Rivals of Aether

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 44 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 44
  3. Negative: 3 out of 44

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  1. AZCards
    Apr 2, 2017
    10
    If you're into Super Smash Bros., please give this game a try. It's fast paced like Melee but much, MUCH, easier to get into. The characters are really balanced and each patch the tier list gets that much closer together. One of the best indie games I have played and they are still developing new characters for it. Very excited to see the future of this game.
  2. sodapopSquid
    Apr 7, 2017
    10
    BUY THIS GAME. IT'S GOT COMBOS.
    IT'S GOT HYPE
    IT'S GOT STRATS
    IT'S GOT A **** GOAT HOLY **** SHE'S CUTE.
    BUY THIS GAME DAMN IT.
    DO IT NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.

    It's fun.
  3. TheClownster
    Apr 6, 2017
    9
    I would like to get the point across that this is definitely a Smash Brothers-esque platform fighter. however, calling Rivals of Aether a "smash clone" wouldn't be doing this game justice. This is a fighting game, which captures both the competitive nature of Melee, and the ease of access that the newer Smash Brothers games focus on. Though the game has many of the techniques that wereI would like to get the point across that this is definitely a Smash Brothers-esque platform fighter. however, calling Rivals of Aether a "smash clone" wouldn't be doing this game justice. This is a fighting game, which captures both the competitive nature of Melee, and the ease of access that the newer Smash Brothers games focus on. Though the game has many of the techniques that were prominent in Melee, the difficulty of executing these moves has been toned down a bit, allowing for less technical players to enjoy the game, as well as those who have honed their technical skills. Another factor that makes this game a lot easier to access than the Smash games is the tutorials. whereas the Smash Brothers games have no real tutorials, other than a few videos showing what the buttons do, Rivals of Aether has extensive tutorials that cover everything from recovery to combos, and even character specific tutorials to better help players understand how their favorite characters function.

    Fair warning, Rivals of aether has a pretty steep learning curve, that creates a rift between the casuals and the competitive level players, so don't be surprised if you find someone online who is leagues better than you the first time. Mastering this game takes dedication and effort, which makes improving at it significantly more satisfying.

    The game features singleplayer and multiplayer modes. For the sake of this review, I will mostly be talking about the multiplayer modes. The multiplayer modes are pretty straightforward. Exhibition mode allows you to search for a player online for a friendly match. Ranked mode finds you a player to fight against in a more competitive environment, and ELO is on the line. if you're familiar with any elo system, you know how this works already. The only real problem with this mode is that the game's community is still in it's infancy, so finding another player with good ping in certain areas of the world is rare, though this isn't much of a problem if you live in the USA or Europe. There is also a friendly match mode, which allows you to invite a friend for a 1 on 1 match. this is usually how online competitions are held, by having a bracket set and then having players fight each other in the friendly match mode and having the players tally their results. there's also a team match, but no one really plays it. This is where the game's biggest flaws are showcased; the team match mode, and the size of the community. Firstly, team mode, though fun with friends, is downright useless to people who are playing online alone from their house, and it frankly felt like something to pad out the size of the game, an afterthought, if you will. The second problem is the size of the community; it's pretty small. the online modes aren't exactly bustling with players 24/7, but more like every few hours there is a sizeable amount of players online, and for the rest of the time being, the game is completely silent. This makes it so that people with certain schedules are less likely to find matches online, and are limited to only being able to play the story mode, abyss mode, or with bots.

    The final thing that I think is worth mentioning is the community itself. Despite its small size, It's a cozy, unbelievably nice and diverse community from people all over the world, united by their love of a game. if you'd like to meet these people for yourself, I suggest you check the discords for NA, Europe, Australia, and RoA academy; a discord specifically created by the players of the game to help newer players become better.
    North America Discord: www.discord.gg/RoA
    Europe Discord: bit.ly/eurivals-discordapp
    Australia Discord: discord.me/aus-smash
    RoA Academy: discord.me/mentor

    overall, this game has already eaten up hundreds of hours of my time, and I doubt it's going to stop doing that anytime soon. I recommend it to any fan of the Smash games, or anyone looking to get into Smash games.    … Expand
  4. pipinhozii
    Apr 25, 2017
    10
    This game is a very good competitive brawler. Pixel arts and characters are very colorful, and this makes visual a lot better to watch. Gameplay is very smooth.
  5. Hums
    Feb 5, 2018
    10
    Not only is Rivals of Aether a great competitive fighting game but it is one of the biggest surprises of indie gaming. The project has been lead by a passionate and talented team and it clearly reflects on the product after playing for hours upon hours.

    The characters are fleshed out masterfully in all aspects. Their appearance is simple yet inviting. Think Avatar The Last Airbender but    Not only is Rivals of Aether a great competitive fighting game but it is one of the biggest surprises of indie gaming. The project has been lead by a passionate and talented team and it clearly reflects on the product after playing for hours upon hours.

    The characters are fleshed out masterfully in all aspects. Their appearance is simple yet inviting. Think Avatar The Last Airbender but with animals. But it doesn't end there, the developers put expert care in the gameplay. This title teaches developers a worthy approach to balancing a roster. Yes, it's true, there isn't the largest selection of fighters, but each offers so much depth that exploring two characters fully is nearly impossible. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses, and gimmicks that are displayed in their toolkit. But there is no overlaps or clones. Each character is different, and that's what fighters NEED. The sprite work is a love letter to retro gaming and revamps it further with fluid animation. The chirpy musical tunes synergise with the 16-bit stages to immerse the player in a competitive trance. The game on the surface is easy to learn for beginners but rewarding to those who want to devote the time to master it.

    Although Rivals is a fantastic game it does have its share of problems that I hope the team addresses heading launch. The game is unforgiving to people who play with keyboards. Keyboard play feels unintuitive and jarring compared to controllers, which may alienate potential consumers and players to continue playing. Also, the $15 pay wall indefinitely hinders the game to grow. I agree with this payment method personally and see that it supports the development team, but objectively it does push consumers away to rivalling titles which are cheaper or even free.

    Unfortunately, if such problems continue to exist it will negatively affect the game and it's playerbase in both the short and long term. Alienating potential players will make the game less lively; there will be less people to play against in either the ranked or exhibition mode. A lack of new blood will raise the question if it is worthwhile to continue playing to veterans. Admittedly, these are difficult issues but I have complete faith that the team will succeed.

    Ultimately, Rivals of Aether is an outstanding game and an even more special experience with friends. Most importantly, you will not regret buying this game if you are striving to 'get gud'.    … Expand
  6. joehi1
    Dec 12, 2017
    8
    Rivals of Aether brings the retro smash game we never received back in the 16-bit era. The sprites are amazing and the game as a whole fits so well with its art style. Single player story mode has online leaderboards for replay value and online play is pretty great for an indie title. There's also a custom skin creator which adds some really neat value to the game. Overall Rivals of AetherRivals of Aether brings the retro smash game we never received back in the 16-bit era. The sprites are amazing and the game as a whole fits so well with its art style. Single player story mode has online leaderboards for replay value and online play is pretty great for an indie title. There's also a custom skin creator which adds some really neat value to the game. Overall Rivals of Aether is by far one of the best "Smash" style fighters that have ever been created and any fans of 2D fighters should definitely check this game out.

    Cons
    Small cast
    Lack of gameplay diversity (multiple game modes)    … Expand
  7. Zackthecritic
    Apr 30, 2020
    10
    Best platform fighter game i ever played after Super Smash Bros, if you like the stile of platform fighters you should definitely play this game, it's worth the money.
  8. DingerDonger
    Jun 27, 2020
    6
    Overall this is not a bad game, but I think there are a few key points it really misses on that keep it from being either a good competitor or successor to Melee. Input buffer is a big one. A buffer NEVER feels right or good, no matter how long you spend trying to get used to it. I understand there are some hurdles to get around when making a game like this that's meant to be playedOverall this is not a bad game, but I think there are a few key points it really misses on that keep it from being either a good competitor or successor to Melee. Input buffer is a big one. A buffer NEVER feels right or good, no matter how long you spend trying to get used to it. I understand there are some hurdles to get around when making a game like this that's meant to be played online, but Melee online even with some lag spikes feels far better than the 6 frame buffer in this game.

    The characters. While I don't think that direct ports of characters would necessarily benefit the game, I do think that if characters ARE ported over, they should remain faithful to the original(s). Zetterburn... is an example of how not to do this. The character is mostly melee Fox with a pinch of PM Wolf thrown in, but with half the control scheme tossed in a blender and spilled back out onto the ground. Why is the "shine" equivalent neutral B? Why is the projectile side B? Why would you bother essentially copying a character but mixing up the moves? For the sake of originality? Please. The devs think they're being creative I guess but in essence are just giving the snobs that play this game an excuse to shout, "go play Melee if you don't like Rivals." Many of the other characters in this game are also clones or mashups of other Melee favorites (the goat is Mewtwo/Zelda, the sword guy is Marth with a little Roy, etc), with a few other semi-creative originals thrown in. The cast isn't disappointing (aside from Zetterburn), but it doesn't feel exciting either. The fact that they're mostly weird furries is a little... disconcerting, though. Not really my thing.

    The single player story and gameplay are completely awful. I have no idea why this was even put into the game. Just don't even bother with it.

    I do really enjoy the stage variation in this game as well as the customizability of character colors. There are lots of cool personal touches you can add to the gameplay. Still, though, I can't get over that most of the characters are approaching "furry" territory. Something about that still irks me.

    Rivals has more good than bad, but I honestly can't see a reason to play this game over Melee. Everything Rivals does Melee does better, even online.    … Expand
  9. Emerald3ME
    Apr 9, 2023
    8
    Unironically one of the best platform fighters ever realised. Fantastic depth and unique original mechanics, alongside community tools for creating their own content. A fantastic competitively sound platform fighters that inspires the next generation of game devs? Hell ya!
  10. Myrlho
    Sep 12, 2022
    9
    Más que original en su estilo: Entretenido, rápido y desarrollado tanto en el aspecto casual como en el competitivo, lo esencial de un estilo de lucha similar al Super Smash bros.

    Roa nos ofrece un juego que en una primera instancia encanta por su apartado artístico; su Pixel-art cuidadosamente trabajado evoca a un fighting game de antaño, con bases y mecánicas muy similares a smash,    Más que original en su estilo: Entretenido, rápido y desarrollado tanto en el aspecto casual como en el competitivo, lo esencial de un estilo de lucha similar al Super Smash bros.

    Roa nos ofrece un juego que en una primera instancia encanta por su apartado artístico; su Pixel-art cuidadosamente trabajado evoca a un fighting game de antaño, con bases y mecánicas muy similares a smash, con ciertas características propias que definen este juego como uno con muchísimo caracter.

    Su banda sonora si no destaca de forma grandiosa, sí acompaña a la experiencia de forma grata y no obstructiva; es funcional para las batallas que ofrece, y para el desempeño del juego en general.

    Sin dudas, este título exprime todo su potencial en la plataforma de PC, teniendo en cuenta que el Steam Workshop ofrece un sinfín de escenarios y personajes custom, pasando por todo el elenco principal de Smash bros, su más grande inspiración, hasta peleadores memes como Ronald mc Donald o Barack Obama. Más allá de esto, el roster original nos ofrece un conjunto de personajes con diversidad variada de gameplay, además de los personajes invitados: Ori y Shovel knight, que, además de ser parte de videojuegos íconos de sus géneros, funcionan a la perfección en cuanto a adaptación a un fighting game se refiere, incluyendo también escenarios y sus OST propios.

    Rivals of aether es un videojuego que cumple lo que promete, da horas de diversión y una diversidad digna de un juego de peleas sumamente completo y minuciosamente trabajado. Su escena competitiva es activa, mas, lastimosamente, esta obra está más que infravalorada, quizá por su apartado artístico minimalista, o por su no totalmente lograda difusión.
    Más allá de esto, este fighting game es, a mi juicio, el smashlike por excelencia, el más competente en el mercado actualmente, y sin dudas, un juego al que darle más de una opotunidad.    … Expand
  11. Normaliv
    Apr 4, 2022
    9
    This game is great for people who want an authentic fighting game experience (A.K.A something similar to melee.) If you're not in that boat, its not the best experience overall. However, if you are, then this is the most fun you are going to have for a while playing a game. The mechanics are fleshed out and flow fantastically, however, where the real fun comes in, is the workshop. HundredsThis game is great for people who want an authentic fighting game experience (A.K.A something similar to melee.) If you're not in that boat, its not the best experience overall. However, if you are, then this is the most fun you are going to have for a while playing a game. The mechanics are fleshed out and flow fantastically, however, where the real fun comes in, is the workshop. Hundreds or even thousands of well designed characters, stages, and buddies to make your experience fun while playing with friends, or even when playing by yourself! With all of that into account, this game deserves a 9.… Expand
  12. AlexMakesToast
    Dec 16, 2022
    6
    Rivals = 6/10
    . ................. ............................................
  13. P0kePanda
    Nov 28, 2022
    10
    The best Platform Fighter on the market. highly recommend if you've played competitive melee before
  14. ilovegamedemos8
    May 12, 2023
    8
    finally i can play as my boy waluigi, and ronald mcdonald is a god, fox is the best character, epic
  15. OrangeRood
    Jun 9, 2023
    8
    A decent addition to Games like Smash and Multiversus, very fun Workshop, you can play sans and waluigi apart from this gimmick the game doesn't have much in store. Still very solid game.
  16. GentlemanHunter
    Jul 16, 2023
    8
    Things I like:
    - very good character balance
    - Easy to Learn, hard to master gameplay - Banger Soundtrack - Unique Graphics - Practically Endless Replayability via mods - In-depth Tutorial Things I don't like: - are not really any options for casual play - base game map and character selection could be bigger (I know I'm kinda stretching for this one) Conclusion: Although it    Things I like:
    - very good character balance
    - Easy to Learn, hard to master gameplay
    - Banger Soundtrack
    - Unique Graphics
    - Practically Endless Replayability via mods
    - In-depth Tutorial

    Things I don't like:
    - are not really any options for casual play
    - base game map and character selection could be bigger (I know I'm kinda stretching for this one)

    Conclusion: Although it has some flaws, Rivals of Aether is probably one of the best alternatives to super smash bros on the market today    … Expand
  17. ThePieMan07
    Aug 14, 2023
    10
    I absolutely love this game. I have spent hours messing around with the custom characters and modding scene because its so fun. It's a very fast pace game with a kinda small roster, but as long as you're playing on Steam, then you can get custom characters to expand your roster. Speaking of custom content, there's so much. There's stages that are just funny little things like Poke Floats,I absolutely love this game. I have spent hours messing around with the custom characters and modding scene because its so fun. It's a very fast pace game with a kinda small roster, but as long as you're playing on Steam, then you can get custom characters to expand your roster. Speaking of custom content, there's so much. There's stages that are just funny little things like Poke Floats, or full on boss fights versus tons of kirby bosses, dracula, and even some undertale boss fights. There's so much in this game. The story mode is short, but it brings a lot of charm to some of the characters and there's tons of plot holes that only get fixed when you play other characters' campaigns. As much as I hate fighting games, I can't help but love being able to put the god-like being, Ronald McDonald, against Mario Pissing.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. IGN Italia
    Apr 8, 2017
    81
    Lacking in fighters and originality, Rivals of Aether is a fine re-implementation of Smash Bros aimed at hardcore players.
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  2. Destructoid
    Apr 7, 2017
    90
    Instead of dancing around the "is it a fighting game or not?" question plaguing Nintendo's major mascot title for years, Rivals of Aether goes full throttle into the genre and delivers an experience the platform fighting genre deserves.
    Read full review