attractive hand-drawn art style with an Art Deco feel mixed with retro-futuristic elements, and the detailed environmental design that gives each area its own distinct personality. While not overly spectacular technically, the game still scores points for its aesthetics and its ability to build an atmosphere that suits the 'noir' quality of the storyline and setting.

For long-time fans of classic RPGs, you'll recognize the familiar 'storytelling' gameplay design of Aether & Iron.

One of the elements that elevates the experience is the voice acting and music. Most characters are fully voiced with high quality, adding depth to the dialogue and emotion.

The music, composed by renowned composers like Christopher Tin and Alex Williamson, is deeply rooted in orchestral 'noir', creating a dark yet captivating atmosphere that enhances the player's connection to the game's setting. These two composers have also collaborated on numerous popular games, including Old World and Sid Meier's Civilization VI , and are a testament to the game's high-quality sound design.

Overall, Aether & Iron boasts a well-designed storyline that connects two seemingly disparate gameplay elements, presented through visuals and sound that, while not built with cutting-edge technology, are meticulously crafted by the development team to provide players with a smooth experience.

YOU WILL HATE

A FEW MINOR ISSUES!

Despite being a high-quality game, Aether & Iron is not without its minor flaws.

As mentioned above, the game development team was rather ambitious in creating a vast setting and integrating many interesting features, but not all of them were fully developed. Some mechanisms, such as the 'Heat' system or goods smuggling, only appear in the early stages and gradually lose their significance later on. This sometimes makes the gameplay experience lack depth and fail to fully utilize the game's initial potential.

The combat system, while innovative, isn't always consistent. Some battles experience sudden spikes in difficulty, while others are easily "ruined" by simplistic tactics. Furthermore, vehicle customization sometimes doesn't offer significant differences, leaving players with little incentive to experiment with different combinations.

One minor drawback is the technical glitches. Players may encounter long loading times, save errors, or minor issues with dialogue and controls. While not serious enough to ruin the experience, these bugs still affect the overall smoothness of the game.

Ultimately, despite its interactive novel-like narrative structure, all player choices are forced towards a linear storyline instead of offering multiple possible endings. This is why Aether & Iron doesn't offer significant replay value.

...the game development team was rather 'ambitious' in creating a vast setting and integrating many interesting features and ideas into the game, but not all of them were developed to completion.