Rivals of Aether II

The Fun-for-all update was exactly what this game needed - a way to play the game and still have fun without having to be fully locked in all the time.

This game doesn't feel ready yet. Like others have said, stick to the first game for now. The game and store are slow to load, features such as palettes have been paywalled, the game requires a third party account, inputs don't feel precise, updates are focused on balance changes and adding new store items instead of adding new features, but what really disappoints me is that there is no good PvE mode or fun casual mode for me to sink time into as a casual fighting game player. I feel like Aether 1 prioritized fun in every aspect and the story mode created an interesting world, but Aether 2 just feels like a generic smash clone. I'm really hoping it will improve in the future, but after two years of stagnation, I'm worried about its future.

Sigh. Listen, if you want something in between Smash Ultimate and Melee, this is something I think you'd enjoy. But I came from Rivals 1, and this is a POOR sequel. Movement feels better in Rivals 1. Combos are more free flowing, fun, and creative in Rivals 1. Hits feel much meatier and satisfying in Rivals 1 - sound design is generally better too. Stages are better in Rivals 1. Music is better in Rivals 1. Offstage gameplay is better in Rivals 1. Custom Colors in Rivals 1 are way better than the pay for skin shop. Ledges and shields and floor hugging make a more defensive game, with all sorts of complicated options possible at any given point - which is frustrating coming from the simplicity of "land a hit and profit," from Rivals 1. About the only thing this one does better is character balance; Rivals 1 is mostly in a great place, but the character balance is off. The workshop characters are straight busted compared to the rest of the cast. Shovel Knight and Ori, and to a lesser extent Ranno and Elliana are very frustrating to play against in Rivals 1. Earlier characters tend to have ... less power or complexity - see Forsburn for the former and Orcane for the latter. Rivals 2 does patch out a lot of the "this feels real BS" stuff that characters can do - it's still BS, but the most toxic stuff is less apparent. I know Dan wanted to capture that Smash audience. But I wish he had done it in a way that kept Rivals 2 feeling more like Rivals. I don't know if that was possible, but this missed the mark for me. Unfortunately since this game kinda killed the Rivals 1 matchmaking, I feel a bit stuck having to play it over my beloved OG Rivals.

Half of these characters are designed well with a clear vision in mind, and the other half are veterans made for a completely different game with zero-to-no clear idea at all on how to balance them. Just stick to Rivals 1.

This has been my absolute favorite game since the first backer beta in April 2024, but I could not rate it as "Recommended" unless you had 100 hours of Melee, PM, or Rivals 1 experience. [b]But I can now.[/b] (Provided you have something at least slightly better than a Steam Deck.) You now get [i]both[/i] the most premium PC platform fighter available [i]and[/i] a fantastic party game. From my hours you can tell I'm a sweat, but goofing around with items with friends who have no experience has been a blast for all of us. Many characters, stages, and items have obvious Smash design inspiration, but even the most direct comparisons have twists that make everything feel uniquely Rivals. Just one example of each of these: [list] [*] [b]Absa[/b] most clearly takes inspiration from Zelda (and borrows some moves and mechanics from other characters) but her cloud mechanics give her what seems to be infinite depth. Cloud backpack is a thing too. It's not good, but why not lol. [*] [b]Treetop Bridge[/b] is a walkoff, and based on the name invites comparisons to Bridge of Eldin. Here the hazard is a Sylvan Plant which tracks and bites a marked player. Passing the mark (or at least being close enough to someone else to make them get bit as well) is the main gimmick here. [*] The [b]Training Bumper[/b] seems at first like a straight ripoff, but Rivals has a universal parry which can be used to push the bumper around. I've always hated Smash bumpers, but I love these because while they're still disruptive, they're still really interactive. [/list] And these are some of the more direct comparisons. If you think $115 for Smash Ultimate and all DLC fighters might be worth it, then just $15 for a unique yet polished take on the genre from a studio that [i]actually[/i] cares about its players is completely worth it. And this is going to get even better once Workshop makes it out of beta, more characters get added, and new features are implemented as the team prepares to release on console (with crossplay!). [hr][/hr] Other notes: [list] [*] Controls are incredibly configurable. You can even edit and test your controls on the character select screen. [*] Wavedashing has never been more accessible. Turn on wavedash assist and you can now wavedash by just holding shield when you jump. [*] Character design is often described as "everyone is a Smash DLC fighter" but it's more like "everyone has some kind of MOBA-like stage control tool". Dan played a lot of League before working on Rivals and it shows. [/list] [hr][/hr] Oh? What's that about monetization? You heard that this is a live service game? Well, yes! There are bundles of skins you can buy. [b]But[/b]: [list] [*] All characters and future characters are free. [*] You unlock a skin for free in each event track. (My favorite skin for my main is a free one.) [*] You can choose to level up any past event track at any time. [*] If you finish one event track and level every character to level 2 (which you can easily do by beating their Arcade mode on easy) then you have earned enough currency to buy any Rare skin you want. Have your heart set on an Epic skin? Play your main for a while and level up a second event track and you'll get it. [*] Profits from esports bundles fund tournaments. [/list]

I'd really love to enjoy a smash game that has nothing to do with nintendo, but unfortunately this game is so niche the only people playing it are people who have been grinding melee for 25 years. It's miserable to play against these people, and I don't know how this game can possibly ever turn it's population around when the only people playing it are the worst possible people for new players to encounter. Ultimately this games ability to just be picked up and played for fun is absolutely awful, and that's just a death sentence.

its not bad but its DEFINITLY not an upgrade, the og pixel animation looks way better than this one and it feels like smash bro than aether. i dunno i just dont like it. 5/10

The only actual criticism I have for the game (that isn't the sweaty Project M playerbase) is that a fleshed out solo mode or character specific tutorials would be nice. This game is a solid 10/10 for me otherwise. You will have more fun going into the game if you've played smash or other platfighters before, especially competitively since the average player in this game is already at a decently high skill level. Anyway, Zetterburn and Galvin players don't deserve human rights. If you play either of these please never speak to me or breathe in my direction.