AETHUS

A seriously addictive game that always makes me do just another quest part before closing it down. Physics work well, and the bit of puzzle solving needed to get from one place to another is fun without being a platformer.

One of the few games I've actually played all the way through. Great gameplay, an engaging story, and a crafting system that feels naturally integrated instead of tacked on. My only real complaint is that the midgame slows down a bit, though that was probably more due to how I played than the game itself. Highly recommended.

Completely unexpected gem. Both me and my 13 year old son played through the game fully and loved it. I love finding brilliantly made games with a great story which are made by small developers.

Very cool game! The solo dev making it is a beast! His human handler is cool too I guess.

Good story with some twist at the end.

Great game. Story was good, especially at the end, so many things. I got a great time playing it

This game is pretty solid especially for essentially being a solo dev making it. While pacing at some points can be argued as tedious or slow I would say it forces you to linger longer and figure things out. Some of the best best games ever made have weak points but when taken as a whole this game was solid 20-30 hour experience that I would describe as an 8.5/10 game

Aethus nails the thing that matters most: immersion. The world pulls you in and the storyline kept me genuinely invested from start to finish. It's the kind of game where you lose track of time. My one real gripe is how progression is gated. Too often you're blocked by keycards or scripted story checkpoints: artificial walls that pull you out of the world the game works so hard to build. It's a missed opportunity, because the systems for something better are already here. Progression could be tied to in-game mechanics, like crafting the right gear to move forward. The game does this occasionally, but even then it hides the required blueprint behind the same kind of artificial gating. The far more satisfying version of this game gates progress through the mining mechanic: making you hunt for specific resources to advance. That would reward exploration and reinforce the immersion instead of breaking it. Still very much worth playing. Just imagine how good it could've been.