Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 30/Apr 05:05

Aether & Iron – Review

We’re always on the lookout for the next Disco Elysium. Where we’ve seen plenty of Souls-likes, Survivors-likes, and even Balatro-likes in recent years, Disco-likes are much further and fewer in between. Not only that, but as much as we enjoyed Sovereign Syndicate or BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION, they didn’t even come close to ZA/UM’s masterpiece. The only game in recent memory that does is Baldur’s Gate 3, although we consider that one an entirely different beast altogether, because it puts much more emphasis on RPG elements. Aether & Iron, on the other hand, sticks close to Disco Elysium’s base recipe. Can the game add enough ingrediënts to serve up a hearty dish of its own, or does it end up tasting like a watered-down decoction? Story Set in an alternate 1930s New York, Aether & Iron follows Gia Randazzo, a struggling smuggler. This version of the Big Apple is built atop floating islands powered by a mysterious substance called Aether. Our story begins with what appears to be a relatively simple job for Gia, with her being hired to escort a young scientist named Nellie. Things quickly spiral into something much larger, with Gia becoming entangled in a web of conspiracies involving the oppressive ruling class known as the Barons and an underground resistance group. We’ll refrain from spoiling too much, as Aether & Iron is very much a narrative-driven game. What we can tell you is that the game’s themes feel very relevant, despite the story being set nearly a century ago. The story explores themes of class division, power, corruption, and revolution, with the wealthy living in elevated districts while workers struggle below. Gia also confronts her own past and reputation, while building a crew and navigating morally complex choices that can shape how events play out. The writing is excellent, providing a noir-style tale filled with intrigue, shifting alliances, and high-stakes consequences that could ultimately determine the fate of the city. Graphics The retro-futuristic setting provides the perfect excuse for Aether & Iron’s visuals to lean heavily into an art deco aesthetic. The overall look of the game is very reminiscent of the Bioshock series, albeit rendered in a hand-drawn art style instead of fully rendered character models and environments. The majority of the game makes use of striking illustrations, although simple 3D graphics are used in the game’s combat and car chase sequences. While there is a stark contrast between these in theory, they mesh together surprisingly well, with Aether & Iron maintaining a cohesive look and feel throughout. The same can’t be said for the game’s technical performance, unfortunately. The camera can behave erratically, including jumping around or even dropping below the battlefield during combat. Occasionally, the game’s visuals failed to load entirely, resulting in a black screen and prompting a restart. Nothing here is outright game-breaking, mind you, but the game does feel closer to an early access version than a full release because of this. Hopefully, a patch or two can fix these issues. Sound There are over 200 characters in Aether & Iron, and they are all fully voiced. Sure, some of the minor NPCs only have a handful of lines, but that’s still nothing short of impressive. Not only that, but the performances are consistently strong, making characters feel distinct and worthwhile. The acting helps carry the game’s narrative-heavy structure, adding personality and emotional weight to its plethora of dialogue scenes. Musically, the game leans heavily into its noir atmosphere. The jazz-influenced soundtrack reinforces the 1930s feel. Ambience then ties everything together, resulting in a fantastic soundscape. If there’s one issue we had with Aether & Iron’s audio, it’s another technical one: volume levels can be inconsistent, with some sounds too quiet and others too loud. Gameplay Blending elements of visual novels, CRPGs, and tactical strategy games, Aether & Iron offers a mix of narrative decision-making and stylized car-based combat. The game proudly wears its Disco Elysium inspiration on its sleeve and focuses heavily on dialogue and player choice, with branching conversations and dice-based skill checks. Most of your time is spent talking to characters and exploring locations. Exploration is handled through point-and-click navigation between locations on a map, sometimes triggering quests, interactions, or random surprise encounters. You’re in direct control of Gia, although along the way, you’ll run into other characters that can join her crew. The outcome of conversations is often luck-based: you roll two six-sided dice and apply bonuses from your crew’s skills. The result can open new options, alter outcomes, or lead to success or failure in missions. Your crew composition and skill distribution matter here, since their abilities directly influence your chances in these checks. There is also a secondary system called Heat, which tracks how much attention you’re drawing and can affect dialogue and combat difficulty, as well as resources like money and spare parts for repairs and upgrades. When conflicts turn physical, the game shifts to turn-based car combat on grid-like roads. Here, you spend action points to move, attack, or use abilities. Positioning is key, since moving forward costs more than falling back, and different weapons or skills require specific placement relative to enemies. You can shoot, ram, and use special abilities while avoiding hazards and traffic, with destroyed vehicles becoming obstacles that can damage others. Between encounters, you can customize and upgrade your vehicles with weapons, armor, and other parts, and different crew members specialize in different vehicle types. While the core experience is undoubtedly that of a CRPG, the unconventional car-based battles and light resource/crew management systems give Aether & Iron an identity of its own. The game deserves full credit for that, although the rough edges hold it back somewhat. Apart from the aforementioned visual issues, we found that the UI could’ve used some more time in the oven as well. Menus in particular come across as finicky with navigating equipment, car management, and general interface elements feeling like a struggle. Interface elements can get in the way, leading to unintended inputs, and buttons and menus sometimes don’t respond cleanly, making interaction frustrating. Again, none of this outright breaks the game, but Aether & Iron could have been so much better. Given its moderate length, at roughly 18 hours, and its relatively low price of €24.50, we can’t reasonably hold the game to the same standard as an AAA genre entry, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to outright ignore these issues. Conclusion Technical issues hold back Aether & Iron, and that’s a shame because we can outright see the diamond behind those rough edges. While the game can’t fully escape Disco Elysium’s shadow, it at least tries to set itself apart through its combat system, gorgeous presentation, and ambitious storytelling. If the game’s performance had matched, perhaps this would have been a worthy contender, but as it stands, Aether & Iron really needs a patch or two to reach its full potential.