AETHUS

Delightful game. First thing for a new player is change the camera control to right mouse and the interaction of the mining beam to hold click instead of multiple click, sidesteps any of the troubles I've seen from some other players. Loved this game!

This is a really great game that has one of the best stories I've seen in this genre with extensive voice acting that really brings it to life. Oxygen is your enemy and how to manage it while you get upgrades to extend your forays to get more materials is the primary game loop. You have a base on the surface that you continue to upgrade while you delve deeper & deeper into the planet to uncover the secrets left by your grandad. Downsides are the resource loop is kinda grindy and the game has this "earthquake' mechanic that magically refreshes resource nodes so you'll be visiting some areas again & again. The dev introduced a new "drone" mechanic a while back that relieves this burden somewhat (less full time trips back to the surface), so it helps. But really, it's a fine gameloop with a fabulous story that's wonderfully told.

I love this game! Always something to work towards but without any rush. Cozy so far with only your oxygen and a kind of 'Don't stand in the fire!' type issue with not getting hurt. I love the accents and the chat. I got really tired of the games that are a constant fight-fest and staying tense all the time, waiting for something to jump out at you. So far, there is none of that, though I've had some hints lately about what could be a major twist here. I'm very much looking forward to working through the rest of the game.

Wonderful game, I really enjoyed it! For the survival aspects, the gathering, crafting and building everything is well-conceived, didn't feel too "grindy" at all, and I spent a lot more time than necessary just stockpiling and crafting it all, "just in case, might need this later". There were some original and creative QoL mechanisms for reducing travel time and to help inventory management that I really appreciated. As many others have said, the story is interesting and intriguing, but it's really the incredible voice-acting that made it all feel so real, engaging, and endearing even. It's definitely a story-driven game, there're no options to change the order in which you achieve goals and advance, making progress very linear, at times a bit too simple because you basically just do what the story tells you to do. I'd have liked a bit more puzzles in the end-game, for some more satisfying "aha!" moments. But that's a very very minor complaint. Overall I'd say it's one of the most well-rounded games I've played in quite a while, short (46h to complete for me, and that's considering I did not rush through *at all*) and sweet, very satisfying to finish, and it left me looking forward to the developer/creator making more such games in the future! (Btw I played originally through Steam family sharing, but I added it to my wishlist and purchased it at later point in order to support this promising indie creator)

I play/try over 100 games each year. Aethus is without a doubt one of the most, if not THE most polished and complete solo projects I have ever played; so much so, that calling it a solo project almost feels like a disservice. The gameplay is a fairly simple mining-based progression and base advancement loop, but it is wrapped in a well written story, believable environmental design, and smart level design with plenty of shortcuts to unravel and unlock. The developer even thought to add configs for most settings; your carry weight, oxygen, vitality, sell value, etc. so that you can truly shape the progression loop to match the time you intend to spend with the game. The writing and voice acting are again far, far above what one could expect from a solo project. I am completely immersed playing Aethus and have not been taken out of the experience yet. The only con I have is that I think i would have traded lower oxygen for higher base move speed to increase the speed of the loop, but there are workarounds to that and I also understand some downsides to that approach. Overall: Highly recommend, worth every penny at full price.

The game start is slow, but the story builds momentum to drag you along all the way to the finish. Excellent!