Aethermancer is a monster taming game meets roguelite. Become the Aethermancer and fight alongside mythical creatures. Explore the ever-changing Fractured Ruins, plan your moves in challenging turn-based battles, and watch your Monsters grow stronger from previous lives and defy death!
Developed by: moi rai games
Played on: Steam
Length: 8 hours
A review key was provided by offbrand games.
I often wondered if the people at Gamefreak (the company that makes the Pokémon video games) took their jobs seriously, would they be able to reinvent the franchise with brand new innovation and complexity? A brand new coat of paint on the nostalgia essence, making things fresh while leaving the bits that work for the modern day gamer that grew up with the biggest brand on the planet. While that thought threatens to remain just that, a thought, the brilliant people at Moi Rai Games decided to take a shot at what that game would look like and trust me, it is one helluva ride.
Aethermancer is a catch em’ all monster-tamer, very much in the spirit of Pokémon, with a roguelite twist, where monsters can permanently die. You form short-lived teams, and runs reward both immediate survival and long-term growth via soul-bonds and carryover progression. It deliberately channels the Pokémon Nuzlocke challenge into a standalone design and the formula is as follows: Permadeath + catching restrictions + evolving runs = Massive amounts of fun and high replay value.
Whatever that sounds like to you, it sounds and plays even better to me.
Gotta Catch & Train ‘Em All
While people may compare Aethermancer to Pokémon due to its monster collection nature, Aethermancer has a very clear core identity, it is really difficult. Having this fusion roguelite mechanic clearly sets the tone, feel and gameplay aspect to be something that is vastly different, both in terms of satisfaction and expectations.
Runs feel meaningful because losses are consequential, and you need to rebirth and soulbond a new monster to get back into the game. You only get 1 monster type per run and each run has its own randomized monster line up that you can use, forcing you to try out new monster combinations and combat strategies. This gives it a compelling hook distinct from games like Pokémon and Digimon.
3v3 turn-based battles, similar to that of Battle Chasers: Nightwar, emphasize monster synergies, aether generation, basic attacks vs aether based attacks, positioning and powerful passive and active abilities.There are multiple builds for each monster and synergies between monsters are deep and emergent. Different monsters interact differently with each other, producing engaging tactical decisions rather than simple “who has the strongest stat” fights.
Strategies such as multiple sidekick attacks, critical strikes, poison stalls, energy shields and straight up aether bombing the enemies are really fun to execute and keep you actively engaged, instead of just button mashing the strongest attack you have. The extremely high value of replayability here is what modern monster collecting games lacks and this game does it effortlessly.
The pixel art, monster design and animations are standout elements in my opinion, they give the game charm and make runs visually satisfying while offering a gentle throwback to Pokémon’s early years in the Gameboy Colour.
Some Issues With The Game
For those who aren’t initiated with the roguelike aspect as a whole will feel the brutal swing that is present in most games of the genre, due to the early difficulty spikes and sometimes unforgiving RNG rolls. The permadeath feature alongside randomized skills and equipment make some runs feel extremely unfair, especially if you are facing a new enemy or trying out a new tactic. I usually just tell myself to walk it off and farm eternal currency to make my next run better.
The UI could also use a little more on screen information and diversify their font choices for better clarity in reading. There are also some glitches and bugs in the game but it isn’t game breaking or something that ruins the overall experience, which I am sure will be patched in the next update.
I also would love for the monsters to have an evolved form similar to Pokémon and Digimon as it adds another layer of excitement and strategy but it seems to be missing from the overall structure of this game, which I feel is a huge missed opportunity.
What Makes Aethermancer Different From Pokémon
First off, Aethermancer is a mechanically and more gameplay driven game compared to Pokémon, which in the most recent versions have focused on comfort first designs such as quality of life upgrades, returning monsters and very simple gameplay upgrades (Mega Evolutions, Gigantamax forms etc). This core focus changes how and why you collect your monsters and its combat directly benefits from the choices you make early in the game.
Pokémon’s mainline titles are longform RPGs centered on collecting, exploration, and a very safe progression loop (catch many, build favorites, beat the bad guys). Aethermancer is explicitly a radical roguelite as it focuses on short-form runs, permadeath, looped meta-progression, and tight tactical encounters. They share the monster collection trait and aesthetics but operate on different design philosophies entirely.
Is Aethermancer For You?
Aethermancer is made for players like me, players who want fresh mechanical twists on monster collection games. It converts the emotional stakes of permanent loss into a meaningful roguelite loop and rewards tactical thinking while building up hype and anticipation for your next run.
If you are a player who wants long-term collection and hundreds of monsters as well as sprawling multiplayer communities, then Aethermancer is currently not exactly your cup of tea — but promising if you like the focused roguelite loop mechanic.
Bang For Your Buck
For the price this game is billed at, it is definitely worth every penny as it is highly replayable and it is priced at a very sweet spot that makes it very competitive. Your money is only stretched if they choose to add any more content beyond this point of release (I am sure there will be additional content planned for the future, it’s a monster catching game people), making the option to purchase this game a very easy one.
Support more indie innovation by purchasing games like these to ensure a more robust and in depth game development cycle for the future of gaming!
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