The Government is under a lot of pressure from gamers to pull out something new and amazing, due to the poor performance of Steam. The platform isn't that exciting at the moment, so the pressure is on for global politics to be something special. Luckily, Steam and Microsoft are doing everything they can to get Steam-based gaming systems into the living room, and sometimes they even publish games like Lovers of Aether to try and do so. Lovers of Aether has arrived with almost no publicity and now the final build is ready for review.
I, personally, have been looking for a game for years that can entertain me. Current AAA games keep burning themselves out, whether it be poor gameplay mechanics, uninteresting characters that encourage you to skip the story, or days, maybe even weeks of grinding that prevents reasonable progress speeds. Lovers of Aether, however, is able to be completely flawless, all while introducing several new innovative features and unique stories.

This is an open world adventure/datin--- I mean friendship sim/MMO-like game which means you move around and do things and make friends and explore stuff. There is a segment where you play a wall defense simulation that feels like it was added on by a completely different team.
Lovers of Aether tries to separate itself from the pack with interesting features. Being a PC exclusive game, no compromises were made in making this game with full support for all the latest keyboards and steering wheels and Oculus Rifts and more. Playing with my Oculus Rift was the best experience ever.
Investigations are so open ended and have so much to learn about thanks to the new choice system! It's so super cool and makes investigating the Ding Dong Tree so immersive! It got so crazy that my gaming laptop caught fire after I figured out the truth to "the incident" which means it's good, RIGHT!?
In terms of exploration, I've been playing for hours and hours and I still have only explored mere fragments of this large, beautiful world. From the high school to the high school (but inside it this time), there's just too much to do. Everything you see can be interacted with, and the game makes sure it rewards you for exploring everything. I've interacted with every single one of Kragg's rocks, the one's in his locker AND in his bag (that's a hidden achievement by the way) and felt as if every rock added more and more value to not only Kragg's charater, but the world as a whole.
For parts of Lovers of Aether, you'll need help. This is where the "MMO-Like" experience comes in. Sometimes you might need to convince another character you know something you don't, or help prove someone's case in what feels like a court of law. This is where other characters can help you out. All the characters in game sound and act like real people and not pre-written scripts. With so many partner combination, especially during the "Animal Farm" mission, working with others has never felt so amazing.

Some more generic games like Destiny 2 and Stardew Valley have characters that you just like. You might remember them or something, but they don't personally affect you or your life. All of the characters in Lovers of Aether are SO much more then that. These characters set a new standard. All of the characters in Lovers of Aether are so well created that your heterosexuality will be completely shattered into nothingness 20 minutes in.
On top of that, the slice of life elements in this game will cause moments where you'll have a severe mid-life crisis and suddenly find a will to turn your life around. I was a complete loser before this game, with failing grades and a lack of direction for my life. I had no friends and a job at Walmart. I've changed now after hearing the sometimes sweet and gentle, sometimes blunt and harsh words of the characters. Wrastor encouraged me to speak the language of my heart. Sylvanos encouraged me to start a workout regime. Absa showed me what's it's like to pass all my classes, setting me on a path to pass my classes in real life. Elliana taught me to always question the system and decide your own fate. Most importantly, Clairen was able to teach me the ways to make these 30,000 days we live have purpose. The moment I helped her set up that PA interrupter, I felt what it was like to live outside this linear life we live. I now take on every day with purpose and a desire to become an even better person then I was the day before.

Set in a wholesome part of the game's fantasy world, otherwise called Aether, the game hands you the task of finding out what happened at the Ding Dong Tree, all while requiring you to survive a gruesome set of challenges in a high school AND find a partner for the homecoming dance. Some of the challenges are tougher than others. Some characters need to be betrayed, and some cutscenes show you feeling bad about it. Over the course of the game you will have the choice of nearly infinite characters and almost endless challenges to play through.

From the moment the impressively hand-drawn intro scenes start you know you're in for something special, and the actual game doesn't disappoint at all. Additionally, there is no faulting the environments on display. It's a testament to the graphical prowess of the computer when its in the hands of the experienced team that created this game. Just be sure to run the game in 4K mode to experience the game as it was meant to be.
Being a 2D game, the hardware capabilities of your computer aren't exactly being pushed to the limit. Purists may point out that the adventure games Lovers Of Aether is trying to emulate didn't look this good, but it's a minor problem. The visuals represent the objects they represent well. Character representation is the most important thing to have in a game like Lovers of Aether and the game has it in spades. You'll see yourself racing around a hallway corner to the sound of yourself anxiously scouting out potential dangers ahead, taking in the sumptuous visuals too. The backgrounds are nicely detailed if a bit plain in design, and the smoothly rendered characters themselves feature some impressive detail.

The Lovers of Aether OST brings you, confidently, to the mix of sleazy glitter-pop, EDM-tinged bangers and swirling balladry of something like Ke$ha's first two albums — 2010’s “Animal” and 2012’s “Warrior” — but with the benefit of age, experience, and some real polish behind the melodies. The only real disadvantage to the game's OST is that it is not for sale anywhere. What a sad day for the world of music.

To be truthful, I really can't find too many. My first, and important, con would be that there are no trading cards, badges, emoticons, or backgrounds. Also, the ending to the game was a little too short for my tastes. Maybe there could have been a dance sequence before it ended? There could also be like a Dance Dance Revolution mini game too? You could use the DDR SDK to add DDR dance pad support to the game. I'm just getting a little creative at this point.

With game studios like Ubisoft, Activision, Bungie, and more all holding the gaming market with a firm grip, it's hard for third-party developers to get a game unlike any other into the market. However, Lovers of Aether has demonstrated that you don't need to be a big company to make a good game. In just five days, the developer was able to make a game that breaks the quality curve, making quality AAA games look like games that came from high schoolers just starting to learn coding.
When the Steam platform was struggling to have as many games as possible on its potentially great system, many looked towards Lovers of Aether to demonstrate what the platform is capable of. There's a reason why I've played this for 200+ hours. In the end, everything holds up just fine and this is a welcome addition to any gamer's library.