The intriguing Aetheris presented itself in more detail during our last AG French Direct, and we were able to tell you a little more about the specificities of the game with our unpublished preview. On this occasion, we were able to ask a few questions to Corto Laly of Wild Wits Gamesto find out a little more about this title which mixes genres, and which makes an impression thanks to its artistic direction unlike any other.
Back to the Kickstarter
- First of all, thank you for this interview! Can you quickly introduce yourself, who are you and what is your role in the game? Can you summarize us Aetheris in a few words ?
Hello, I’m Corto Laly, the creative director of the game Aetheris. On Aetheris I mainly take care of the gameplay and make sure that the whole team appropriates the artistic intentions of our game.
Aetheris in a few words it’s… a cooperative tactical rogue-like with an original artistic direction.
- How did your Kickstarter campaign go?
Haaa the baptism of fire, it was an opportunity for us to know whether or not there was an audience for our game (and fortunately there is one!).
It was both very stressful and very formative for the team (we are all on our first game). We were able to confront the critics, expectations of the public and thus adjust our proposal.
- Even if the milestone has not been reached on Kickstarter, would you still like to produce a Switch version?
Yes, that’s definitely something we hope for.
Gameplay Details
- Aetheris promises us to live our own role-playing adventure, with choices of decisions to be made. To what extent will these choices have an impact on the adventure we are going to live, or will they simply modify a path but make us fall back on the same guideline? Will we be entitled to different endings?
To a certain extent rather the first option, your choices will have a noticeable impact on the inhabitants of the wild lands and their end but… The player is not above the laws of the universe, certain events will take place regardless of the player chooses to do, but how these events will be experienced will only depend on the player.
- Speaking of choices, can you tell us more about the reaction wheel system? Is it possible that in the long term, characters make choices that are completely opposite to what we have tried to build throughout the adventure?
The reaction wheel is there for a peculiarity of the game that I don’t want to spoiler, but indeed, sometimes, it will be necessary to accommodate the choices of the characters played. Afterwards, it’s up to you to let them act as they please or not, but everything is paid for!
- How many characters can we recruit? Is each member of the team entitled to their own story?
So in Aetheris, the characters (vazzard) build their story over the course of their adventure, we carry the destiny of a village that has not yet been confronted with the hardships of the outside world. It’s up to you to write the own story of each of these vazzards. We can go on an adventure with a maximum of 4 vazzards.
- Can you tell us more about Exodus mode and how it changes the experience?
Unlike the campaign mode, in the Exodus mode, the player must do everything not to be engulfed by a strange fog, which involves a race against time. Concretely, this pushes the player to make decisions that are very different from those of the campaign.
- Do you have an anecdote or an unusual story to tell? Something that stood out to you or a development story about the game?
Fun fact, the game was to be called Spirits initially but everyone thought of the animated film…
- A last word for our readers?
Add it to your wishlist on Steam if you like what you see!
We thank Corto Laly for his time and for his answers. Aetheris will be available on Steam. You can also find all the other games presented during the AG French Direct on the event’s Steam page.